AGE GROUP COACHING OBJECTIVES
Under 8
The major focus of coaching this age group should be to keep the game as much fun as possible. This age is also when the foundation is set for future skill development, so areas of focus should be:
– Develop dribbling and passing ability with both hands.
– Ensure you use the correct size basketball (size 5) and if possible practice and play on a lowered ring.
– Start to emphasise man to man defence and the importance of being a good defender.
– Practice sessions should consist almost exclusively of individual skill development using fun drills where possible.
– Emphasise drills that enhance development of hand eye coordination.
Under 10
As above. Most of your players will be playing basketball for the first time and it is essential that the foundation is set for skill development. Emphasise the development of the basic skills: dribbling, passing, shooting, man to man defence and body movement fundamentals. Emphasis should be on correct technique for all skills. There is no need to accept mediocrity but bear in mind the age of the children, the strength levels and individual maturity of the players.
Under 12
Players who have been involved for several years may now be ready to move toward more advanced skills. The coach must be careful though not to get too carried away with implementing team offences that are confusing for the players (e.g. too many options in an offence). Now is the time to introduce some basic principles of offensive play and to provide some more challenges defensively. These include:
• Introducing more advanced dribbling skills like behind the back, reverse and on-side dribbles.
• Continuing to emphasise the development of the weaker hand when dribbling, passing and shooting lay ups.
• Emphasising offensive fundamentals of spacing (floor balance) and creating a passing lane between the ball and themselves. Major emphasis should still be on development of individual offensive skills.
• Man to man defence should still be emphasised. Players are now ready to work on defensive triangles mainly through 2 on 2 drills where they only need to be concerned with their player or the player with the ball.
Under 14
Players who have come through our club program should now have a good idea of the most basic fundamentals. The under 14 players should now be ready to learn more advanced offensive and defensive techniques. Offensive work can now be done on basic principles of the passing game offence. These include:
• On ball and off ball screens
• Cutting
• Dribble movement of the ball In 1/2 court offence.
Care should be taken not to get too involved with teaching complicated offences to these players. Simplicity is important Players should not be put in a situation where they are trying to remember the offence, emphasis should rather be placed on reading the defence and taking advantage of what the defence offers. At the defensive end, work should now be done on help and recover, defending screens, forward leads and weakside to strongside cuts.
Under 16
This age group is now ready for more refinement on the work done in the Under 14 age group. Passing game skills and team defence are most important and attention should be paid to ensuring skills in these areas are executed correctly. Post offence and defence should be covered in this age group with all players learning to play with their back to the basket. Don’t forget though, that your tall players may turn out to be guards when they reach maturity so keep emphasising guard skills also. Players should now have a solid understanding of man to man defence however work should still be done on rotation, half court and full court pressure defences. Zone defence and zone offence should now be introduced at this level. A good understanding of man to man principles is an important ingredient of a good zone defence.
Under 18
These players, if they have been through the whole system, now have a solid foundation to accept greater challenges in their play. Continuity offences can be used although the current trend is still towards passing game offences where the players are working at reading the defence rather than going from point A to point B. At the NBL and WNBL level, coaches are still working at teaching their players how to screen, cut and keep good spacing, so obviously work is still needed to be done at these basic offensive fundamentals Defensively the players can be taught to play extended zone or man to man defences, although again, the basic principles of man to man are most important.
Coaches Note: These are merely guidelines. Obviously the higher the level a player plays at (e.g. VC compared to VJL3) will determine the need for increased exposure to higher level skills. All players are individuals and should be treated accordingly, some players acquire skills quickly, others take a little longer, that does not make either a better or poorer player, it is the refinement of skills that make that difference not the speed at which the skill is learnt. The most important thing we can give junior players is a good fundamental skill base from which to build, thus equipping them with the skills necessary to play at an elite level.
(acknowledgments to Joe Borg for the basis of these notes)