Youth Basketball Drills

Fundamentals of Footwork

One of the main qualities that divides the star basketball players from the average ones is mastery of footwork.  Since the game is played almost entirely on your fingertips and the balls of your feet, it is crucial to be quick and agile.  While some players are naturally quicker than others, a player that has mastered their footwork can often outplay the fast players who lack the fundamentals of footwork.  Use any or all of the following youth basketball drills to teach and cement these fundamentals of footwork.    

Before starting with footwork it’s important to make sure all players assume the correct stance when playing.  The player’s weight should be on the balls of their feet, which are shoulder width apart.  Their knees should be flexed, their elbows pointing out, and their hands sitting at about chest height.  To teach your players to transition from their normal stance to the basketball stance, try this drill.  Have your team stand in a line in their day-to-day stances.  At the sound of the coach’s whistle, players must assume the basketball playing stance.  After another blow on the whistle, they return to their normal stance.  

Perfect Pivots 

Next, we proceed to a series of youth basketball drills that focus on one of the game’s most important footwork skills: the pivot.  Players must be able to pivot in both directions, forward and backward, with both feet.  The most important thing to remember when pivoting is that the pivot foot does not move.  When pivoting, make sure to teach players to keep their heads up and facing forwards.  Their knees should be relaxed and bent a little and all weight should be on the ball of the foot. 

For the pivot drills, have your players stand in a line.  The first drill uses the left foot as the pivot foot, so it is foot that remains planted firmly on the ground.  Players pivot forward 20 times then backwards 20 times.  Then they switch feet so that the right foot becomes the pivot foot, and perform 20 front pivot and 20 back pivots.  

Leaping into the Air 

The next footwork skill covered by these youth basketball drills is jumping.  When jumping, make sure players bend their knees deeply, shift all their weight forward to the balls of the feet, and lower their hands to the outside of their knees.  Once the moment comes to leap into the air, use both the force from both the thighs and the feet and ankles to propel yourself upwards.  The arms should be swung upwards as well to add additional lift to the jump.

The first jumping drill has players practicing their two-footed jump.  Have players stand beneath the basket and jump straight up using both feet to see how high they can touch on the backboard.  Players should jump five times, trying to reach a high point each time, take a rest then try five more jumps.  

There are many situations in basketball that call for a one-footed jump so players should be prepared for this as well.  Have players practice their one-footed jumps by running towards the basket at a 45 degree angle, and jumping when they reach the backboard, trying again to touch the highest point possible.  When jumping with one foot, plant the opposite foot, and go up with the jumping leg’s knee.  Remember to keep the jump vertical, since many youth players waste a lot of their elevation by attempting to jump forwards.