You are a Youth Basketball Coach.  Now What?   

The reason why we volunteer to start coaching our son or daughter’s youth basketball team is because we love our child, we enjoy the game of basketball, or sometimes because no one else volunteered for the position. As a volunteer youth basketball coach we come from all occupations and experiences and typically not one of us is a professional basketball coach by trade let alone a head coach at the high school or college levels.  Even if you were a star basketball player in high school or college it may have been ten to fifteen years since you were last involved in basketball for a full season.  With the vast wealth of information out there it can be overwhelming for anybody. So now what?

This book is designed to help you navigate what is important to teach as well as what’s not important in regard to long term development of your team and child.  We strongly feel that positive core values, skill development, and having fun are far more important to long term success than any strategy or plays and having fun does not happen without positive core values, working hard, and skill development. To illustrate this there are tons of successful ways to play the game of basketball offensively and defensively but there is one thing that never changes.  For these offensive and defensive strategies to be successful, you need good players.

If your players cannot shoot, pass, pivot, or dribble well your perfect play or offensive system will not work.  If your players struggle to listen, lack a work ethic, are not good teammates, and are not motivated to improve skill level does not grow.  Good players listen, work hard, are good teammates, and are skilled.  So how do you get good players?  As a youth basketball coach you must develop core values and skill.  Additionally, the offensive and defensive strategy you do end up choosing must be simple, easy to teach, allow some player freedom for decision making offensively, and ideally incorporate skill development within your system so practices are more efficient.  We will get into this all in greater detail later. For right now it is important to know that youth basketball coaching and development is a marathon and not a sprint.  Slow long term improvement versus short term gains from strategy is paramount.

Summary

• Just like our players, as coaches we need to be open to learning with a growth mindset.
• Positive core values, skill development, and having fun are more important than strategy.
• Slow long term improvement is to be emphasized versus short term gains from elaborate strategies or plays.

Core Values

Pete Carroll in his book Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion says, “The simple act of making thoughtful, affirmative statements about who we are and what we want to achieve can be an incredibly powerful tool for getting the best possible performance out of ourselves.” He also notes that if we change who we are from year to year we will never be great at anything.  As a youth basketball coach it is extremely important that you have three to five core values that you have written down and strongly believe in with your whole heart and that you can be genuine about.  These core values will become the foundation of your culture and will help shape positive behavior within your team both on and off the court. They should be so clear that everyone on your team knows what we are about and what is important to us.  Your current youth association you belong to or high school coaching staff may have these values clearly defined that they want taught and emphasized throughout the year.  You may have to define them yourself based on what you feel is important to the group you are coaching.

Some examples of teams successfully defining their core values and living them are the United States Military Academy West Point’s core values of duty, honor, and country and the University of Virginia men’s basketball team values of humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness.  These two groups have clearly defined who they are and what they want to be about.  They have a strong identity that helps guide behavior in a positive way.  West Point is one of the most highly regarded leadership institutions in the world and Tony Bennett’s team at the University of Virginia has been one of the top basketball programs in the United States with a National Championship won in 2019.

You may be thinking that hey this is just coaching a fifth grade youth basketball team. We are not a college or professional program and this core values thing seems a little over the top.  We completely understand this and it is human nature to think this way. However, by defining what core values you want emphasized and taught, you are taking a big step toward becoming above average and not the normal team or program.  You are taking a big step in shaping your team and child in a positive way both on and off the court.

As an example for youth basketball ages five through eight years old, this may simply be stating to your group that we are emphasizing listening, working hard, and having fun and then defining what these values look like.  As a coach we know our players are listening when they are not bouncing the ball or talking to teammates and have their eyes on you while talking.  Working hard is giving your best effort and not comparing yourselves to others.  When we listen and work hard we will have fun.  After defining these core values ask your team if they agree so they have a sense of ownership.  Also, when you see these core values demonstrated it is important to celebrate them in front of the group.

Summary

• Write down three to five core values that you can be genuine with to help guide positive behavior and culture.
• Cleary define your values and give examples to your team.
• Celebrate your core values when they occur in front of your team to reinforce.

