YOUTH BASKETBALL

COACHING CURRICULUM
K – 3 INTRODUCTORY
 INTRODUCTION

League Philosophy
SLARA sponsored leagues and activities are formed and operated on the principles of good
sportsmanship, fair play, courtesy to others, healthy activity, tolerance and inclusiveness, and
all other policies pertaining to community understanding and development. SLARA reserves
the right to make decisions which it feels are in the best interest of the league and community.
What to Expect?
SLARA basketball leagues aim to serve as introductions to the sport of basketball for the youth
in the community. For many of the players in the league, this will serve as their first
experiences with basketball as well as organized sport. It will be a learning process for all of
them. Some will pick up the game and skills quicker than others. Be patient and keep the focus
on fun! Players should play equal amounts of every game, receive equal instruction, and be
provided with an environment suitable for skill development and recreation.
Role of the Youth Coach
SLARA thanks you for your decision to serve as a coach! SLARA coaches are vital to the
implementation of all youth leagues. As a coach, your role is to serve as a communicator to
parents and players alike, facilitate a learning environment, and provide supervision. It is not
uncommon for youth players to view a coach as a role model, use this opportunity to teach fair
play, sportsmanship, and a love for the game. Keep practices fun, yet instructional. Use
gameplay as teaching moments for young players. Coaching youth sports can be a very
rewarding experience, remember to have fun with this!
Purpose of this Curriculum
The focus of this curriculum is to lay out a week-by-week guide to serve as the foundation for
your practice program. This curriculum will cover the skills and mechanics each player will need
to learn to help grow their game. At the age and experience level most of your players will be
at, basic skills are the focus. While this curriculum provides a starting point, additional lessons
should be worked in when appropriate. The key to learning for many of these young players is
confidence. It is your responsibility as a coach to create an environment that enable these
young players to feel confident in their ability. Make sure you are mixing in games and other
activities to keep kids focused and engaged. Through repetition, positive reinforcement, and
fun, these young players can hope to see improvements in their game from week 1 to week 8!
 START PRACTICE WITH A WARM UP
Stretching provides a great starting point for any practice. Stretching allows players to loosen
up, prevent injury, and can be a solid team activity to start a practice. Stretching will add
structure to the beginning of a practice and gives you a chance to brief the team on important
announcements or upcoming practice goals. Try to incorporate stretching into your practice
agenda.

Some ideas to get you started:

• Stand on toes, reach arms to the ceiling for 10 seconds

• Spread the legs, while standing, as far apart as possible without losing balance. Reach
with both arms through the legs as far as you can for 10 seconds.
• Legs still spread, reach your left arm to you right foot. Repeat with right arm to left
foot. Do each for 10 seconds.
• Sit down. Spread legs and reach as far forward between legs as possible for 10 seconds.
• Still sitting, bottoms of feet together, knees out, press down on inside of legs with
elbows for 10 seconds.
• Stand up and rotate arms clock-wise and counter-clockwise. Do each for 10 seconds.
• Finish with 25 jumping jacks
 WEEKS 1 THRU 2 – BALL HANDLING/DRIBBLING
Ball Handling is the most basic skill a young player needs to pick up on. Without proper ball handling
mechanics, players will struggle to properly and effectively dribble the basketball up and down the
court. The key here is repetition. Being confident dribbling the basketball down the floor will require
confidence. The only way to become confident is through proper repetition of the mechanics. Ball
handling and dribbling is the focus for the first couple weeks but should not be forgotten as the season
progresses.

Coach Focus

Make sure your players are focusing on the following:

• Heads Up! Don’t look at the ball while dribbling.

• Use fingers to bounce the ball
• Keep the ball under control, don’t let it go higher than your waist
• Keep your knees bent
• Ball-You-Man: Keep yourself between the defender and the ball. If a player must go through
you to get to the ball, chances are higher they will foul you.

*When teaching dribbling, be sure to stress that it is not a race. Relay races, while fun, can cause
players to speed up past what they can handle and use poor mechanics. During drills, stress the use of
proper mechanics, speed will come naturally with time. Explain and emphasize that players cannot
double dribble.

Drills

Warm up

Players get in a circle, each with a basketball and practice using proper dribbling/ball handling
mechanics. The goal of this drill is to get players used to a basketball in their hands and comfortable
with proper mechanics.

Look For: Make sure each player is using proper techniques and not replicating bad habits

Basic Dribble

Have players line up on the baseline, each with a ball. Simply have them dribble up and down the court.
After some practice, have them take a shot as they approach the opposite basket.

Look For: Proper dribbling technique

Figure 8

Place cones in a straight line, roughly 5 to 10 feet apart. Have players dribble a basketball in and out of
the cones. Repeat several times and have players use both hands at least once.

