Basketball Plays for Young Kids

Introducing Plays at a Young Age 

Basketball plays, both of the offensive and defensive variety, are essential parts of the game and should be introduce as young as possible, to give kids a chance to develop their skills and gain a sense of maturity.  When selecting basketball plays for young kids, coaches must make sure their players know the fundamental skills of the game inside out and backwards.  To successfully run basketball plays, players must posses a solid knowledge of the both the game in general and the specific skills involved for each play, such as dribbling, passing, and cutting.  

When introducing basketball plays to young kids, make sure everyone is paying attention, even those who think they know what they are doing before the play is even demonstrated. The first few times a new skill or play is demonstrated, focus on the mechanics involve first and foremost.  An easy way to do this is to run the drill or play at half-speed, and gradually increasing the speed as players learn the play.  

Don’t proceed any further until every player on the team is at least comfortable with the new skill or play.  This is crucial with young players, because they carry the habits they learn at this age with them throughout the rest of their basketball playing days.  Always stress and praise correct form over speed, which leads to sloppiness.  

Break It Down 

After the basics of the skill or play are fully understood by everyone, break the team down into smaller groups.  Each group can be led by an experienced player, as this will help your players develop responsibility and leadership traits.  The coach should be constantly make rounds of the squads, giving pointers and tips along the way.  

Finally, don’t focus on any one play for too long, as it can cause players to lose enthusiasm.  Try staggering drills and skill-building with short bouts of scrimmage, which gives the coach an opportunity to watch the players in action, demonstrating the new skills and plays.  

Give and Go 

When looking for basketball plays for young kids, simplicity should be the number one priority.  One of the best plays to begin with is the easy give-and-go play.  Also known as the pass-and-cut, this play is for two players.  Player 1 begins with the ball, passes it to player 2, then cuts straight to the basket for the return pass from their teammate.  When player 1 is ready to receive the pass, they can signal their teammate by raising their hand as a signal.  Player 2 is then free to deliver a straight pass, bounce pass, or lob pass.  

To practice this play, split the squad into offense and defense players, with the goal of the offense team to sink the basket and the goal of the defense to block the shot.  For every successful basket, the offense team gets one point, while the defense team scores when they are able to successfully divert pass.  The first team to 10 points wins.