 On most youth teams there may be two to three players that can dribble equally with either hand. These players typically are intrinsically motivated to work on their game and skills outside of organized practices.
The question becomes how can we get more than two to three players on a local youth team to work on their skills outside of practice. For this article we will specifically focus on improving their off hand ball handling. To help with this task we will be using the book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything, by BJ Fogg, PhD. Per Dr. Fogg, for action to take place when motivation is low the behavior must be easy to do. As an example, if the aspiration is to floss your teeth daily start with one tooth. A main theme of the book is to take a behavior "you" want, make it tiny, find where it fits naturally in your life (a prompt), and nurture its growth. In this case, the behavior and aspiration we want is to improve off hand ball handling. Below are specific examples on how to make it tiny for your players with a prompt:
To make it a habit it's important your players find a prompt that naturally fits into their life. Examples could be pre or post brushing teeth, a meal, showering for the day, or returning from school. The prompt reminds your players naturally to dribble with their off hand now and should be something that happens at the right time for your players to perform the behavior. Dr. Fogg also states that emotions create habits by wiring the habit into your brain. For this reason your players must celebrate (create shine) after performing the behavior. Examples of creating shine could be:
Lastly, designing the home environment to make the habit easier to perform can make a big difference in whether the action gets done. Examples of improving environment design would be:
As we all know motivation can be fickle. If our players can find a way to make a habit this can make all the difference. It can take an average player and make them solid. Will they miss days? Yes. Tell them to not be too hard on themselves and to just start again. Slowly the off hand will get better and better and they will naturally increase the challenge. Thank you for reading our content and feel free to contact us with any questions!
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 In education there are standardized proficiency testing for Math and Reading and for strength training baseline testing is done to later obtain comparison measures and determine effectiveness of teaching or training. However, in basketball, youth coaches typically do not take the time to obtain baseline skill measures, a report card for basketball, or have clear expectations of what should be accomplished at certain age ranges. By doing a report card of skill development you are telling your players and their parents that this skill development thing is important and you as a coach care about their improvement in this area. Peter Drucker, the legendary management consultant, said what gets measured gets improved. We break down this skill development and testing into three age phases, five through eight years old, nine through twelve years old, and twelve through fourteen years old.
We are now going to get technical and nerd out on skill development for the next few paragraphs so bear with us. For ages five through eight years old there are six key skills we are trying to accomplish: being in the triple threat position, jump stop and pivoting, proper stationary dribbling technique right and left hands, jogging while dribbling the ball with right and left hands with head up, very basic shooting mechanics not at a rim, and proper passing technique for bounce and chest passes. On our Members Page there are age specific drills and games with bullet point teaching techniques to address all six of these skills. For standardized skill testing for this stage of development we recommend four different tests which are: 1. Demonstration of a jump stop to triple threat position, pivot, then throw a proper pass without traveling to a parent or coach. 