Helping a young person improve at basketball will take knowledge of the game, patience and the ability to teach. Basketball is a game that is made up of several fundamental movements that when put together form the basis for play. By teaching the basic fundamentals to young players, you will be equipping them with the skills necessary to be successful basketball players as they get older and play at higher levels.

Focus on their dribbling. This skill is necessary for unsuccessful players and must be improved to the point of mastery. Work on dribbling skills by having the player dribble in place with each hand. Make sure they are not looking at the ball and that they are using their fingertips to control the dribble.

Progress by having the player dribble while walking at a moderate pace. Have the player walk the long of the court while using their right hand and then back using their left hand. Instruct the player to move at full speed once they feel comfortable walking at a moderate pace. Full court dribbling is practiced at all levels of the game and will improve with repetition.

Drill the basic types of passes. This skill can not be overlooked as it is the part of the game that accomplished players excel at. Get players into pairs and practice throwing chest passes with both hands. Next, work on the bounce pass. The ball should start at the players chest and be thrown down the court at a sport that bounces it up and hits you in the chest. Work on the bounce pass until the player can hit their partner in the chest every time.

Work on shooting form and technique. Have the player stand about five feet from the front of the hoop. They must work in close shots before moving back to longer ones. Make sure the player is balanced, with both feet aligned with their shoulders. The shooting elbow must be tucked into their side, not sticking out. Their eyes should be on the rim, not the ball and the follow through should be up not out. Their hand should finish above the head on the follow through, not out in front of the face.

Good refereeing is the key to a fair contest in nearly any sporting event. A bad call has the potential to alter a game in favour of one team over the other. Bad calls eliminates fair play in the game, causing it to become more a game of chance. Basketball is particularly reliant on referees to call fouls. Dealing with a bad referee requires patience.

The referee should not be making calls maliciously and it is likely that he is unaware of his own bad performance. Do not point out the bad call in a rude way as this will not help your cause, mentioning your problem in a more general way can alert the referee to your concerns and give him/her things to watch out for. For example, if the referee is calling fouls unfairly against your team, ask them to watch the other team for drawing fouls. Talk to the other referees on the court as well to address bad calls if a specific ref is to blame.

A bad referee is more likely to penalise you for aggressive play in basketball since the game is not considered a contact sport. Give the other team a little more space when dealing with a bad referee to try to prevent unjust calls. Playing more conservatively for a little while may calm the referee and get him/her to start calling things more fairly.

While two wrongs don’t make a right, one bad call sometimes counteracts another. Try drawing fouls if you have a referee that is overly eager to blow the whistle during the game. If an opposing player nudges you or a teammate during the game, play up that contact. Do not overuse this tactic, as other referees on the court may pick up on it and start penalising your team as a result.

When you are limited in what you can do during a game, you have the right to file a formal complaint after the game is over. Nearly every organised basketball league has standards and policies that their officials are expected to live up to. You can video tape your game and write a formal complaint explaining what calls were made by the referee and why those calls were faulty. Even if the referee isn’t removed from duty, they may be prevented from overseeing your future games.

Running and shooting in basketball is usually the first part of the game a young player understands. Coaching basketball defence to children as early as possible helps them see there’s more to putting the ball in the basket. It is also important to keep the other team from scoring.

Start by getting the team to see the importance of defence. As some senior players to demonstrate how defence works. The children will relate more to a demonstration and also try to follow older players from their club.

Do knee bending exercises. Many children play basketball standing straight up and you want them to get used to moving with knees bent so they are slightly crouched.

Bring in the defensive shuffle. Make it fun by having kids race each other when shuffling and seeing how low they can bend their knees and still move. Emphasise that feet are not hopping, they are sliding across the floor and turning on a pivot.

Start a simple drill. Have two lines of six each (or four lines of three each) across the floor from each other. Have players shuffle to the middle one at a time from each line, touch hands and shuffle back. Emphasise the side-to-side shuffle not the hop.

Introduce a more complicated shuffle drill that goes around the outside of half the court and crosses on a diagonal through the centre. This forces the players to change foot direction and stay in a defensive crouch.

Practice straight up defence under the hoop. It may seem this should be limited to the taller players who will be playing base and centre positions but every player should understand how to put hands straight up in the air and avoid touching the player with the ball.

Many basketball coaches will agree that rebounding is crucial in every game of basketball. If you are only giving the other team one shot per trip down the court, you have a higher probability of winning. There are a lot of aspects of rebounding, but holding off the opponent with a strong box out is one of the most important. This article will focus on how a team can improve their box out duration which will then lead to less rebounds by the opponent.

Start with two players standing in the lane. One player is on offence and the other on defence. The coach has the ball and is acting as a member of the offensive team when they shoot. The defensive player is between the offensive player and the basket while standing in the lane.

The coach shoots the ball, be sure that the defensive player yells ‘shot, box’. In game situations this alerts teammates that the opponent has taken a shot and everyone must box out.

