5 Step by Step Fun Basketball Drills for Kids

Make Basketball fun for Kids with 5 step by step basketball drills

Even the best basketball players in the world started out with just a few fundamental basketball drills that helped turn them into the athletes that they are today.

Whether you are a coach that is looking to make your team better, or an individual player who is looking to fine-tune your game on your own, there are plenty of basketball drills that you can do to make your game that much better.

Here are five fun basketball drills that every kid will enjoy that will also help them get better at the game as well.

When I was young kid, these were some of the drills that I used to help me develop my game when I didn’t have any guidance. These drills have definitely been developed since then and you can find similar drills or more advanced drills that will help you develop your game.

Warm Up Ball Handling Drill

Before you can run, you have to learn to walk. And before you do either, you’ll need to learn to dribble the ball and become a better ball handler. A great set of basketball drills for kids can begin with effective ball handling to strengthen their finger tips, forearms and coordination, which are all important aspects of dribbling.

In each drill, a player will keep their feet stationary and their head up, while they practice a variety of different ball handling moves.

• You can start by circling the ball around your head, body and legs to warm up your arms and legs. This simply requires you to take the ball and circle it around the body. As you get lower, you need to keep your head up and look ahead. This basketball drill doesn’t take a lot of skill, but it does a great job of getting the blood flowing and fingertips ready to start dribbling. I would circle the ball around your head 20x clockwise and counter clockwise. Repeat this around your waist and legs.

• Figure eight dribbling is when you dribble the ball between your legs, switching from left to right hand in the process. You start out by dribbling once before you switch hands, but then you should try and work your way into a more crouched position and dribble the ball multiple times before switching hands. You dribble in a figure 8 fashion around your legs. Check out my video that I created that demonstrates the Figure 8. Perform 10 full figure 8s around your legs.

Around The World

As much as players need to learn to dribble, lots of players enjoy shooting and scoring points. In order to become a better shooter, a game of around the world is one of the most fun basketball drills for a kid to play.

This is especially a great drill when your child is on their own and is looking to get some extra shoots up.

• To setup an around the world drill, you will simply find a variety of different spots on the court that you can shoot from. If you make the shot, you will move to the next spot. If you don’t, you will then have to go back to the starting position or keep shooting until you make it (this rule is usually up to the player or coach). The reason that this is a perfect option when it comes to basketball drills for kids is because it teaches them to shoot from a variety of different spots on the court. It helps improve both inside and outside game, as well as shooting form and repetition.

3-Man Weave With 2-on-1 Fast Break

If you have a team of players, another option for basketball drills for kids is the 3-man weave with 2-on-1 fast break back. This drill helps players work on teamwork and passing, as well as short-handed defensive breaks on the way back.

• To setup this drill, three players will line up about five feet apart from one another. The player in the middle will start with the ball and then pass it to either teammate on either side.

• From there, the middle player will follow their pass and go behind the player they passed it to, while that player then passes it to the third player who will be on the opposite wing and follows the same direction of the ball that the middle player did. This passing and weave formation will continue the entire way down the court.

• The last player to catch the ball at the end of the court will then put up a layup. Once they do that, it is then their job to rush back on defense while the other two players come down on a 2-on-1 fast break. The goal during the fast break is for the offense to keep their passing limited and still score, but also for the defense to find a way to stop the two other players.

Mikan Drill

Big men who are looking to get better in the paint can rely on the Mikan Drill as a great skill builder. This drill requires just one post player, or even a guard if they want to get better inside, and a basketball and hoop.

• To accomplish the Mikan Drill, players will start by performing a layup with their strong hand. In doing so, the leg of that hand should also come up, which demonstrates the perfect layup motion. Therefore, if you shoot a lay-up with your right hand, you lift your right leg.

• As the ball comes down after going through the net, the player must then grab it with their other hand and, in one fluid motion, go up for a layup on the opposite side.

• This drill may take a while to get used to, but the idea is to get it down to where you can perform this drill on both sides of the hoop without having to take any extra steps or movements.

Shell Drill

Defense can help you win games and there are plenty of fun basketball drills for kids to work on their skills on the defensive side of the court. However, the shell drill stands out among the rest as a great option for teams.

• To begin, three, four or five players will line up on the perimeter of the 3-point line. A defender will then be assigned to each player.

• Once the ball is in play, the offense cannot move, but rather they can only pass to other players on the offensive team.

• While doing this, the team on defense will need to shift to the right positioning in order to deny the ball or play help-side defense. It’s important to close-out top shoulder to force the offense to the baseline as that area lends your more help.

• Once your team gets a bit more advanced with the shell drill, you can start running picks and screens to help the offense get open and keep the defense on their toes.

There are a variety of fun basketball drills for kids. The five on this list are perfect for teams, individuals or just anyone looking to improve their game. You want to keep it simple with these types of drills and as you or the player gets comfortable and can perform these types of drills effectively, then you should move to more advanced ones.

What basketball drills do you think kids would enjoy?