2. Perform ten pound dribbles with right hand, ten pound dribbles with left hand, and ten cross-overs in fourteen seconds or less with head up. 3. Dribble at jogging speed with right and left hands twenty feet down and back with head up. 4. Demonstrate proper shooting form with the ball, not at rim but into the air, to a parent or coach. There is an example testing sheet for all three phases of development on the Members Page along with take home drill sheets. In ages eight through twelve years old, the “Golden Age of Skill Acquisition, there are four main skill areas we are emphasizing which are: footwork and pivoting to include the direct drive and cross-over step, ball handling to include full speed dribbling with the right and left hands, change of speed, and one change of direction move, basic shooting fundamentals at the rim at an appropriate height, and beginning stages of finishing at the rim. There are video examples of all of these skill areas and testing as well as drills and games to address on our Members Page. There are just four tests to address these skills which include: 1. Demonstration of v-series drill (cross-overs, between legs with right foot forward, and between legs with left foot forward fifteen times each) in twenty seconds or less with head up. 2. Demonstrate a full speed lay-up with right and left hands to parent or coach off one foot. 3. Demonstrate proper form with direct drive, cross-over step, shot fake, and create space pivot off left foot for right handed players to a parent or coach at game speed. 4. Demonstrate a proper shooting form with a ball at the rim to a parent or coach from an appropriate distance. For our third phase of skill development for ages twelve through fourteen years old, there are four main areas we hope to progress to and emphasize which include: ball handling with equal symmetry for right and left hands with beginning mastery of one to two dribble moves, proper footwork and pivoting with the jab series and ability to square up to rim at various angles, progression of finishing moves at the rim, and grooving and repetition of proper shooting form off the catch and dribble. Again, video examples with drills and games to address can be found on our Members Page. The five tests to obtain baseline measures and determine effectiveness of teaching are: 1. Demonstration of pound series (pound cross-over, pound between the legs, pound behind the back) one minute timing of sixty repetitions or greater. 2. Demonstrate ninety percent or greater hand symmetry on speed dribble test with head up. 3. Demonstrate a full speed reverse lay up with the right and left hands with proper form to a parent or coach. 4. Demonstrate proper form with jab series footwork off left foot for right handed players to a parent or coach at game speed. 5. Demonstrate ability to square up on inside foot and shoot the ball with proper form off self-pass. We feel that the best way to teach and develop these skills is to drill it and then game it. See below for sample testing or year end review forms:  All practice samples below are for 90 minutes unless noted otherwise. We try to keep score in all competitive drills. Our typical scoring system for team offensive emphasis is one point for a score, one point for an offensive rebound, and minus one point for a turnover. For a defensive game emphasis we give one point for a stop, one point for an offensive rebound, and minus one for a turnover. This scoring system puts an emphasis on valuing the ball and rebounding in every competitive drill throughout your practice which we believe has great value.
In practice 1 and 2 the team defensive and offensive strategies were implemented due to a scrimmage scheduled for day 3 of training which was not optimal. Your first scrimmage or scheduled game will have an effect on your practice planning as well. The typical practice format below is team message, dynamic warm-up, skill development, defensive emphasis, team offensive emphasis, transition segment. How much time is allotted for each segment is dependent on your team needs with skill development typically being 20-40 minutes and 30 minutes on average. Email info@youthbasketballdevelopment for questions on drill descriptions. Practice Number 1 (Install Defensive Concepts) Message (Core Values). Pre-practice shot routine. Walk-through defensive concepts (transition defense, positioning, etc...) Dynamic warm-up with ball. Mass defensive footwork (stance, push step, close out). 1 on 1 from half court and 1 on 1 close outs from wing (keep score). 4 on 4 positioning to help the helper to live (keep score - points for stop, off reb, turnover). 2 on 2 defending ball screen on side and 2 on 2 defending ball screen in middle. Marquette transition defensive drill ( 4 on 4- keep score with 1 pt score, off reb, -1 turnover). Free-throw line transition drill (5 on 5-keep score 1 pt score, off reb, -1 turnover). 4 on 4 cut throat (defend ball screens, dribble penetration, a screen away-point for stop). If time: Finishing off two feet series (Power, Air’em, Donut), Westbrook finishing (rule is off two feet), and team two ball shooting off split screen action. Practice Number 2 (Install Offensive Concepts) Pre-practice shot routine. Point series action walk-through (spacing, over and away actions). Dynamic warm-up. 3-0 over with defender on rail cutter (reject, curl, s-cut actions). 