The defensive player boxes out the offensive player by making contact with a hand or forearm, putting a hip into the player, pivoting to get the back side in contact with the player and getting wide while maintaining contact to keep the player away from the basket.

As the ball is in the air towards the basket, the player must keep contact and not give up any ground to the offensive player. If possible, the player should create more space by moving the offensive player further away from the basket.

The ball will bound off the rim or backboard. At this time, the player should maintain his or her box out position by moving the offensive player further away from the basket.

Once the ball bounces off the floor, the player can release from the box out and secure the ball. This extra time of holding the box out will provide training for holding that will bring better results in the game.

The defensive player stays on until he/she secures three rebounds in a row. Add one more offensive and one more defensive player to make it a 2 on 2 drill. This will emphasise the need for each player to do their part, if one player loses their box out it hurts the whole team.

Keep on adding an offensive and defensive player until you have a 5 on 5 game like situation. The coach continues to be the shooter, so the drill focuses squarely on boxing out.

One way to keep your players motivated during a basketball practice is to constantly be doing something new. Running five minute basketball drills will allow you to change up the activity several times within an hour. Each five minute drill can focus on different disciplines of the game including offense, defence, conditioning and full game play. Map out the course of practice before you arrive.

Game simulation: Instruct players that you will be playing a scrimmage game. Break your team into two teams. Play five minute quarters where the clock runs continuously. Try to give everyone a go during the course of the game. In this game there are no foul shots only a change of possession if a foul occurs. Both the offense and defence can work on executing plays properly during this game.

Make five shots: Break your team into groups of three. One person is placed just outside the three point line. The other two players are placed on the block and at the top of the key. The player beyond the three point line takes a shot. The shooter immediately goes for the rebound, while the player at the top of the key takes the shooter’s former position and the person on the block takes the top of the key position. Whether a shot is made or missed the shooter immediately goes for the rebound, passes it to the player who is now at the top of the key, who then passes to the player who is in shooting position. The player immediately takes a shot. The purpose of this drill is to combine rebounding, accurate passing and shooting. The drill continues until five shots are made. You can move the shooter around to practice taking shots from various places.

Spin, move and shoot: Instruct the players to make a line at half court. Place a cone just inside the sideline directly to their right or left. Then place another cone on the elbow of the key on the same side of the court. On your whistle the first player in line dribbles toward the sideline; when they reach the cone they do a spin move and break towards the second cone, when they reach the second cone they jump and shoot. The player should get their own rebound and return to the line. This activity focuses on ball handling, speed and accurate shooting. When the player approaches the first cone, the next player can begin the drill. Repeat the drill as many times as possible within five minutes.

Heads up: It is extremely important that a basketball player is able to look down the court rather than at the floor when dribbling. This drill focuses on getting the player to keep their head up, while working on their dribbling skills. Split the players into pairs. Give each pair a basketball and each pair of players a ping pong ball. Space the players about five feet apart. On the sound of your whistle, players must dribble with one hand and pass the ping pong ball back and forth with the other. At the 2.5 minute mark, blow the whistle again and instruct players to dribble with their other hand. Continue until five minutes are up.

Basketball requires players to not only effectively move their feet, but also to manoeuvre a basketball. Basketball players first learn to dribble the basketball with one hand, then to alternate hands and progressively to increase to more advanced dribbling. As a basketball player, a powerful and effective way to keep defenders on their toes and increase your threat as an offensive player is to develop a quick dribbling technique.

When dribbling use your fingertips not the palms of your hands. Basketball is played on the tips of your fingers and the balls of your feet. Use your forearm and wrist to bounce the ball. Don’t look at the ball always look up.

The following drills will help you improve your ball handling and dribbling skills.

• Scissor dribble: Stand in the triple threat position (feet roughly shoulder width apart, one foot ahead of the other, knees bent) and dribble the ball with your right hand, sending it between your legs and to the left side of your body. Move the ball to the front and with your left hand, make a hard dribble through your legs and to the right (rear) side of your body. Continue until you develop a good rhythm and speed the dribble up as you get better. Do the drill for a full minute, resting 30 seconds, then repeat.
• Full court zig zags: Stand on the baseline just under the right side of the backboard and dribble to the right sideline at a 45 degree angle with your right hand. Stay low, keep your head and eyes up so you can see in front of you. When you get to the sideline, change direction with a cross over dribble and dribble with your left hand at a 45 degree angle to the centre of the court. Repeat this drill the full length of the court. Once you reach the other end of the floor, turn around and do the same drill back.
• Full court speed dribble: Standing on the baseline, dribble at full speed up the court. Stay under control but push the ball up the floor as quickly as possible while still maintaining complete control of the dribble. When you reach the opposite free throw line, come to a strong and on balance two foot jump stop. Repeat the drill five times, each time stopping at the free throw line with a two jump stop.
• 2 ball dribbles: Two ball drills are some of the best possible drills for improving ball handling skills. Start by dribbling both balls from the baseline up to the free throw line, with both basketballs hitting the ground at the same time. Once you reach the free throw line, start a stagger dribble where each ball hits the ground separately. Use this stagger dribble to the half court line, then switch back to a simultaneous dribble to the free throw line, then a stagger dribble to the baseline. Do this for two full court lengths. Next, do an up and back drill where you take 4 or 5 steps forward dribbling both balls, then take 2 or 3 steps back, continuing the full length of the court.
• Wall dribble: The wall dribble drill is a great way to improve your finger, wrist and arm strength. Standing next to the gym wall, dribble the basketball at shoulder height against the wall. Dribble the ball a half inch or inch from the wall, really pounding the ball hard against the wall, moving it up and down and left to right. Do this for 20-30 seconds at a time with one hand, then switching to the other hand. Rest for a minute and then repeat with the right and left hand.