Motivation
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Daniel Coyle, in his book The Talent Code, does an unbelievable job of discussing the many factors of motivation, which he terms ignition, and how, “Ignition supplies the energy, while deep practice translates that energy over time into forward progress.”  As a coach you will be involved in creating the desire and energy of your team to work hard, improve, and follow your team’s core values.  You will be involved with creating the vision and habits for your team. In this chapter we will discuss how motivation can be created and sustained and why long-term commitment, language, and physical environment are important.  We will also discuss how to improve intrinsic motivation and when to use extrinsic motivation.

To read more become a YBD member or purchase the book on youthbasketballdevelopment.com.

Strength and conditioning for youth athletes has been shown to have many positive benefits which include: improved gross motor skills and performance, injury prevention, reduced body fat, and increased muscle mass, psychosocial well-being, and bone mineral density.  Most parents are not certified strength and conditioning specialists and tend to have many questions in regard to when is a strength and conditioning program safe to start for their child, how often should it be done, what type of exercises are appropriate, and should I hire a trained strength and conditioning specialist? This article will attempt to answer these normal questions that most parents and youth coaches may have.

Who is appropriate:

• Children that can follow directions and demonstrate adequate balance, which usually occurs by 7 or 8 years of age.
• Children who have been cleared and screened by a qualified health professional to participate.

Who is not appropriate:​​​

• Children with cardiomyopathy, pulmonary hypertension, or Marfan syndrome. 
• Parents who feel their child is not physically, cognitively, or socially mature enough to participate.

Fears
There is no evidence that strength training stunts growth. Additionally, injuries to the growth plates can occur but this is usually due to improper technique and too much weight.  When injury did occur to the growth plate it rarely affected growth. To prevent injury children should never attempt a one-repetition maximum.

Stages and Progression
The Long-Term Athletic Development Model (LTAD) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Optimum Performance Training (OPT) model are two sound pathways for youth strength and conditioning progression.  The LTAD has useful information in regard realistic progressions specific to age and skill level to keep physical activity fun and safe, along with maximizing performance level as children age.  There are three stages of the LTAD which we will go into more detail on for ages 6-14 years old.  The NASM OPT model for young athletes progresses through three levels: stabilization, strength, and power training. This model also provides general guidelines for youth resistance training in regard to sets, reps, intensity, and recovery.

Fundamental Stage (Males 6-9 and Females 6-8)
Per the LTAD, in this stage children participate in less-structured activity with a focus on physical literacy and multiple sports that include running, jumping, and kicking that challenge balance, coordination, and speed.  It is not necessary to have formal strength and conditioning training during this phase that is separate from multiple sport participation.

Learn to Train Stage (Males 9-12 and Females 8-11)
In this stage there is low to moderate structure and focus on technical competency. Again, multiple sports are strongly encouraged (three or more) and in this stage children can learn proper body weight training. These exercises would include push-ups, bodyweight squats, pull-ups, planks, lunges, and external resistance with medicine and stability balls or rubber tubing. Per the NASM OPT model this stage of training would start with foundational stabilization exercises with a dosage of 1-3 sets, 12-15 reps, at low intensity, with a recovery of 0-30 seconds between sets.  Children can improve strength by 30-50% after 8 to 12 weeks at two times per week of a well designed strength training program.

Click for Sample Training Routine

Train to Train Stage (Males 12-16  and Females 11-15)
This stage involves moderate structure with the focus on technical skills and the secondary focus on performance outcomes. Aerobic training becomes a little more important, but the focus is still on skill, speed, and strength. Periodization  can be incorporated slowly with multiple phases and foci and focus may shift to only two sports.  Once young athletes have demonstrated great exercise technique with bodyweight and stabilization training they may progress to strength resistance training and eventually power exercises..

Free weights, weight machines, rubber tubing, and medicine balls can be incorporated for a variety of resistance types. Each training session would consist of 6 to 8 exercises that train the major muscle groups with a balanced effort between flexors and extensors and between upper and lower body.  Sample exercises could include dumbbell squat and lunges, seated tubing row, staggered stance tubing chest press, and seated dumbbell overhead press on bench. Per the NASM OPT model a dosage of 1-3 sets, 6-15 reps, at moderate intensity, with a recovery of 30-90 seconds between sets is recommended for strength training. The initial load selected for children would be 10 to 15 repetitions that can be completed with some fatigue but no muscle failure. In general, resistance can be increased by 5-10% when the child easily performs 15 repetitions. If the child fails to complete at least 6 repetitions per set or is unable to maintain proper form, then the weight is too heavy and should be reduced.