3-0 away with defender on rail cutter (reject, curl, s-cut actions). 5-0 over and away series. 4 out 1 in motion offense whole walk-through (spacing, cutting, hand-offs, ball screens). 5-0 transition (advance opposite, advance same side, keep it with dribble hand offs). 5-5 circle transition 4 trips. 5-5 FT-Line transition. Box base line out of bounds (BLOB) if time. Practice Number 3 Pre-practice shot routine. Message. Finishing series (2 foot-Power Lay Up, Air-Em, Donut). Race to rim finishing. 3-0 over shooting (team timings-keep score). 3-3 Ball toughness (no dribble, 10 points is max score). 4 on 4 Shell positioning and help the helper. 5 on 0 Circle transition missed shot and made shot. 5 on 5 Across FT-Line. 5 on 5 Nebraska Wesleyan transition. Practice Number 4 (60 minutes) Pre-practice shot routine. Message (humility, togetherness, competitive spirit, and mentally tough). Finishing series (2 foot-Power Lay Up, Air-Em, Donut) 1 on 1 Close outs. 3-3 Ball toughness. 5 on 0 Circle transition made shot. 5 on 5 Across FT-Line. 5 on 5 Nebraska Wesleyan transition. Practice Number 5 (120 minutes) Pre-practice shot routine. Message (Discuss what is a good shot-space, time/possession, know thyself). Dynamic warm-up. Finishing Series (1 foot finishes: speed, inside hand, reverse). Westbrook 1 on 1. Shooting (2 ball-3 person, 2 ball split screen shooting-away). 3-3 Ball toughness (you can score). 1 on 1 Full court. 3 v 3 Defending ball screens. 4 on 4 Shell help the helper and defending staggers. Marquette transition defensive drill. 5-0 Motion (Dribble at, Post Up, Drive and Kick, Ball Screen). 5-5 Motion. 5-0 Transition Made Shot (Motion and Point Series) 5-5 Circle Transition Practice Number 6 Pre-practice shot routine. BLOB walk-through. Dynamic warm-up. Finishing series (2 foot finishes). Partner Shooting 3 on 3 off two feet (Paint touch and can only score if off 2 feet). 1 v 1 Half court. 4 v 4 Help the helper. Spacing, ball toughness, paint touch emphasis: 5-0 Half court motion. 5-0 Over and away with Point Series. 5-5 Circle Transition Made Shot. 5-5 Box out transition. 5-5 Across FT-Line. Practice Number 7 Pre-practice shot routine (Hand out uniforms). Zone offense walk-through (X-game and Motion Filler). Dynamic warm-up. X-1 on 1 finishes. 3 on 3 off two feet (Paint touch and can only score if off 2). 1 v 1 Close outs. 4 v 4 Help the helper. Spacing, ball toughness, paint touch emphasis. 5-0 Half court motion. 5-0 Point series. 5-5 Circle transition made shot. 5-5 FT Line box out with situations (teach responsibilities). 5-5 Across FT-Line. Practice Number 8 Pre-practice shot routine. BLOB walk-throughs. Dynamic warm-up. Finishing series (2 foot finishes). Westbrook 1 on 1. 3 on 3 Ball toughness (Can have 1 dribble). 1 v 1 Full court. 3 v 3 Close outs. 3 v 3 Defend ball screens. Spacing, ball toughness, paint touch emphasis. 5-0 1/2 Court motion. 5-5 Point series. 5-5 Circle transition made shot. 4-4 Marquette transition drill. Practice Number 9 Pre-practice shot routine. BLOB and 2 up press breaker walk-throughs. Dynamic Warm-Up. Finishing Series (1 foot finishes). 2 Pass 1 on 1 finishing. 4 person shooting (2 Ball) and partner shooting. 1 v 1 From wing. 3 v 3 Close outs. 4 v 4 Help the helper. Situation Games: (Side out, press situation, FT-Line, BLOB, Motion with 25 sec left, 2 min game). 4-4 Marquette transition drill. 5-5 Across FT-Line. Practice Number 10 Pre-practice shot routine. 2 up press breaker walk-through. Dynamic Warm-Up. 3 on 3 Paint Touch. 3 on 3 Ball toughness length of floor in lane. Partner Shooting 1 v 1 From half court. 4 v 4 Help the helper. 4 v 4 Chaser 5-0 Motion (NBA line: drive and kick, post touch, ball screen). 5-0 Point series. 5-5 Line box out drill. 5-5 Across FT-Line.  Parents have a tremendous influence on their children and it is important to include them to help influence a positive atmosphere. We recommend having an inclusion mindset versus one of confrontation as supportive clear minded parents tend to have coachable non-excuse making kids. During your parent meeting a good agenda to follow would be a brief introduction of yourself (no need to list all your accolades or accomplishments), your team core values and standards, clear expectations in regard to the parent-player-coach relationship, playing time considerations, logistics and scheduling, and close with answering of any questions.
