Skill Development

Basketball on the Edge – 10 Frequent Mistakes Made by Youth Basketball Players (and How to Correct Them)

As the parent of a young basketball player you are always looking for ways to help your child improve their skills. As a young player learns the game they will frequently make many mistakes that may frustrate you as a parent. Remember, mistakes are a critical part of learning any new skill. There is more and more evidence showing that struggling with skills just outside of your comfort zone is the best way to improve. If your young player isn’t struggling to learn new skills, chances are they aren’t getting better.

Basketball is considered a late specialization sport. That means that developing overall athleticism and a love for the game at a young age is important. Mistakes are a part of that process. We don’t want your young player to be the best 9 year old basketball player, we want them to have fun with the game so they continue playing until age 13 or 14 when they should begin to focus on maximizing their basketball training if they so choose.

Here are 10 mistakes that young basketball players frequently make and one simple tip on how you or their coach can help turn these early weaknesses into strengths.

1. Not being able to pivot without traveling.

Often, young players move both feet while pivoting or fail to pivot at all. Footwork, agility, and coordination are basic athletic skills that can be practiced. A simple way to practice pivots is to dribble down the court and jump stop. After the jump stop, use two pivots to rotate 360 degrees back to where you started. Then, continue dribbling down the court.

2. Defending with the arms instead of the feet.

The inexperienced defensive player will attempt to “hug” the offensive player and control their opponent’s movements with their arms. The key here is to remind young players that defense is played with the feet rather than the arms/hands. Practice a zig-zag drill where the defender guards the offensive player as they dribble down the court in a zig-zag pattern. The defender should keep their hands behind their back.

3. Shooting Off-balance.

Most young basketball players struggle to shoot the ball with good balance. They are often moving very quickly on the court before they shoot. This can lead to shots being taken with poor balance making it much more difficult to make shots. Teaching young players to shoot using a 1-2 step rather than a jump stop will improve their balance and help them make more shots.

4. Attempting difficult or impossible passes.

Turnovers are the name of the game in youth basketball. Passes thrown underhand, across the court, or to a guarded teammate are common. A great way to improve passing skills is to play more short squad basketball (2 on 2 or 3 on 3). These games produce more chances for a young player to have the ball in their hands and pass to teammates. They will gradually learn when and where to pass the ball the more game-like experience they get.

5. Not catching passes securely with two hands before trying to dribble, shoot, or pass.

Passing and catching are basic athletic skills that young players often lack, especially at game speed. Young players should always be reminded to catch the ball and get in triple threat position with their knees bent and head up. Playing catch and getting in triple threat after each catch can help to build good habits.

6. Not using a screen by going shoulder to shoulder.

Whether it is a ball screen or off the ball screen, not going shoulder to shoulder with the screener makes it easier for defenders to stop the offense. Screening and using screens while rubbing shoulders helps to reinforce this important concept.

7. Failing to help a teammate when they get screened.

Young basketball players are so focused on guarding their man that they often fail to recognize their man is about to set a screen and their teammate needs help. Showing players different screening situations and reminding them that if their man screens they need to help can increase a player’s ability to react correctly.

8. Not holding the follow through when shooting the ball.

I always tell young players to imagine their parent is trying to take a picture of them shooting the ball, but they are a little slow with the camera. As a result, the player needs to “pose for a picture” and hold their follow through in the air until the ball goes in the basket. Both the shooting hand and guide hand should remain high in the air after shooting.

9. Dribbling the ball too high.

A high dribble leads to the ball being stolen or losing control of the dribble. Focus on basic dribbling technique while emphasizing the need to keep the dribble below the waist. A stationary figure 8 dribbling drill or executing a crossover dribble while on the move are simple drills that can improve your young player’s dribbling.

10. Failure to stay between their man and the basket.

Young players have a tendency to follow the ball and so as a result they frequently get out of position. An easy concept to teach is the idea that there is a line between the offensive player and the basket and the defender should always stay on that line whether they are defending the ball or on help side.

Have patience with your young player. Help them build the skills they need to be successful at higher levels of basketball. Understand that learning new skills requires young players to struggle and make mistakes. If your young player loves the game they will begin to master the skills needed to avoid these mistakes.

