Aspiring basketball players need to refuse to accept the perception of limitations. We have all seen and heard stories, like the Vince Papale inspired movie Invincible, that depict real life instances of athletes defying the odds and achieving things that they were told were not possible. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team as a sophomore, and he used that as motivation to practice on his own for hour upon hour. He said that when he got tired he would conjure a mental image of that list on the locker room door that didn’t have his name on it, and that would help him dig down a little deeper and keep practicing.

It is important to instill this kind of desire in your players and give them every opportunity to reach their true potential as an athlete and youth basketball player. Improved jumping ability can help athletes in nearly every facet of the game.

Below are some tips for proper basketball jumping techniques as well as some fun drills for your youth basketball team’s practice. You can also find more free basketball skills & drills videos and tutorials online at websites like Weplay.com.

Benefits Of Improved Jumping Ability

* You become a better rebounder.
* The release point of your jump shot is higher.
* Your shot blocking ability is increased.
* You can shoot closer to the basket when you are near it.

Youth Basketball Drills

* Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is one of the best things that a player can do to improve his or her ability to jump quickly and to jump higher. Youth basketball is a game that requires a great deal of overall coordination, and jumping form relies on it as well. Jumping rope will significantly improve a player’s coordination, give them some aerobic exercise, and add inches to their vertical leap as they condition themselves to leave the ground quicker.

* Running The Stairs
The stronger your legs are, the better they are going to be able to propel you. When you have players run up and down stairs in the gym or up and down the steps of the bleachers at the football field, they are strengthening their legs and conditioning themselves to feel as though merely jumping on a flat surface is very easy. Plus, strenuous aerobic exercise is going to keep their weight down, and the less weight you are trying to lift off the ground the higher you are going to be able to jump on the basketball court.

There are passing and dribbling drills to help you in conrolling the basketball. Dribbling drills can be very simple to start with. dribble up and down the court and control the ball go as fast as you can with controlling the ball. Do these drills left and right handed. Crossover dribbling is one step up. Switch hands every dribble going up the court. Now you can add a soft defender or cones as obstacles for your participants to dribble through. Make sure the participant of the basketball ball handling drill switch hands to keep the ball away from the defender.

Passing drills can start with two lines working on basic form. Palms out and thumbs down with a chest pass. Passing drills are designed to make you play as a team. one more pass and you get an easier shot or look at the basket. Start moving in your passing drills. Figure eights up and down the court will teach you quick passes to the open player. Passing the ball in a circle will teach you touch. Try not to telegragh your passes when doing this drill. Add defenders when you get advanced to give your drills a game feel.

If you have a team or a friend that you can practice with, a great starting point is to run drills like the 3 man weave if there is a team and a 2 man weave if it is you and a friend and run down the court making 15 passes, then repeat this process while making a sharp cut. Another great drill is to run down the length of the court at the same time from different sides while only passing the ball and do not dribble while doing this, this drill id a passing only concentration. One more passing drill that has proven to work is to stand in front of the wall and throw the ball at it as you are passing and wherever the ball goes after it hits the wall, run after it and repeat the process, this will help you develop the actual passing and catching skill. Make sure while you are practicing these drills to throw bounce passes in the mix as well.

Passing is a huge part of playing basketball, if you follow these drills as much as you can, you eventually will become a great passer in basketball.

The first thing that is absolutely necessary to do before agility training is to do a warm-up (which helps your agility skills as well). A 10 minute warm-up should do the trick, do some sit-ups, pushups, jumping jacks, just rotate between these few warm-up routines for about 7 minutes then do stretches for 3 minutes. Now you can get started on your basketball agility workout.

Start using the jump rope, run up and down the court or driveway while dribbling, pull ups, hexagon drills, line drills (jumping quickly back and forth over a line), if you have tires lying around, move your feet up and down in them as if you are running, dot drills, run 40-60 yard dashes, run around the court taking jump shots, run and get the ball, the keep doing it, a great thing to do is to sprint for 30 seconds then walk for 20 seconds, then jog for 25 seconds, the repeat, this is a great agility workout, especially if you are playing a sport like basketball, basketball players have to be in the best shape as they possibly can, now keep on repeating these entire workout routines, eventually you will be alot faster and your agility will increase a little bit each time.

