Guys I was wondering your thoughts on little runners in the lane? I personally like them in a players arsenal and I have taught my son Blake them , he is 10! I have talk to him about when and how to use that shot! He is not a real tall kid so he uses them as a way to shot over bigger kids and get shot off quicker in the lane! I help coach his team along with two other guys , one of whom is an older guy who coached alot of high school ball back in the 70's ! He hates the runner and gets on the kids for shooting them! He is not the head coach but helps us as does myself! I had talk with him and explain to him that's a shot I taught my son and we had a good discussion but in the end we disagree! He says it takes alot of finess with that shot and that it will cause him more problems than good! I disagree I think that a runner is a very effective shot for smaller player and that as one matures and knows when a where to use the shot ! Now Blake doesn't just shot a runner , he may only shot one once maybe twice a game if that much and he is pretty accurate with it when he uses it! I guess my question is what is your guys opinion on the runner!

You already know that I think that Blake has a nice shot for a 10 year old boy.... and I would hate to see him screw up what he has going for him right now.

He still has a lot of fundamentals to learn and perfect.... so I agree with the other coach, there aren't many 10 year olds that have the body control to shoot that shot and shoot them well.

While thats a good shot for the smaller player..... he needs to mature a little more before he starts to get to fancy JMO Stick with the basics for now.

How is he doing now?

Think about this -

"The more they think the slower their feet get."

Jerry Tarkanian

I love the runner if the player can make it. Duh, right?

I stopped shooting a runner when I reached high school. At the time, I thought the coach wanted me to stop using it. In reality, he just wanted me to practice it more if I were going to use the runner during games.

What age to start practicing them, I'm not sure what to think. Generally around 12? Some 10 year olds might be ready. Some 14 year olds might not be ready.

However, I like the floater and the runner.

Coach , he is off to a good start this season! Saturday hr had 16 pts 5 reb in the 5 th grade game and 14 pts 6 reb in the 4th grade game. He is really competing hard ! My most proud play was he got called for a blocking foul but he stood in there and tried to get a charge and man was it a hit , kid was going full speed down sidelines and probably had 35 lbd on blake and probably 6 inches in height he had some really nice passes a few that went for turnovers due to recipient not catching the ball, so we have work to do in fundamentals of catching te ball better but hey there 10 yrs old and of course he made his on share of mistakes but overall we did well and had FUN! The kids got them a w in the 4th grade but 5th grade lost but made progress from the first game of te yr ! We go at it again this Saturday and hope to have fun and improve

Thats great - and for him to stand in there to take a charge (wheter he gets the call or not ) is great at his age. One thing we tried to do as a team is this... go pick him up after the call - as a team - and the kids and coaches on the bench clap for him - you might even use his name..... Great job Blake! Kids love to hear there name in a positive way, and its catching.... other kids will try to get that attention too.

It sounds like he is having a good season so far.... I hope things continue to improve.... as for the turnovers... its part of the game and IF he is the one that is handling the ball a lot then he will have more than others.

As for the runners / floaters ..... what I heard you saying was that a lof of the other kids want to do it also.... and that is where the problem can arise... they don't have the talent that Blake has..... let him use it in pickup games, on the driveway, in the park.... but I am not so sure that I (IF I was the coach) would want him shooting that in games.

With older kids they can understand what a good shot for one kid is NOT a good shot for another one... and they will accept it. My rule was simple (Varsity boys) DON'T take a shot that you don't work on in practice unless the ball is in your hands and there are 2 seconds on the clock. :-) This worked for me and I DIDN'T have to talk about roles for each player.... they figured it out in practice.

I hope that all the kids are having fun... of course winning is fun...... so when you lose a game, talk about the positive things after the game - the stuff you messed up on, put those in the next practice plan.

My apologies coach Sar , after u said u understood the other kids were shooting runners , I went back and re-read my message and I had a mis-type! I meant to say he jumps on the kid not kids meaning (Blake) ! I realize that doesn't change ur stance and I understand better ur concerns as well as our other coaches concerns now ! We will continue to work on that shot at home and when we go to the gym as just father and son to play! Another question while I'm at it ! How can we teach our kids to become more aggressive and rebound the basketball and challenge shots at the rim! Our smallest kid has out rebounded the bigger kids and our bigger kids just allow kids to come in the lane and go right by them to shoot a lay-up! Have u got any ideas or drills that can help with this?

I think thats a good plan.... let him learn it away from the team ... and as he gets a little older / stronger / quicker he will be able to do a lot of things the other kids cant do, thats not a problem ..... he will be a better player for this.

I'm not sure how much in depth you want to go with these kids... BUT - IF you are teaching m2m defense the SHELL DRILL is the drill you want to use... this should help them get into a HELP Position when they are two passes away from the ball. You might explain to them that when the other teams score, they just don't score on "Johnny" - they are scoring on your team. EVERYONE is responsible for stopping the ball. Every shot should be challenged, get a hand up and make them adjust the shot.... you don't have to block it to be successful.

As for rebounding.... this is a problem for a lot of coaches...... I've had teams where we would run 3 drills a day for boxing out... and got NOTHING!@!!!!!!
I gave it up and spent that time in other areas where I got something back for the time we spent... like shooting. I coached kids from 6th grade all the way to high school varsity... best team ever at boxing out was ONE 8th grade team......no one ever got a second shot unless it bounced long.

So, with all that being said..... how much can a 10 year old take in before he starts thinking too much... and when they think to much, their feet get slow.
Simplify what you do - teach them good fundamentals and then you have to let them play. I'm not sure I am seeing your problem.... but I still go back to the SHELL DRILL - that should solve your problems somewhat. ONE step at a time coach.

Des -

Here is an article I ran across.... and NOT that Blake has to be a D1 player... but it does talk about HOW to become the best you can be. Look at what I underlined.

In order to become the best youth basketball player one can be it is important to concentrate on the fundamentals. The fundamentals include proper footwork and stances that will be effective both offensively and defensively.

A young player needs to understand that only through discipline and commitment will the basketball game be elevated to the higher-expectations and requirements of NCAA Division-One colleges.
That should be the primary goal of every basketball player who is either in junior high or already in high school. The reason for this is not only to gain admittance to a university yet also have that university fund the educational pursuits that will see that young person through their entire life.

By the end the best basketball player around or at least attempting to be the best around, will only be limited to how far they will go by their own actions on and off the basketball court.

Defense Highly Concentrated all Stages of Development Player

A young basketball player needs to fully and indiscriminately understand in order to be the best basketball player shooting and playing defense will be two of the highest prioritized goals. A great shooter in the game of basketball is a treasured tool and one that must be paid attention to at all times during the course of the game by the opposition. Practice is the name of the game for any athlete in pursuit of becoming the best basketball player in the neighborhood.

Des -

Here is a video that someone sent me... maybe you can get your son to do some of these drills... ? NOT that he has to be as proficient.. this kid is 12 and Blake is 10 but no time like the present to improve his game..... You said that he is a gym rat so maybe this will help him get better... certainly quicker and a better ball handler.

http://www.komonews.com/home/video/111892554.htm