youth basketball homework

3 Basketball Practice Plans for All Age Groups (7 – 18 Years Old)

“Players win games. Coaches win practices”.

Practices are the time coaches have the biggest opportunity to impact the basketball skills of a player…

However, I constantly attend practices that are inefficiently run.

The coach spends half of practice trying to work out what drill to run next.

All coaches should be spending the majority of their time encouraging and providing feedback to their players… not working out what the next drill is going to be.

How do coaches fix this and make practices more efficient?

Create a basketball practice plan.

Two of the greatest coaches of all time knew how important a practice plan was…

“I always designed my practice plans the night before and then made tweaks a few hours before practice began” –  Bobby Knight

“I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day” –  John Wooden

Having a plan for each practice is absolutely essential.

Here is how to do it:

Basketball Practice Plan Structure

At Basketball For Coaches, we break down a typical practice into 5 sections…

1. Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement 2. Skill Work 3. Team Strategies 4. Scrimmage/Small Sided Games 5. Cool Down

First, let’s discuss each section in more detail.

Later on we’ll break down how long you should spend on each of the sections.

And then I’ll share 3 complete practice plans that you can print off and use with your team.

1. Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement

This section of practice cannot be skipped.

Most youth teams perform a 2-minute warm-up before moving immediately on to other sections of practice.

When I watch youth basketball games, it becomes quickly apparent that the best players have fantastic:

• Coordination
• Change of Speed
• Change of Direction

The players who struggle haven’t learned how to control their bodies yet.

It’s extremely important to help players establish an athletic foundation. With this foundation in place, it becomes much easier to learn new basketball skills as they progress.

This section of practice will help your players with much more than their basketball skills. It will help prevent injuries and will help them in all sports and movements of life, because as we all know, players shouldn’t be specializing solely in basketball at a young age .

Here are a few examples of body movement and coordination movements you need to incorporate into your dynamic warm-up.

• Backpedaling
• Change of Pace

2. Skill Work

The bulk of a youth basketball practice should be skill work. The drills should be fun and interesting while still improving the skill of your players.

This includes drills that teach players how to perform the skill movement correctly, along with drills that assist them to learn when to use the skill.

Drills that allow the player to learn when to use the skill are commonly skipped over.

Referring to shooting, this is a great quote by Jeff Van Gundy…

“Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique” – Jeff Van Gundy This rule goes for all skills, not just shooting…

We need to put players in positions that require them to make decisions and gain game-like experience.

A lot of coaches will show players exactly what they need to do… they’ll give fantastic instructions, and the players will eventually look brilliant at training.

Then, the players will get 
into the game and it’ll look like they’ve forgotten everything!

Why does this happen?

Because they haven’t learned to play against competition.

We need to include drills that will teach players the technique, and drills that will teach them when to do it in the game.

I recommend splitting these two types of drills up 50/50…

Dribbling Example:

5 minutes of stationary ball handling and then a game of 1v1 in the full-court.


Shooting Example:

5 minutes of shooting form and then 1-on-1 partner close-outs with the offensive player deciding whether to shoot the ball or drive.

Passing Example:

5 minutes of form passing and then a 10 minute game of 5 vs 4 keep-away.

While I list small-sided games at the end of practice, I still use them in this section to improve individual skills while making decisions.

“Perform drills that force your players to think” – Bobby Knight

BFC TIP: At the youth level, drills should be no more than 10 minutes long. The players will start to become disinterested after that time. Keep them short and fun!

3. Team Strategies

Team strategies are the least important component of a youth basketball practice.

And in my opinion, they are not necessary for players under the age of 10.

The team strategies section of training includes:

• Special Situations

If you decide to use this section of practice with your team, dedicate only a small amount of time to it.

Too many coaches steal practice time from skill development and spend half of practice helping athletes memorize set plays.

Remember that we want to teach our players how to play basketball, not give them a couple of spots on the floor they have to run to each possession.

So, I’m not opposed to teaching team strategies… I’m just opposed to spending half of your valuable practice time on it.

Only practice team strategy for the recommended amount of time, or less.

4. Scrimmages / Small Sided Games

Scrimmages and small-sided games are very important to include in every basketball practice plan.

What’s the point in your players learning how to do a crossover with great technique if they don’t understand when to use it in a game?

