In the video clip from Bob Bigelow's Coaching Youth Basketball The Right Way, Bob demonstrates two great drills that you can use with your teams to improve passing.

Coaching Tips

• If the defender is having a hard time getting a tip, consider rotating after a set period of time. This prevents one player from being on defense the entire time
• Add constraints to the drill to challenge the offense
  • Must pivot before a pass
  • Must fake before a pass
  • Must take one dribble and pass off the dribble
  • Must take a dribble and then a change of hand move before passing
• Starting as shown is a good way for the passer to work on finding passing windows. Remind passers there are 5 windows - beside the defender's hips, over the defender's shoulders, and above the defender's head.
• You may want to allow the receiver to move. An important coaching point is for receivers not to be "3 in a row", meaning on the same line as the defender. In the diagram above, 1 is 3 in a row because 2 has to look through x3 to see them. You could teach this by allowing player 1 to move 2-3 steps in any direction to prevent the 3 in a row problem.

Coaching Tips

• Once players understand the drill and can pass well against 1 defender, add a 2nd defender. This increases the challenge for the offense.
• Stress to the player catching the pass that they should catch on a hop. This allows them to play in an athletic stance and gives them the ability to pivot on either foot.
• Add constraints to make the drill harder for the offense:
• Must pivot before a pass
• Must fake before a pass
• Must take one dribble and pass off the dribble
• Must take a dribble and then a change of hand move before passing
• Must jump to pass
• Cannot look at the player they are passing to
• Can't pass to their neighbor (the player standing next to them)
• :01 rule - must pass within 1 second of catching the ball
• You can allow the defense to defend as they want or prescribe how they guard:
• Both players play as interceptors, reading the eyes and shoulders of the passer
• One player pressures the ball and the other attempts to steal the pass

Looking For More Fun Drills To Build Skill?

Coaching youth basketball is hard. If you're looking for proven methods that get results, check out these resources.

For those coaching true beginners, consider Jim Huber Beginner Basketball Ages 5-9. This is a great resource to help those new to the game. Coach Huber provides a number of games and age-appropriate drills that result in rapid improvement and a good experience for young players.

The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber provides an entire blueprint for coaching a youth team. It's a one-stop shop for all youth coaching needs. If you're looking for a proven system to get the most from your team, this is the resource for you!

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First CHANSE HEADMAN says: 12/1/2020 at 6:38:08 AM piggy in the middle !!!!!!! Like     login   register David Mirman says: 1/11/2013 at 1:54:17 AM Steve, I just used that four corners monkey-in-the-middle drill today for my 6-7 year old boys team and it was great! Some of the boys started doing pass fakes spontaneously and I have not taught that to them yet. And I really like how it teaches them to move to get into a better position to receive a pass. When we did some half court scrimages at the end of practice they did a better job of moving to get open already. I highly recommend this drill to anyone coaching younger kids. Like     login   register Steve says: 1/10/2013 at 11:15:50 AM Yeah, I actually got it from soccer originally. Like     login   register Pete says: 1/10/2013 at 10:20:01 AM We use that same drill in soccer practice. Like     login   register Joe Haefner says: 1/10/2013 at 10:18:48 AM That's a great idea, Steve. Thanks for sharing. We plan to include a few progressions that lead to more game-like situations in future newsletters. Like     login   register Steve says: 1/10/2013 at 9:53:54 AM Another variation on the monkey in the middle drill is to set up on a square with 3 corners occupied by the "offense" and 1 defender in the middle. The player with the ball can only pass to an adjacent corner, so his teammates will need to occupy the corners to his left and right. If he passes to his right, the person who was to his left will need to run to the open corner to give the new passer 2 options. The drill is relatively simple for young kids by only giving them 2 options but also requires some movement rather than many of these types of passing drills where the offensive players are stationary. Like     login   register

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