Basketball Drills for Kids

One could say that basketball drills are the foundation of the game. Just like scales are the foundation of playing music, drills form the basics of a game. Drills assume utmost importance, especially in case of a physically taxing game like basketball. Hence it is important that kids who play basketball, participate in various drills, so that they are equipped to handle the physical rigors of the game. Drills are like warm-ups plus basic routines and can be done before a practice game or a proper competitive match.

Basketball drills for kids need not be all that difficult, but should be sufficiently tough so that the kids get used to the game along with acquainting themselves with basketball rules and regulations. The coach should keep this principle in mind during basketball coaching for kids and should teach them how to play basketball. So here are some simple basketball drills for children to get the greenhorns started!

Best Basketball Drills for Kids
These are some good basketball drills for kids to get them ready to play.

• Double Dribble: This is a simple basketball drill for children and can be a good warm up. The kids are supposed to dribble two balls at the same time for five minutes nonstop. As they start getting good at it, increase the difficulty level by telling them to concentrate somewhere in the distance (e.g. at the hoop) and dribble both the balls without looking.
• Start-Stop: In the next basketball drill for kids, the kids have to dribble the ball down the court once the coach yells, "start". And stop once the coach yells "stop". The one who reaches the farthest without carrying, double dribbling or traveling with the ball, wins. You can increase the difficulty level for this drill by laying out some impediments for the players so that the kids don't just end up dribbling in a straight line.
• Heads-up Direction Change: This drill is employed to develop the kids' ability to dribble the ball without looking. While the players dribble, they are supposed to move in the direction to which you point. Do not use words, as the kids are supposed to keep their eyes on your movements.
• Speed Dribble: This one is to increase the speed of the dribble. In this the player has to run from the center of the court to the basket and try and bounce the ball as little as possible. Reduce the number of bounces in each attempt. Along with increasing the dribbling speed, it also helps in decreasing the chances of the ball being stolen by an opposition player.
• Tap-Out: In this basketball drill for kids, the objective is to make all the players dribble on the court. While dribbling, the players try to tap the other player's basketball out. At the same time, the players have to protect their own basketball from being tapped out by someone else.
• Ping-Pong Ball: Here two players have to dribble the ball with their main dribbling hand and pass a ping-pong ball to each other at the same time. This helps develop alertness.

So these were some good basketball drills for kids. The reason why I have stressed predominantly on the drills for dribbling, is because dribbling is a skill that needs to be hammered into the kids as soon as they start playing. Tackling and shooting can be learned later, but they need to first learn how to dribble the ball and not allow the opposition player to take it from them.