Technique is important, of course… but allowing kids to practice when to use it is just as important. This doesn’t mean letting them loose in a 5-on-5 game every practice…

Most of the game-play in a youth practice should be “small-sided”.

Small-Sided Games (SSG’s) have fewer participants on each team than a normal game. (1v1, 2v1, 3v3, etc.)

There are many benefits to using small-sided games with your players:

• More Touches
• More Space to Practice Moves
• More Opportunities to Score Points
• and many more

Small-sided games result in the players developing quicker and having a lot more fun!

If you have more than one ring and basketball available, play multiple small-sided games!

Another thing I love to do in scrimmages or small-sided games is incorporate rules to work on different skills.

For example, one of my favorite rules is the “no dribble” rule, which forces kids to read the play and make cuts to get open.

Without this rule, you’ll find it’s common for a youth player to take 5 or 6 dribbles with their head down before throwing a wild hook shot at the ring while 3 of their teammates stand around wide open.

5. Cool Down

The cool down section of your training should consist of a couple of minutes of slow jogging and walking up and down the court and then a few minutes of static stretching.

This allows the body to decrease in temperature and begin to flush out the waste products (lactic acid), amongst other things.

The stretching part of the cool down is a great time to talk to the players. We might talk about an upcoming game/tournament or how we felt practice went.

Recommended Practice Plan Structure

Now that you understand each section of practice, let’s work out how much time during practice should be dedicated to each section.

The first thing you’ll need to decide is if you’ll be implementing any team concepts like offenses, defenses, or set plays. If so, I still recommend only spending the listed amount of time on it.

If not, I recommend adding the extra minutes to skill work.

The following is how I generally divide up the minutes depending on the length of practice time you have.

60 Minutes Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes Skill Work – 25 minutes Team Strategy – 10 minutes Scrimmage/SSG – 10 minutes Cool Down – 5 minutes

90 Minutes Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes Skill Work – 45 minutes Team Strategy – 15 minutes Scrimmage/SSG – 15 minutes Cool Down – 5 minutes

120 Minutes Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes Skill Work – 60 minutes Team Strategy – 20 minutes Scrimmage/SSG – 20 minutes Cool Down – 5 minutes

This structure combines the technical learning of the skill with the practical application of the skill.

Too many practices overlook teaching players when to use skills.

3 Sample Basketball Practice Plans

7 – 10 years old (60 minute practice).

Disclaimer: This training session has been designed for a half-court, as most teams this young only have access to half the court to train on.

Practice Goal: Bringing the ball up the court against pressure.

Warm-Up (0-10 Minutes)

Dynamic warm-up.

Run each of the following to half-court and back:

1. High Knees – Bring knees to waist height while running.

2. Butt Flicks – Flick the rear with your heels as you run.

3. Grape Vine – Face side-on, step with the front leg, alternate stepping in front and behind with the rear leg.

4. High Jumps, Quiet Landing – Run forward, plant with two feet, jump as high as you can, land as quietly and softly as possible.

5. Zig Zag – Run to the right diagonal for a few steps, plant your outside foot, push off and cut to the left diagonal. Repeat.

Dynamic Stretching

Perform through to half-court, jog back to the baseline.

1. Lunges – Take a large step forward, keep the back upright and the hips straight, slowly drop down until your rear knee is just above the floor.

2. Squats – Take a few steps, stop with feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep the back straight, stick out the rear end, and squat down until the thighs are parallel with the ground.

3. In to Out – Take a few steps, lift right knee to waist height. Keep the hips pointing forward, and bring the knee from pointing forwards, to pointing sideways. Drop the foot back down, take a few steps, and repeat with the left knee.

4. Toe Grab – Take a few steps, put your right heel on the ground out in front of you, keeping your right leg straight. Bend down and grab onto your toe. Hold for two seconds, stand up, and repeat after a few steps with your left foot.

Run Throughs

Run each to half court and back.

1. 50% Speed

2. 70% Speed

3. 80% Speed

4. 90% Speed

5. 95% Speed

Skill Work (10 to 35 minutes)

Retreat dribble drill (10 to 20 minutes).

Pair the players up (similar skill level). One basketball between two players. Spread out around the court.

