Beginning Basketball Drills for Girls

Beginning basketball drills for girls should be both energetic and educational. Girls tend to play the game at a slower pace than boys, so the coach should design drills that focus on the basics of basketball. Drills usually last for half of a practice session, then the girls scrimmage each other. The coach may choose to stop the scrimmage at different times to show the girls how one of the drills applies during an actual game situation.

  1. Dribbling

    • Conduct a dribbling drill to help the girls learn how to control the ball with both hands. Have the players line up in single file behind the free throw line. Give the first player in line a ball, then tell her to dribble to the basket using only her right hand. Have her make a layup and retrieve the ball. Tell her to dribble back to the free throw line using only her left hand. Repeat the drill until each player shows the ability to control her dribble with both hands.

    Passing

    • Use a passing drill during girls' basketball practice to teach the players to share the ball. Have the girls pair up and tell them to stand 10 feet away from their partner. Give each pair one ball. Instruct the players with the ball to use both hands to throw a bounce pass to their partner. Tell the players to try and pass the ball hard enough so the ball only bounces one time. Run the drill until each player shows the proper passing technique. Step in and make corrections to a player's passing technique when necessary.

    Catching and Shooting

    • Run a catch-and-shoot drill to help the girls learn to shoot the ball without taking a dribble. Have one player line up 5 feet in front of the basket. Tell another player to stand out of bounds with a ball. Have her throw the ball in high enough so the shooter can catch it in the air. Once the shooter has the ball, tell her to take the shot without dribbling the ball first. Repeat the drill with the rest of the players, until each one makes a shot. Make sure to point out that taking a quick shot with no dribble will often lead to an easy basket, since the defense will not have as much time to react.

    Rebounding

    • Teach the players how to rebound the basketball properly. Have the players form two lines approximately 10 feet from the basket. Give one player the ball and tell her to take two dribbles and shoot. Have the first player in the other line run forward to try and rebound the shot. Make sure the rebounder has her hands up in the air during the rebound. Stop the drill and explain to the players that they need to rebound the ball before it hits the court, to prevent the other team from gaining possession. Continue the drill until each player is able to cleanly rebound the ball.