Basketball on the Edge – The Beauty of Changing Speeds

Not every move you make as a player out on the basketball court needs to be done at full speed. Counterintuitive, I know. You may be asking yourself, “I’m supposed to play as hard as I can and give 100% effort, what do you mean I shouldn’t always go full speed?” The single best way to improve your efficiency as an offensive basketball player is to learn to be constantly on the move, changing speeds in short bursts. This applies to situations both when you have the ball and when you don’t.

Most young players have one speed with the ball: full speed. Let me describe a situation that you often see in a youth basketball game. A young player will get a defensive rebound and then take off towards the other end of the floor. They are moving so fast that they are nearly out of control. If they don’t turn the ball over before they make it to their basket, they are off-balance and can’t get a good shot off anyway. As players get better they learn to slow down and control their movements on the court. Yes, there are times, like on a breakaway layup, where going full speed is important, but the real trick to becoming a good offensive basketball player is to learn how to change speeds.

Moving without the Ball

As an offensive player you have a distinct advantage over your defender. You know what you are going to do. The defense can only react to try to counter your initial move. Let’s talk first about moving without the ball when you are on offense and how the concept of changing speeds can help you get open. You don’t have to sprint constantly and run until you are out of breath in order to get open. What you need to do is keep moving constantly at varying speeds. The word I like to use is float. You are floating to different spots on the court and then hitting your defender with a burst of speed to pop out and get the ball or cut to the basket. Most defenders will relax as you are floating. They may get out of their stance, they may stare at the ball and lose sight of you, or they may just relax for a split second. When those things happen that is your time to hit them with a short burst of speed to get open and catch the ball. This concept is called “Float then Fast”. Learning which way to move in relation to your defender takes time and experience to learn, but if you remember to float and then go fast you’ll go a long way towards improving your ability to move without the ball.

Remember, there is a difference between “floating” and “dancing”. Floating means constantly moving to different areas on the court so your defender has to move with you. Dancing means you are standing in one place taking just a step or two in either direction. A dancer is easy to guard, the defender doesn’t even have to move. Don’t be a dancer without the ball, learn “Float and Fast” to get open and receive a pass.

Use a V-cut

The v-cut is a simple move to get open where the offensive player takes the defender in the opposite direction of where they want to end up on the court. A player might v-cut from the wing to the block and then pop back out to the wing to receive the pass. If the offensive player sprints to the block and sprints back out the defender stays engaged and goes hard to stay with the offense. If the offensive player floats to the block and then hits the defender with a burst of speed, they are much more likely to get open. The defender relaxes as the offensive player moves slowly. They don’t know that the offensive player is about to shift gears with a quick burst of speed. The offense has the advantage of knowing where they want to go. The change of speed creates the split second of space the offensive player needs to get open and catch the ball.

The Ball is in Your Hands

Once you catch the ball, the same concepts apply. If everything you do with the ball is at full speed, defenders can stay with you because they know what to expect. Think of a major league baseball pitcher. Even one that throws 100 mph can be hit if the batter knows what’s coming. That’s why pitchers need to be able to throw a changeup or curve ball to keep the batters off balance. The same concepts apply when you have the ball. Catch the ball and square up to the basket, slow down and look at what is going on. Then, make a quick move past your defender. As you approach a defender while you are dribbling come at them at varying speeds and then accelerate out of your dribble move to penetrate the defense.

Players that constantly change speeds are a nightmare to defend. The defense never knows what to expect and is constantly kept off balance. Good players keep their opponents guessing about what is coming next. Without the ball, learn to constantly float to different spots on the floor and then go fast in quick bursts to get open. With the ball, remember that going hard doesn’t mean going full speed at all times. Quick bursts will get you where you want to go. You don’t have to be the fastest player on the court to get open and score, you just have to understand how to change speeds.

Basketball on the Edge – 10 Things to do when the Clock is Stopped

1. Check the time and score.

Good players always know the time and the score. Be sure to remind your teammates of the game situation and how that impacts your strategy. Are we ahead or behind? Do we need to foul?

2. Make sure your teammates know who they are guarding.

Get everyone on your team to talk and point and communicate. This is especially important the younger you are. Missed assignments often result in easy baskets for the other team!

3. Remind a teammate individually of their responsibility.

Examples of this might include, “You’re taking the ball out of bounds against the press” or “Make sure you set the backscreen when we run the offense next time down,”

4. Gather your team together for a quick huddle.

You can’t take too much time, but just a quick word of encouragement, “Let’s D-up” or “Come on, we need to get a good shot next time down.” can help your entire team come together at critical moments in the game.