Instructions:

• Have the player with the ball jog and dribble in any direction. The other player acts as the defender.
• At any moment, have the defensive player sprint and stand directly in front of the offensive player.
• Upon this cue, the offensive player shall plant their front foot, push off it hard, and hop back to create space!
• Have the offensive player change the direction they’re dribbling in.
• The defensive player chases the offensive player, and steps in front of them again.
• After 30-45 seconds, have the players switch jobs.

Coaching Points:

The defensive player isn’t trying to steal the ball, or truly pressure the offensive player! They are only there to help show the offensive player when they should be making this move. They are helping the offensive player learn.

1v1 Dribbling Drill (20 to 35 minutes)

Pair each player with a similarly skilled teammate. Split the court into two playing with an imaginary line between the baskets (otherwise known as the split line, use cones to mark if you wish).

• Starting on the baseline, the offensive player must dribble the ball across the half-court line.
• If the defensive player steals the ball, they must give it back to the offensive player.
• If the offensive player loses control of the ball or goes out of bounds, they must retrieve it and start again where they last had control of the ball.

Team Strategy (35 to 45 minutes)

Three Options:

• 1-4 Press Break
• Man-to-Man Defense
• 5-Out Motion

Scrimmage/SSG (45 to 55 minutes)

3-on-3 “touchdown”.

The offense starts with the ball, out-of-bounds on the baseline. They must inbound the ball, and dribble and pass it to half court.

• If the defense gets the ball, the game stops, and they become the offense.
• The game begins again out-of-bounds on the baseline.
• Once the offense get the ball to half court, they must place it on the ground, on the half-court line.
• Another offensive player (who didn’t place the ball on the ground) must sprint to retrieve the ball. They then turn around and look to score on the basket.
• Once the ball has been placed, the defensive team must all turn around and touch the baseline with their hand.

As coach, give limited feedback during the game! If you see a certain mistake three times in a row, give advice quickly, but spend most of your time observing. How they perform in this small-sided game should inform how you design your next training session!

Cool Down (55 to 60 minutes)

• Jog to the other end of the court and back.
• Walk to the other end of the court and back.
• Sit down, and do some static stretches.

The cooldown stretching gives the coach some time to have a conversation with the players about training, and potentially some quick information about the next opponent.

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11 – 14 Years Old (90-Minute Practice)

Disclaimer: This training session has been designed for a full-court.

Pre-Training Talk (-15 to -10 minutes)

Before your time on the court begins, share a very clear goal for training with the players. Each training session should have a purpose. For a 90-minute training session, there is enough time to practice two “goals for training”.

Example goals:

• Passing Decision-Making
• Transition Defence

Foam Rolling (-10 to 0 minutes)

Once kids are 11 or older, I highly recommend that each player owns a foam roller for use before training.

Teenage years are renowned for growing pains, and as coaches, we can help our players by dedicating the last 10 minutes before entering the court to foam rolling.

They’re very cheap, and if a player forgets theirs, they can use their own basketball.

Roll each area for 20 seconds each:

• Between the back and the outside of the upper leg.
• Outside of the upper leg.
• Between the front and the outside of the upper leg.
• Front of the upper leg.
• Inside of the upper leg.
• Calf (lower leg)

Warm-Up (0 to 10 minutes)

Skill work (10 to 55 minutes), 3v2 around the key (10 to 20 minutes).

One offensive player on each block (side of the keyway), one starts behind the FT line. One defensive player starts under the front of the basket, and the other starts two steps directly in front of him.

• Coach passes the ball to any of the offensive players.
• A game is played until the offense scores or the defense has the ball (or the ball goes out of bounds)
• Everybody chooses a new place to start, and the game begins again when the coach passes the ball.

When you’re coaching this drill, make sure to focus upon the decision making of their passing. We have clearly told the players what the goals of training are, and we must coach to that. If you give all kinds of different advice to the players, it’ll be difficult for them to take it all in.

‘Call Names’ 3v3 (20 to 35 minutes)

Depending on numbers and space, play a 3v3 game in the full court, or two 3v3 games in each half-court.

This is a normal 3v3 game, with an extra rule to force the players to make passing decisions while they’re dribbling, not after they’ve finished dribbling.

The ball-handler must call the name of the teammate they’re passing the ball to either (a) before passing the ball, or (b) before they pick up their dribble.

If a player passes the ball or picks up their dribble before calling the name of a teammate to pass to, it is a turnover!