As previously stated by having clear core values you help set a foundation for positive behavior both on and off the court. It also becomes clear to your parents that you care about more than basketball, that you care about the development of their child as a person. Parents will also have a better understanding of what helps guide your decision making and can assist with reinforcing. We do not recommend a long list of rules beyond these core values but rather two to four standards for your players that your parents have an understanding of. An example of standards may be having fun, great effort, being on time, and no whining or complaining. Discussing the parent-player-coach relationship helps set clear communication expectations. In regard to the parent-coach relationship, a parent should expect to know your coaching philosophy and core values, team and schedule requirements, fees, and how playing time is decided. As a coach we expect parents to express any concerns directly to us versus in front of their child based on their strong influence. Concerns should never be addressed immediately following a contest since when emotional the best words and decisions are not chosen. Parents should encourage their child to voice any concerns they may have to their coach directly with their parental support and notify you of any schedule conflicts in advance as appropriate. Things that are appropriate for parents to discuss with you as a coach include the treatment of their child either mentally or physically, behavior concerns of their child, and ways to help their child improve but we recommend team strategy, play calling, or discussion of other kids on your team as not being appropriate. We also recommend not discussing playing time if it is coaches discretion at the age you are coaching which we will review later. In the parent-player relationship, Bruce Brown, founder of Proactive Coaching, recommends that if your child is in a safe and appropriate environment, “Release your child to the game.” By doing this as a parent we improve our child’s ownership, enjoyment, and intrinsic motivation for playing basketball. As a parent, setting high standards for our children in regard to effort and values is ok as long as it is within their control (not based on winning) and clearly communicated. Also, parents should avoid the PGA, or post game analysis as if done consistently it becomes toxic for your child’s enjoyment of the game. For the coach-player relationship, tell your players it is an open door to discuss playing time and to communicate any concerns you may have in a respectful and direct manner. Tell them that this takes courage of which you greatly appreciate. We also recommend telling your players to not compare themselves to others and focus on the things they can control such as their attitude and effort. As a coach it is important that your expectations and standards for your players are simple and clear. Playing time concerns tend to be more of an issue as players get older when playing time is no longer equal. In alignment with USA Youth Basketball we recommend equal playing time for ages seven through eight years old, equal playing time for ages nine through eleven years old with coaches discretion the last two to four minutes of the game, and full coaches discretion for ages twelve and above with common sense being utilized. As long as there are no serious behavior concerns we recommend that every one of your players gets into the game and plays. Most youth associations have clear guidelines that you will need to follow in regard to playing time which may slightly differ from above such as equal playing time through sixth grade with coaches discretion following. As a youth coach these guidelines can simply be communicated to your parents. If it is coaches discretion at the age you are coaching there will be multiple factors that go into you or your staff’s decision on your player’s playing time. These factors should be communicated to your parents and players and include skill level, behavior and work ethic, athleticism, practice and game performance, and potential match up considerations. Summary
We are very excited about our new home program called Ball Handling Kingdom. The program is designed for ages 6-14 and players will progress from sloth to cheetah levels over the course of 5-6 weeks. Each daily skill session takes less than 10 minutes to complete to improve focus and intensity. We guarantee improved off hand development, vision, and the ability to change direction, speed, and height. See the below pdf for the entire Lion week skill session designed for ages 9-12 along with one of the corresponding drill videos. The entire cost of the membership program is just $5.00 and if not happy we will refund your money! Lion Level Ages 9-12 pdf  The Why
