Quick Tips for Youth Basketball Coaches

This may sound a little surprising to some , and certainly only pertains to youth players of about 12 and under, but taking time to stretch before your practices is not necessary.

Unlike adolescents and adults, younger bodies don't require their muscles to be warmed up and stretched before intense physical activity.

On your first ball possession of the game, have one of your wing players run through the lane to the other side of the court. If a defender doesn't follow him, it's a very good chance they're playing zone.

On the opening jump-ball to start the game, after timeouts, or when players rotate for each other, make it mandatory for your players to call out loudly the player they will be guarding. Instruct any player being substituted for to let their replacement know who they were guarding.

Also, in  transition, have your team run back on defense to the paint and then communicate their defensive assignments to each other.

Always carry a portable ball pump and extra needles in your equipment bag.

Always have an extra game jersey in your equipment bag.

Unless your coaching a in truly recreational league that is totally non-competitive, always have at least one good ball handler on the floor and playing the point guard position. You owe it to your team to at least get the ball up the court on offense. You're not doing anyone any favors by allowing a player to be the point guard who cannot handle the ball.

If you're having a hard time keeping track of player rotations; here's an easy method you can try. Simply arrange your bench so that the reserves sit in the seats closest to you while the players who come out of the game fill in the vacant seats at the end of the bench. As a player or players go in, everyone slides down.

If you have only one set inbound play from under your basket, the other team might start catching on to it. For example, if you use a play called "Red", it may become obvious to the other team what you're going to do.

One suggestion is to use a little simple deception and instead of calling "Red", tell your players to run this play when any color is used. So, when your players hear you call out "Green!", they know they're still running "Red" but it the other team probably won't catch on. Genius!

When you have a large group of players as in a tryout scenario, take the number smaller groups you want to divide them into and have the players count-off to that number.

For example, if you have 40 players and want to divide them into five groups, instruct the players to line up on the baseline and to count-off by "5's". The first player shouts "1", the next shouts "2", and so on up until the fifth player shouts "5". The very next player will start the count over at "1". At the end you should have the 40 players nicely separated into five groups of eight.

Make sure the little dummies remember their number!

If you see a decided advantage on the opening jump-ball, have your player jumping call the last name of the player they will be tipping to. Off of the jump-ball toss, have that player break to the basket for the tip and score. The other players should break to defense in the event the jump isn't won.

Whenever possible, and in close game situations, let the referee know when you will be calling a timeout.

For example, the other team may be on the foul-line for a shot to tie the score. Before the foul shot, let the referee know you'll be calling a timeout if the shot is made. By doing this the referee will look for your timeout call immediately and save you valuable time on the clock to call a buzzer-beater play.

Make sure you check with the scorer's table often to keep tabs on the foul situations. You'll want to know what players, especially on your team have 3 or more fouls.

Many youth leagues run several practices consecutively at one location so that means you and your team are usually waiting for a practice to clear out until you can begin yours. Have your team show up 15 minutes early every practice and meet somewhere outside the gym. You can use this time to take care of announcements and other tasks that normally eat into your valuable gym time.

Many youth league teams will encounter different rules when playing other teams. For example, a 5th and 6th grade boys team may be used to playing its home games where a full-court press is not allowed. However, when playing away, the opponent may allow pressing during the entire game or maybe in the last two minutes of the half. Because of situations like this it is best to meet with the opposing coach before the game and be clear on the rules the contest will be played under. It is also advised to verify that the referees are also informed as well.