Power exercises use explosive movements, so to progress to these exercises young athletes need to show great exercise technique and resistance training skill. Examples of power exercises include medicine ball soccer throw, medicine ball chest press, squat jumps, speed squat to overhead press, and eventually olympic lifts starting with just bar weight.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and adolescents avoid competitive Olympic-style weight lifting and power lifting until they reach physical and skeletal maturity. The snatch and clean and jerk are complex movements that require skilled coaching and such lifts should never be performed without proper training and supervision. Therefore, we recommend that during the later stages of strength training and onset of power training your child train under the supervision of a strength and conditioning specialist. Many experts have recommended that there should be an appropriate athlete-to-coach ratio of one coach per 10 youth athletes to minimize risk. The NASM OPT model also recommends 1-3 sets, 3-6 reps, at high intensity, with 1.5-3 minutes rest between sets for power training.

Click for Sample Strength Training Routine

Summary

• There are numerous benefits of a strength and conditioning program for youth athletes that outweigh any potential risks.
• Following a progressive stage based model is optimal for safety and maximizing benefit.
• The program should be led by a qualified strength and conditioning specialist during the strength and power phases of training which typically start around 11-12 years old.

Written by:  Katie Larson, PT, SCS, CSCS

This is a great 5-10 minute off hand ball handling workout for players 9 and up put together by Phil Beckner, an NBA skill development coach.  It will improve your off hand control and feel for the ball. 

Great footwork can allow you to create space, improve decision making, and finish at the rim against more athletic competition. Watch this video on the stride stop finish which includes game edits, teaching progression, and a mini-workout that can be done at home.  

As we reach February many youth basketball programs have been practicing consistently for up to three to four months and practices may have become somewhat monotonous for both players and coaches.  Below are five potential strategies to breathe some life into your practices.

Situation Games:  Add a 10 minute block to your practice where you play out various situations in one to three minute  mini-games.  These tend to be focused and intense segments that your players really enjoy. Examples can include:

1. Start from a free-throw block out situation and the game is tied with two minutes left and the offensive team is at free-throw line shooting one free-throw to start.  Game is live on free-throw shot.
2. Offensive team is up one and is getting pressed to start situation game with 90 seconds left in game.
3. Game is tied with 45 seconds left.  Start situation game from a baseline out of bounds or sideline out of bounds.
4. Offensive team is down three with the basketball with three minutes left in game.
5. Game is tied and offensive team has ball with 20 seconds left and must run an end of clock action or an entry.
6. Start from a jump ball situation at the beginning of the game to go over positioning and then play a two minute game.
7. Create the situation which needs to be addressed (press, press breaker, free-throw line situation, baseline out of bounds, sideline out of bounds, zone attack,  etc…).

Shorten Practice Time:  Keep practices intense and crisp but shorten them to one hour.  You will be able to keep your players attention better along with keeping the intensity high.  Sometimes less is more especially at this time of the year.  Additionally, by ending practice sooner it may allow you or your staff to work more individually with certain players on specific skills areas following the scheduled team practice time.  Your players will appreciate this individual or small group time.

New Drill, Game, or Set:  Add a new finishing at the rim game, a different competitive shooting game, or set which the players have a say in to give them ownership.  There are hundreds of different drills and games in our library at youthbasketballdevelopment.com or simply go online and search.

End Practice on a Fun Note:  John Wooden, in his book They Call Me Coach says, “End practice on a happy note.”  This could be done by doing your team’s favorite drill or playing some type of game.  For this reason we do not recommend running conditioning drills at the end of practice.  If conditioning is an issue there are a lot of transition drills to get your players up and down the floor with a ball in their hand along with working on team defensive concepts. ​

Cancel Practice:  Instead of having practice, cancel it and go as a team to your local high school or college game.  Emphasizing fun, life-long participation in basketball is important.  Having your team find a positive role model or group in basketball that they identify with and makes them say, “I want to be like them or I want to be a part of this group.” can be a very powerful motivator for long-term commitment and improvement.