position 5

My son (11 year old) is tall comparing to most of his team members though he is not super tall.
Every season coach put him to play position 5 for several seasons.
I wonder if you guys can give some tips on drills that are particularly designed for position 5?
I'm still going to have him work on all drills so that he can play all positions. But he didn't score that much in position 5 for last several seasons. So I thought of practicing some drills for position 5 to get him score some to boost his confidence and love of the sport.

Michael.....

First of all - 11 years old is not the time to pigeon hole a kid into a certain position. The center of today might be the point guard of tomorrow. I certainly hope that the coach is including him in ALL THE DRILLS that the team runs.

Here are two links that might help your son....
1- The Drop step from the baseline (as long as he is in the post_
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/drills/Drop-Step.html

2- This is a counter to the drop step move
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/drills/Drop-Step-Counter.html

I hope this helps... try to keep things simple for your son so he doesn't get frustrated.

In 100% agreement with Coach Sar here, it's a shame that teams take guys that are taller and stick them at the 5 position at the younger ages. I HIGHLY recommend having your son work on "guard-like" skills when he's not playing for that team. A lot of physical changes take place from ages 11-15.

Regarding the 5 position, one drill I insist on is the Mikan drill. I like the progression in this drill, especially when it gets to the two ball. The only thing I dislike is the player brings the ball down too low after making the shot, he should "chin it" and keep it higher each time. If he brings it down, those pesky guards will swipe at it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycNqi-VTL5Q

Coach Sar gave you some good moves. My son does those same moves when he's posting up. He adds one more, which is the drop step, counter/shot fake dribble shoot or drive. Honestly, the actually move he picks isn't going to be the key, the key will be practicing the move and making it in games (whether it works or not). Having a base like the drop step and knowing you have two other options helps. Practice, practice, practice.

Is your son playing at a more rec level or AAU level?

Great points about post play here, along with some drills:
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/postplay.html

Hi Coaches Sar and Rob,
Thanks for the tips. He plays at rec level @ymca. coaches are parent volunteers.
I agree that we shouldn't specialize him like this. I will continue to have him work on basic skills such as ball handling, layups and form shooting. With his personal trainer, he is making progress.

About position 5, I have no idea on what's going to happen next season. but for last two seasons, he was placed to play position 5 and didn't score that much though was able to get more and more rebounds.
To be honest, I don't know if he doesn't get it or coaches teach him wrong. every time, he runs all the way to left corner waiting for a pass, which rarely happens. He is not even left handed.
Since I don't know basketball that much, I try not to say too much to confuse him. I had (paid) his personal trainer watch him play the game once. When I asked his trainer about that, he wasn't sure either and said some coaches do tell players to do that.
But based on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_positions), 'position 5' doesn't seem to run all the way to left corner waiting there. they seem to be close to the key area.

If you guys have additional video on how to 'position' basketball players, it would be great.

To answer your question, if your son is going to the low corner of the court each time, that is not the correct position for a typical 5 player. No harm in asking the coach why he goes there, that you're just trying to make sure you both understand what's expected of him positioning wise on the court.

This will probably boil down to the coach and his/her philosophy. Playing at the rec level (YMCA) is a great place to learn the fundamentals about basketball. The better coaches will play more of a motion type offense (like 5 out) with passing, cutting and replacing open spots above you on the floor. It allows all the players a chance to pass, cut, fill, dribble and score while working on the fundamentals.

The 5 position typically plays around the outside of the paint. A simple way to teach this is having the post following the ball and "posting up" on his guy asking for the ball. Here's a link:
http://www.coachesclipboard.net/4Out1InMotionOffense.html

The 5 position will "post up" asking for the ball, usually on one of the low blocks or maybe a bit higher.

Couple of basics on post play for youth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTTyXAbSXnY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WGdautwiCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Az2H4I1v2I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSdNs38sr9s

If you have the opportunity for your son to play in a 3 on 3 league or clinic, I'd highly recommend that. You're not stuck in a position and every player has to dribble, drive, pass, score, rebound, blockout, etc. It's a great way to improve the game with plenty of ball touches.

If he's running to the corner area that makes me wonder if they are running a "5 out" offense and just having everyone run to their 5 out positions to start with. Or it could potentially be a unique primary break option where they want the 5 running to the corner. Hard saying and there are lots of different ways to run fast breaks and offense.

The only way to know is ask about their offense and how it works.

If you have the opportunity, the Attack & Counter basketball camps run by Don Kelbick would be really beneficial for him.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/camps/

What I like about those camps is they are very focus on footwork and an aggressively mentality that works in all positions. He teaches footwork starting in the post area. Then that exact footwork in the post becomes moves on the perimeter. So it's a very effective way to develop skills that work all positions (1 through 5).

You can learn how it applies to the post area in this ebook:
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/post-play.html

The same footwork taught in that ebook can be applied on the perimeter. Hope this helps.