Youth Basketball: Teaching Offense To 910 Year-olds
Youth Basketball: Teaching Offense To 910 Year-olds
I am often asked about how to teach offense to 9 and 10 yearolds. Those asking usually fall into two categories: 1 Those in rec programs and 2 Those in competitive programs.
While the former would like to win it isnt their overriding motivation. They really want to know how to teach offensive skills and what kind of an offense would be appropriate for that age group.
The latter group cares more about having a winning offense and less about teaching the whole group offensive skills. They will usually verbalize something about preparing the kids to be successful high school players but inside they really want a group of the best 910 year old studs/studettes they can muster. After all winning is their real motivation for asking my ideas about what kind of an offense to run.
I have consistently stated that I think 9 and 10 yearolds don’t need offensive systems. They need to be taught fundamentalshow to move without the basketball.
When one player has the ball the other four teammates should be moving with a purpose without the ball. This means cutting to the basket for a pass screening away for another player or moving to balance the floor. This is continuous motion and when the player with the ball passes that player also joins the purposeful movement. The player with the ball is looking to pass shoot or attack the basket. On offense it’s an unending cycle of cuts screens and floor balance movement. If you teach these things to a 9 or 10 yearold with everyone moving purposefully in unison you have offense. Some coaches either don’t understand this or still want to have a set offense.
So quickly heres my idea about how to win at 910 y.o. basketballand it doesnt require much teaching of offense. Teach aggressive zone defense trapping the dribbler at every opportunity because they usually dont dribble all that well. Force the other 4 offensive players to move well pass well and shoot well from long distanceall of which they dont usually do well at this age. Defense trumps offense here at this level. Teach aggressive team rebounding especially from the zone defense. Teach fast break from every opportunity utilizing the rewards of tough zone D and rebounding. The fast break will become your offense resulting in layups and saving all that practice time trying to teach more sophisticated offensive sets.
The above scenario would work better for a competitive situation where they have more practices and more games to hone their skills. It works well for coaches who just want to win and arent too big on teaching skills. Competition leagues usually allow for more practices an expanded game schedule where they gain playing experience and have no rules about substitution so the STUDS can stay on the floor together pressing defenses or running up the score on opponents.
The biggest drawbacks for rec programs are lack of practice time and rules of play within the program. YMCA programs at this age level as an example usually require that everyone plays at least half the game substituting every 4 minutes with an 8minute running clock have no fast break no pressing defense and a 20 point rule for stopping keeping score. In rec programs a couple of 2man plays will work better than any offensive set involving 5 players who may have questionable skills. My opinionI think designing offense at this age for rec programs is a waste of time. Teach the fundamentals instead and let offense happen as a result of play.
Frankly no competitive offense will function well without each player being able to understand the nuances of playing both with and without the ball keeping good floor spacing for the players making good and timely passes dribbling with control able to finish at the basket rebound shoot and play man defense. Having 5 players on the floor who can do all these things well at this age seems a stretch much less to run a continuity flex 3out 4out or whatever flavoroftheweek offense. Yetcoaches still want to have offenses that will have a WOW factor.
There are so many offensive elements that need to be taught drilled and perfected at 1on1 2on2 3on3 levels before even attempting putting the fiveman game togetherand this is at the high school level. Sadly lots of youth coaches think their group of 910 yearolds are going to be up for it.
If I havent dissuaded everyone yet for those diehards who must have an offense heres a place to begin. Go to this page on my website to read the rest of the article: http://www.topbasketballcoaching.com/910offense
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Coach Ronn Wyckoff is an international spokesperson for youth sports being for the youth and the author/producer of 28 ebook and videos including the 4hr. instructional DVD Basketball On A Triangle: A Higher Level of Coaching and Playing.
Coach Ronns more than fifty years of playing and coaching basketball include being a coaching consultant and uniquely qualify him to teach coaches how to teach basketball and players to play better basketball. His programs have reached hundreds of coaches and players around the world with his simple yet highly detailed teaching methods. More can be learned about Coach Ronn and his programs at his website http://www.TopBasketballCoaching.com
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