When coaching youth basketball, one of the toughest things to do is to pick the right kid for the right position. This is true in any sport; football and soccer, but especially in basketball. Lots of times coaches make the mistake of looking at a kids size as opposed to his mindset and skills and puts them in the wrong positions.
Don’t make that mistake. This is especially true when it comes to the center position. Coaches tend to automatically put the tallest kid on the team in the center position and this is not always the best course of action.
Don’t automatically make the tallest kids on your team your post players. Your team has to gel and to do this the players must be in the right position based on skill and mindset as much as size.
Some teams have realized that they had to move their power forward to point guard, their point guard to shooting guard and so on. The coach just has to take the time to learn each kids skillset and mindset and then put them in the position that best matches up with that.
Below are tips of things to look for when picking positions for your kids:
* Point Guard- Clearly this needs to be the best ball handler and dribbler and passer on the team. They also need to be able to watch plays develop; to see the court. Also, every point guard has to have some leadership qualities.
This position cannot not be vocal. They have to communicate the plays and they have to know the plays. Finally, they need to be quick on their feet and able to run a fast break.
* Shooting Guard-This position is usually filled by your next best ball handler. Also this player needs to be the fastest on the court. Also, because sometimes they become the point guard on the fast break, the shooting guard needs to remember the plays just as much as the point guard.
Finally, the shooting guard kid has to have the ability to knock down the outside jumper and be able to drive it to the goal for a lay-up.
* Small Forward- This is a tough position. This tends to go to the most aggressive player on your team as they have to be able to pull up and make a quick jumper and they have to be able to drive the lane into traffic to make a quick lay-up.
Also the small forward position will be called upon and expected to make aggressive rebounds at both ends of the floor. They also need to be able to catch quick passes from any player on the team.
* Power Forward- This position needs a kid that can shoot a pretty good percentage of shots from within the paint and under the basket and be aggressive on the rebounding. Vertical leap is important in filling this position.
* Center- Remember, this is not always the tallest kid on your team. Of course being tall helps greatly at this position but they must possess other skills as well.
The main thing your center needs to be able to do is box defensive players out and rebound. Sometimes the slowest and weakest player is best for this position when it comes to kids.
Below is a drill that will help to develop fundamental skills for all 5 positions on your team:
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You will also need to know how to pick the correct shot. A good basketball player should be confident enough to attempt to score from any position on the court. It is important to acquire a vision to know what shot or pass selection is going to have the best impact. You should practice shooting drills when under pressure to allow you to make quick decisions. Apart from the jump shots, there are also lay ups and free throws that should be practiced in training. Jump shots and free throws involve focusing your gaze on the edge of the basket's rim. A lay up or rebound would involve concentrating on the area of backboard which needs to be hit. More info for Basket ball lovers at jumpsoles
ReplyDeleteI got some great ideas out of these tips! Thanks for this great post. st louis basketball
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