If an individual follows these basketball agility training routines, over time their agility skills will increase, but it will take hard work and dedication. Good Luck!

If you are not sure how to do a particular drill, then the best way to learn how to do it is to ask for help from your coach or a fellow youth basketball player on your team. Once you have learned the basic set up of the drill, then you need to practice the drills as much as possible in order to make sure that you have the drills down well.

Here are some drills that you can practice at home:

* The fingertip drill – This is where you pass the ball back and forth in your hands. However, you only use your fingertips.

* Wall dribbling – This is where you dribble the ball against the wall. Make sure your arm is at a 90 degree angle and alternate hands.

* Jump rope – Jumping rope helps you improve hand eye coordination and also helps you speed up your footwork. Basketball is all about speed on the court.

* It is also important to practice other dribbling drills such as the cross over, hesitation, behind the back, and between your legs.

Practicing is the key. If you are practicing basketball drills alone, you can also work on your ball handling drills. These drills can be practiced alone and will help you tremendously during a basketball game.

Some of the basic fundamentals that must be taught are dribbling, passing, shooting, lay ups, setting screens, defense, rebounding and moving without the ball. At least half of every practice should be used for working on these fundamentals.

A basketball coach also needs to know how to handle many types of personalities. The way you teach one player something may not work with another player. Be flexible and listen to your players.

Discipline is also a very important aspect of being a basketball coach. Be consistent when handing out punishment to your team and you will earn their respect. If your team respects you, they will work hard for you. If you let things slide once in awhile, they will notice and try to take advantage of you.

As a basketball coach, you must lead by example. You must respect your opponent and the officials. If your team sees you doing this, they will follow your lead.

And something that a lot of coaches forget is that basketball is a game. Teach the game, get your players in shape, give them discipline when needed, but don’t forget to have some fun.

Part of the problem that people do not work on defense is because they do not know any good defensive drills that they can do to practice good defensive skills. Here are some drills that you can do to help you and your team perform better.

The Slide Drill is a useful exercise that builds stamina. In this drill, the player (or players) begin in a defensive stance – in a good defensive stance, the player stands with his weight on the balls of his feet, knees slightly bent, and arms raised to block any passes or shots – and the coach points either left or right. The player then follows the coach by sliding in the given direction, without crossing his legs and remaining on the balls of his/her feet.

The Suicide Drill also increases stamina. In this drill the player (or players) sprint back and forth from the baseline to the lines on the court, starting and the closet one and working your way to the opposite baseline.

The Hop Drill will increase a player’s jumping ability which will help them block shots and rebound. In this drill, the player stands on one leg and hops from the baseline to the free-throw line, then switches legs and hops back. Repeat as needed.

The Rebound Drill helps a player to get rebounds. In this drill, two defensive players stand in the key with two offensive players on the outside. The coach shoots the ball and all four players try for the rebound. The defensive players have to box out and prevent the offensive players from getting the ball.

The Fast Break Prevent Drill helps defensive players to be in position to prevent an easy layup when the offensive team has more players and is moving towards the basket. This drill is either 3 offensive versus 2 defensive players, or 2 offensive versus 1 defensive. The defending team has to keep at least one player lower then any of the offensive players and force the offensive team to make outside shots.

The Full- court Press Drill is a drill where the defenders try to pressure the offensive team and force them to commit a turnover. One defender plays on the ball while other defenders try to force the offensive player into a danger zone – a prime danger zone are the corners right past the half-court line, where the offense cannot go backward nor towards the sideline. Another good spot are the opposite sideline corner, where the player has to worry about the 10 second rule. The third and final prime zones for applying pressure are the corners under the offensive player’s basket.