The centre of a basketball team is responsible for making close up baskets on offense and stopping shots on defence. Read the following for some tips to help you play your best at centre.

The basic shots that a centre needs to work on are:

• Short jump shots from underneath the basket.
• Powerful layups. A layup requires jumping high near the basket and rolling the ball with off with your fingertips so that it touches the backboard and falls into the basket.
• Faking a shot by moving your body as if you were taking a shot to cause the defender to move and then take the shot.

Offense as a centre is also important. The centre must run down the floor quickly to get in position for a quick layup if you are open. Stay near the basket if your team has the ball. Move in and out of the key quickly to get open for the basketball and a shot.

Always look for the open man to pas the ball to if you are under pressure and don’t have a good open shot at the basket. Box out by placing your body between the basket and the defender when a teammate takes a shot at the basket. Move fast and rebound any missed shots.

Defending properly is very important for the centre of the team. It is important to get to the key as soon as possible if the opposition has gained possession of the ball. Take up space by playing wide with your legs and arms spread out more than on offense.

Block shots as often as you can by positioning yourself between the shooter and the basket and extending your arms as high as possible. When your opponent jumps to take a shot, jump as high as you can and try to hit the ball with one hand.

Box out again when the opposing team shoots by putting yourself between the basket and the other team. Finally grab loose balls bouncing off the rim or backboard to take possession of the ball for your team. Keep a look out for any opportunities for fast breaks.

A jump shot is best used when you are charging down the court and cannot dribble past your opponent. Make a sudden stop with both feet landing at the same time. Transfer your forward movement into a vertical leap. Focus on the rim and shoot. Use our step by step guide to master your jump shot:

1. Place your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Put your shooting arm up and bend your wrist at a 90 degree angle
3. Place your other hand on the side to help stabilise the ball.
4. Hold the ball above your head at your desired height.
5. Elevate straight up while holding the ball tightly
6. Square up with the hoop when you have reached the highest point.
7. Extend your shooting arm up and snap your wrist to propel the ball towards the rim
8. The ball should leave the fingertips and point towards the ground afterwards
9. Keep your eyes focused on a spot on the back of the rim
10. Maintain a good follow through with the wrist

Perfecting the jump shot allows an average player to become a scoring machine. However in the face of tougher, taller and smarter defenders you may need to consider another type of shot such as the fade-away and the leaner.

Anyone can learn to play basketball; children however can greatly increase their skills by beginning to learn the game from an early age. Basketball is a fun and competitive game, it is important to teach children the fundamentals of the game as well as the importance of sportsmanship.

Teaching kids to play fair and have fun is an important step in training them to play basketball. While the point of the game is to win, that doesn’t mean that anyone should feel bad about themselves. Kids should feel good about playing, about their team and about their skills whether they win or lose. Basketball involves teamwork, children should learn to work together on the court.

When kids are beginning to play, they need to repeat drills to become better. Kids love to learn new skills so start with the fundamentals. Have them dribble down the line first with their right hand, then their left. Once this is mastered they can practice switching hands. Have kids pass the ball back and forth, first while standing still and later while dribbling.

Have kids shoot from different spots and from different distances. The more they practice, the more they will understand. The can learn to use the backboard too. Once they are fairly good at making baskets, have them dribble and then shoot. Teach them how to perform layups.

Dribbling is fundamental to basketball, all positions need to become efficient at it. It is also the easiest part of basketball to learn, but it requires a few basic instructions. Follow these simple steps to learn how to dribble a basketball.

1. Dribble with your fingertips and the pads of your hands. Refrain from looking at the basketball while doing this. Keep your head up.
2. Flex your wrists and spread your fingers. Push the basketball down lightly. Make sure your legs are bent but your back is straight to prepare you to move quickly.
3. Pull your elbow close to your body and dribble the basketball away from your defender. Keep the ball close to the ground so it has less distance to travel. This will make it harder for the defence to steal it from you.
4. Run quickly and dribble at the same time. Dribble the basketball in front of you about waist high, with your hand at a 45 degree angle to the ground. The faster you run, the further in front your basketball needs to be.
5. Keep your body between yourself and the basket as you dribble. This allows you to protect the ball and keeps defenders away from it while you dribble.
6. Alternate hands as you dribble. If you are right handed, you will dribble with your right hand a majority of the time. Dribbling with your left hand will throw your opponent off.