Mental training helps young athletes play sports with less tension and anxiety. What athletes think affects how they feel and perform, the mind guides action. If athletes succeed in regulating their thoughts, then this will help their behavior. As a result, young athletes can perform and play with more joy and at higher levels. Mental training is deliberate, intentional, and hard training. Like physical skills, mental skills only improve if you do the work. The coaching staff has to support this work and continue the mental development of its players. It is a competitive advantage to do so. Vision and Goals You must have dreams and goals if you are ever going to achieve anything in this world. - Lou Holtz Goal setting is a skill for growth and peak performance. Goals keep everyone on target. Seek progress, not perfection. Be mindful of being present, it can take longer if one eye is always on the goal, as you only have one eye for the journey. What does your athlete want to accomplish in basketball? Have your athletes make a list of three goals and write them down on an index card. They should then post this index card where they will see it frequently throughout the week. The goals should be specific, measurable, actionable (use a verb), relevant, and time specific. An example of a well written goal: I will complete my finishing at the rim and five minute off hand ball handling routine three times per week over the next month or I will play one on one against a stronger player two times per week over the next month. These goals would be different for in-season and off-season training. Process Over Results At the youth level, success is measured not in wins and losses but in the growth and development of your young athletes. Basketball is not a measure of your athlete’s self worth. Your athlete’s value comes from who they are, not from what they do. Judging success by wins and losses is tragically flawed, and pursuing it will leave you and your team completely unfulfilled. By focusing on improvement, work ethic, and the process the wins will take care of themselves and your player’s will play present. The steps of mastery are not constant, but move in steps. There may be discouragement with a plateau in growth but in time this will eventually lead to another growth spurt. Tell your players they know they are going in the right direction if they are saying that this is hard. Lastly, remind your players not to judge themselves by results. Fixed mindset players rarely seek out opportunities to learn or challenge themselves as their self-belief is tied to results. These players shut down against more talented opponents for self-preservation. As coaches, we want our players to be fiercely competitive, play in the present moment, and not tie their self-worth to results. This will lead to improved performance, joy, and outcomes. Breathing Proper breathing helps expel tension and stress and can bring players into the present moment. The act of prolonging exhalation, regardless of inhalation length, promotes the relaxation response and can have a calming effect. Your players’ minds will become more powerful as it becomes calmer and clearer. There are many different rhythmic breathing strategies that are effective. One we find easy to teach is breathing through your nose for a five count, holding for a two count, and then exhaling through your mouth for an eight count. Optimal and practical times for practicing this may be before a team meeting to improve focus or during times of high anxiety when the intensity and tension needs to be turned down. Visualization There is vast research to support the power of visualization. Visualization sharpens and strengthens the muscle memory for the physical activity at hand. It works as the brain does not always differentiate between real and vividly imagined experiences because the same systems in the brain are used for both experiences. You do not have to have a PhD to use visualization activities with your team. To perform simply have your athletes relax by taking a few deep breaths and then have them close their eyes. Have them, from the first-person point of view (through their own eyes versus the eyes of spectators) experience making great plays, talking confidently on the defensive end and in a stance, making shots, over coming a poor call with great body language, and creating plays for their teammates via a pass or solid screen. Really encourage your athletes to feel it, see it, and enjoy it like it was real. Visualization could be done the night before the game, during short bursts during the day, or for 10 minutes two to three times per week. Another way to assist with visualization and strengthening muscle memory is to have your athletes watch video of themselves performing at their best. The imagery can be more instructive than words. This allows the athlete to absorb the images and positive feelings. Self-Talk and Affirmations Your athletes may not have control over how other people talk to them but they do have control over how they talk to themselves. Words put pictures in your mind, which impacts how you feel, which impacts what you do. Most people have been conditioned to tell negative stories about themselves and their performance to appear humble. Negativity is not humility. ...To read more become a YBD member!  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
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
Motivation 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. |
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