Quickness is a key to playing basketball. Drills that make a player change direction quickly at the sound of the whistle can improve their quickness. Shuffle from side to side and running forward and back without crossing your legs will improve your defense. The changing direction in a hurry will also help your offense.

Dribbling drills using both hands are important. A player that can dribble with either hand and go in either direction is twice the player as a one dimensional or direction player. Practice going the other direction and dribbling with your off hand. Put a defender on the court to keep the dribbler honest.

Practice moving without the ball. Make quick breaks to the basket and continue through. Fake out and break always opening yourself up for the ball. You have to be quick to lose your defender.

Practice shooting off of a pass. Catch and shoot. Spring up with a good jump shot after catching the ball. Practice squaring up and shooting while somebody passes you the ball. Basketball is a game of split seconds. You have to be able to shoot before the defender gets there.

Let’s start with a fun combined basketball drill; it is practicing a lay-up while working on your dribbling skills. First throw the ball in the air to yourself, catch the ball as if you were in a game, dribble in zigzags up and down a court or driveway, stand in that one spot the do a crossover and run in for the lay-up. If an individual practices this drill in different forms (switching directions) this will be a very fun and effective drill, before you know it, you will be an expert at these kinds of moves and be a threat on the court.

Another fun drill would be to stand under the basket on one side and throw the ball off the backboard to the other side and run and catch the ball, pivot off of your foot and shoot the ball in, repeat this process for 20 times each side. This works out your footwork and softens up your hands so the ball is easier to catch. When you feel that this is working well for you add the zigzag dribbling, run to the 3 point line and shoot it in. This is also a very fun drill that is highly effective.

There are many other fun drills that you can practice to step up your game, the more fun the better it is. Basketball is a workout sport, so take the proper precautions while you are practicing drills.

But shooting in a practice or by yourself at a neighborhood court is very different to shooting in a game. In a game, a player’s shooting form needs to be automatic – they can’t be thinking about how to shoot, trying to get their elbows under the ball, gauging the arc needed. The shooting technique needs to come naturally, which is why coaches stress perfect practice, over and over.

It’s called muscle memory – if you make your muscles perform in the same way, same set of movements, repetitively, they will naturally perform those movements whenever the player starts the shooting motion. Basic shooting drills need to emphasize this – good mechanics, good form, every time.

But there are a few other aspects to shooting – other than decent shooting form – that are necessary for shooting success in a game, and this is what your more advanced shooting drills need to accomplish. More advanced shooting drills need to include focus on:

1.  A quick release. When an offensive play is run well, and a player is able to ditch his defensive man by running him off a pick or giving him a good fake, the offensive player will pop into position alone, ready for the pass. But he’ll only have a second or two alone, and so when that pass comes, the offensive player needs to be ready to turn and fire immediately – not rushed, but calm and smooth. To be calm and sure when shooting under fire, the player needs to practice like this – he needs to practice receiving the pass, squaring to the hoop, bringing the ball up and shooting – all in one clean, quick motion. Because if he waits any longer, the defense will be on him.

2.  Good court vision. Sometimes it’s a good time to shoot; sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s better to fake and drive. And sometimes someone else is in a better position to shoot and they should get the pass.  Good court vision means seeing what is happening all around you, and adjusting accordingly. Have players run drills in which they have to choose – e.g., in one-on-one situations, if the defensive man charges, the offensive player fakes a shot and drives on him; but if the defensive man lays back, the offensive player takes the shot. Practice reading the defense.

3.  Choosing your shot. Players need to shoot from where they would in the game. Big men will rarely be taking three point shots; similarly, guards will rarely be trying a drop step inside the key. Why waste valuable practice time teaching skills to players who will almost certainly not be given the opportunity to use them in a game.

A player on the court who can’t be trusted to shoot is a black hole for the team – nobody wants to give him the ball. And while good form is important to a consistent shot and needs to be taught and reinforced, if a player doesn’t have a quick release, an eye for the court, and a knowledge of his shooting strengths, even the best form will fall flat more times than not.