Newsletter #341

Today's Theme... Saturday Morning Kids Camp

I've been asked by youth coaches how to run a camp for 1st-3rd graders and 4th-6th graders.

We ran a youth camp every Saturday morning for 6 weeks with 1st-3rd graders at 8:00 AM - 9:30 and 4th-6th graders at 10:00 - 11:30.  The 30 minute gap provides a short break to get one group off the court and the next one on, while also allowing time for free shooting.

Start out with the kids in a big circle and a couple varsity boys/girls leading and demonstrating in the center of the circle.  Start with ball-handling drills, then 1-ball dribbling drills, and then 2-ball dribbling drills to challenge them.

Next, partner up along one sideline and do passing drills (chest, bounce and two-handed overhead passes).  Then teach pivoting, triple threat, and the jump stop using these jump-stop pivoting drills.

Next, again lining up along one sideline, have them dribble right-handed to the opposite sideline and back left-handed.  First use the control dribble and then the speed dribble.  Then add a move, like a crossover, halfway across and back.  Also do the crab walk over and back.

Next, everyone sits down for several minutes with eyes on the coach, as coach demonstrates correct shooting fundamentals. Then divide into a number of smaller groups, using all the baskets... with an assistant at each hoop. Form simple shooting and rebounding lines and practice short shots.

Demonstrate and teach layups and layup footwork, realizing kids at this age have to use a "push" release, not an underhand. Use this simple drill to breakdown the layup footwork.

Then have a few competitions where each basket group tries to win by making 7 baskets first.  Losers do 5 pushups, including their coaches.

Finally, scrimmage... boys on one end, girls on the other. If there aren't enough girls, let them play with the boys... but we have found that usually the boys wouldn't pass to the girls.  So sometimes we would put in a rule that on each possession, one of the girls would have to get a pass or touch or no basket.

At the end, get in a big huddle and get a final cheer and that's it!

With 4th-6th graders, include some more advanced drills. Two favorites are Full-Court Dribble Moves Drill and full-court 2-line passing drill