Look For: Be sure players are using their fingers to control the ball and are dribbling with their head up.
Make sure they have confidence in using both hands.
 WEEKS 3 THRU 6 – PASSING/SHOOTING
Passing
A team that is able to move the ball well on the offensive side of the floor will be tough for any
team to stop. Good ball movement is achieved through good passing between teammates.
The focus for week 3 is passing, how to pass properly, when to pass, and what pass to use.
Coach Focus
You should cover the following passes with your players:

• Chest pass
• Bounce pass
Chest and bounce passes are the most common passes used. Make sure your players are
keeping two hands on the ball, stepping forward with their foot, extending their arms and
keeping their palms out in the direction of their teammate’s chest for a chest pass or the floor
for a bounce pass.
Drills
Warm up
Create as many pairs as you can with your players. Have them line up across from one another
with one basketball. Players should take turns passing the basketball back and forth. Have
players alternate between chest and bounce passes.
Look For: Ensure players are using proper technique and keeping their passes on target.
Circle Passing
Have the team form a circle with two players being left in the middle. Players on the outside of
the circle must make passes to other players on the outside of the circle. The two players will
defend passes and attempt to steal the ball. If a ball is stolen, the passer switches roles with
the player who stole the ball. Switch roles every so often so players are not stuck in the middle.
Look For: Effective and on-target passes, proper technique. Make sure the defending players
are not fouling yet are playing aggressively.

Shooting
If a player wants to score, they are going to have to learn to shoot the basketball! Shooting can
be very difficult for younger players since they do not have the strength necessary to use
proper form and reach the rim with the shot. It is still important to teach proper form, so that
bad habits are not relied on later.
Coach Focus
Proper shooting technique can be described by viewing the basketball as a clock. For a right-
handed shooter, the right hand should be at 6 o’clock and the left at 8 or 9 o’clock. The
shooting elbow should be directly under the shooting hand and the wrist should bend to form a
“C” with the forearm and elbow. The shooter will bend the knees and start the shot from the
chest, coming off of the ground as the shot is released. On the follow-through, both hands and
the body should face the basket.
Layups are a crucial part of shooting. For a right-handed shooter, the right foot should come off
the ground and the ball should be shot for the top-right corner of the square on the backboard.
Drills
Technique Practice
Have players line up on the baseline with a ball. On the whistle, they should take 3 to 4 dribbles
ahead, stop, and shoot the ball into the air, not far enough so that it is out of reach. The goal
here is to practice proper mechanics without focusing on getting the ball to the hoop. Have
them repeat this process all the way down the floor.
Look For: Shooting technique! Now is the time to correct players on shooting technique before
it becomes habit.
Around the World
Players line up around the basket, as close in as you need to have them. Have players go
around the line taking shots at the basket. See if all players can make a shot in the same cycle.
Look For: Proper mechanics
Lay-Ups/Close in Shots
Have players line up at the foul line. Give them a pass and let them move in on the basket and
shoot. If they can make a lay-up, encourage them to do so however normal shots are fine too!

Look For: Strong shooting mechanics

 WEEKS 7 THRU 8 – FLOOR PLAY/SCRIMMAGES
The skillsets covered in the first part of this curriculum serve as a good start to teaching any
young player the game, but players will eventually need to know how to put those skillsets to
use.
Coach Focus
Over the next few weeks, you will teach your players the importance of overall floor play.
These include non-skill tasks like pivoting, rebounding, defense, and offensive positioning.
While the mastery of basic skills is important, hard work, hustle, and awareness on the
basketball court separate the good players from great players.
Pivoting
Pivoting can help a player to get away from defensive pressure, create better angles, and open
up better passing lanes. Demonstrate to players how to successfully pivot and encourage them
to use the technique to avoid tie ups in game situations.
Pivot Drill
Each player is given a ball. The coach should help players learn the basic mechanics of pivoting
while holding the ball. Explain that once the ball is picked up, it cannot be dribbled again.
Look For: Pivoting using the whole foot and not the toe.
Rebounding
Rebounding is a very important aspect of both a good offense and good defense. When
rebounding, it is crucial to keep yourself in between the player you are guarding and the basket.
Don’t be afraid of contact when battling for a rebound but be sure to avoid fouls.
Rebound Drill
The coach will shoot to miss and cause a rebound. Players will take turns getting the rebound
and shooting a shot back at the basket. You may add in a defender to go for the rebound as
well if you believe the kids can handle it.
Look For: Keeping an eye on the ball, putting the shot back up.
Defense
Defense is typically not a focus on the minds of young players, however it is very important to
teach. Players should be taught to keep themselves between the player they are guarding and
the basket. They should also be taught to guard the basket first, then pick up the player they
are guarding. Young players will follow the person they are supposed to guard around the
entire court, and often times group up creating easy fast break opportunities. This should be
avoided.
Shuffle Drill
Players assume the defensive position: Knees bent, heads up, hand extended-palms up, feet
shoulder with apart. On the whistle, players shuffle to the pointed direction.
Look For: Players getting tired, proper form
Offense
Every young player’s favorite part of the game, scoring a basket! However, scoring a basket
takes hard work long before a shot is even taken. To keep an offense running effectively, teach
your players these aspects of good offensive play:

• Keep the ball out of the corners. The sidelines make it easy to get trapped as they act as
an extra defender.
• Keep everyone involved! Having every player on the floor involved creates more self
confidence among your players and helps your offense beat the defense.
• Send one player to help a teammate in trouble. Often times young players will group up
and all go for the ball when a player picks up their dribble. Designate a player to do this
so other players remain options for passes.
Scrimmages
End each practice the final two weeks with scrimmages. Stay out of the way for the most part
and let the kids play. It is important to make sure that they remember why they play the
game… to have fun! Use obvious technique mistakes as teaching moments for the whole
group, but do not place too much emphasis on positional play.