5. Compliment a teammate for a nice play.

“Nice pass on that last fast break!” or “Great defense against their pick and roll!” can go a long way toward encouraging your teammates to keep their effort level high and their head in the game.

6. Look to your coach.

Often your coach will use a stop in play to give instructions. If the gym is loud you may not hear, by giving the coach a quick glance when the whistle blows you’ll know if he or she is trying to get your attention.

7. Focus on what you need to do in the moment.

What are your responsibilities? Focus in on your role and what you can do to help your team on the next possession. Are you guarding the inbounder? Are you supposed to set a screen for a teammate? Is the other team pressing? Where should you be on the court? These are all things that you can be mentally rehearsing during a stop in play.

8. Catch your breath.

Your adrenalin level is high and you have been hustling all over the floor (you have been right?). Take a second when the whistle blows to take a deep breath and compose yourself so you are ready when play resumes.

9. Let your teammates know your time-out situation.

Do you have time-outs left? Tell your teammates “We have a time-out if we need it.” Do you have no time-outs? Tell your teammates “No time-outs left!” Games have been won and lost because teams didn’t know their time-out situation.

10. Let your teammates know the foul situation.

Are you in the one and one or double bonus? Let your teammates know. Comments like “Be strong with the ball, they have to foul” or “Let’s take the ball hard to the basket, we’re in the bonus” can help remind teammates to take advantage of opportunities to get to the free throw line.

These are ten things that good players can do when the clock is stopped during a basketball game. Many players use this time to look into the crowd, complain to an official, or get down on themselves for something that already happened. Don’t be that type of player. Instead, use the time when the clock is stopped to do one or more of the valuable things on this list to help your team win more games.

Basketball on the Edge – 5 Unorthodox Tips to Improve Dribbling Skills

1. Dribble the ball on the carpet.

There is no better place to practice dribbling hard than on the carpet. If you don’t dribble the ball hard it won’t come back up to you. This is a great way to vary your dribbling routine and do something different to get out of your comfort zone. Make sure you get permission from your mom before you start! When I was a kid I did ball handling drills while watching tv in the family room. In order to keep my dribble alive I had to pound the basketball. This leads me to my next tip…

2. Watch tv while dribbling the ball.

What better way to make sure you are keeping your head up and not looking at the ball. Your brain is forced to attend to multiple stimuli at the same time just like it will during game situations. There is an added bonus that the workout will seem to go faster because your mind is engaged in what you are watching. Just make sure that you are concentrating on giving your max effort to the dribbling and not just going through the motions!

3. Wear a blindfold while dribbling the ball.

This is another great way to improve your feel for the ball. Obviously you want to do this in a stationary position or in an empty gym where you have plenty of space to maneuver without crashing into anything. Don’t do it in the living room right next to the coffee table with the antique vase!

4. Wear gloves while dribbling the ball.

Borrow a pair of gardening gloves from your parents. The idea behind wearing the gardening gloves is to create a challenge that gets you out of your comfort zone. When you wear the gloves, your natural sense of touch is taken away so you really have to focus on maintaining control of the ball when you have less grip.

5. Dribble a basketball covered with a plastic bag.

The Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving used this technique to improve his dribbling. The plastic bag creates an unpredictable feel for the ball during dribbling. The bag takes the bounce out of the ball and makes you dribble harder. The smooth, plastic surface also reduces the feel you have for the ball, so that you have to focus more on the controlling the ball when you have less grip.

These 5 unorthodox dribbling tips can help you become a better dribbler. Don’t be afraid to look silly and make mistakes. If you practice some of these methods in the gym, you may get funny looks or have people asking you questions. Remember, the only way to get better is to get out of your comfort zone and force your body to adapt as you work to develop new skills.

One last bonus tip – Take your basketball with you and dribble it everywhere you go. A basketball player should never have to ask the question, “Has anyone seen my ball?” Just like it says on the Nike T-shirt “Basketball Never Stops!”

Basketball on the Edge – “Toughness” – Jay Bilas – ESPN .com

What does it mean to be “tough” out on the basketball court? Can “toughness” be taught? What are the skills that “tough” players possess? How can young players develop the “toughness” necessary to be a success at each level of basketball?

Read what Jay Bilas of ESPN.com has to say on this topic.

Click here to read the article.

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