1v1 Chase Down (35 to 45 minutes)

Pair the players up into similar speed levels. The offense starts a few steps onto the court, either on the left or right side of the court. The defense starts a step or two behind.

Depending on the speed of the defensive player and the speed dribbling ability of the offensive player, you’ll need to adjust where they begin.

• The coach blows his whistle, and the offense begins speed dribbling towards the basket at the opposite end.
• The defense has to sprint and get in front of the offensive player.
• Play until either the offense scores or the defense has the ball (or the ball goes about of bounds).

Balance the Floor 3v3 (45 to 55 minutes)

If you’re below the free-throw line when a shot is attempted, go for the rebound!

If you’re above the free-throw line when a shot is attempted, sprint back onto safety!

When either team has the ball, it is a normal game of 3v3.

Once a shot is taken, the offensive players must either:

(b) Sprint back towards the half-court line if they’re above the FT line

(a) Sprint to the basket and attempt to make a rebound if they’re below the FT line.

If the defense gets the ball, the drill stops, and everybody freezes. If the offense gets the ball, they may shoot it again and continue to play.

Once the defense gets the ball (and everybody freezes), the coach can observe how the offense (who have just become defense) have ‘balanced the floor’.

Team Strategy (55 to 70 minutes)

• 4-Out 1-In Motion
• Run and Jump Defense
• Princeton Offense

Scrimmage/SSG (70 to 85 minutes)

Play a full-court game, with as many players as you have!

Ideally 5v5, but 4v4 or 3v3 would work too.

To help the game express the goals of training that we have been working on (passing decision-making, transition defense), we will add an extra rule.

Rule: If you shoot the ball, you must touch the baseline before rejoining the play!

This rule puts more pressure on defensive transition than a normal game, and therefore they’ll have to do a better job to be able to prevent an easy fast-break basket for the opponent.

The momentary 5v4 advantage for the offense also allows more opportunities to display their passing decision-making.

Cool Down (85-90 minutes)

15 – 18 Years Old (120-Minute Practice)

Before your time on the court begins, share a very clear goal for practice with the players. Each basketball practice should have a purpose. For a 120-minute session, there is enough time to practice three ‘goals for training’.

Example Goals:

• 1v1 Finishing
• Full Court Man to Man
• Defensive Rebounding

Skill Work (10 to 70 minutes)

‘read the help’ (10 to 20 minutes).

Spread the offensive players out to both ends of the court. Each player should have a basketball. To work on right-handed finishing, line the offensive players up, outside the 3pt line, in line with the right-hand side of the key-way. One player begins on the left block.

• The first player in line should stand in triple threat position. To quickly begin their dribble, they throw the ball down towards their right-hand side, and drive to the basket.
• The extra player on the left block will give one of three different signals, to inform the driving player which finish they should attempt.
• If the player on the left block runs and stands directly underneath the basket, the offensive player should make a powerful move, directly to the basket, and finish as high as possible.
• If the player on the left block runs and stands between the driver and the basket, outside of the charge circle), the driver should shoot a short ‘floater’ over the top of the defender’s head, without running into them (if your court has no charge circle, have them stand a 4-5 feet in front of the basket).
• If the player on the left block runs across the keyway to the right block, the driver should make a ‘change of direction’ move with their footwork, and finish on the left-hand side of the basket. An example of this type of move would be a ‘euro-step’ or a ‘pro-hop’.

1v1 ‘Ball on Back’ (20 to 30 minutes)

The defender starts by standing on the 3pt line, facing the basket. The offensive player stands behind the defender and places the ball upon the defenders back.

• The drill begins when the offensive player takes the ball off the defensive player’s back.
• Play until either the offensive player scores or the defensive player gets the ball.
• The defender facing away provides the offensive player an advantage, which they can take with a fast, decisive move to the basket!

2v2 ‘Rugby’ (30 to 45 minutes)

The ball starts out of bounds on the baseline.

• The offensive inbounder must pass the ball into the court to his teammate.
• After this first pass, the offensive team may only pass backwards.
• The goal is to get the ball into the key-way at the other end of the court.
• The defensive team must work on having a player closely guarding the ball. His teammate should be behind the line of the ball, narrowing the space that the offensive player has to dribble.

3v3 ‘Hockey’ (45 to 60 minutes)

This is a game of 3v3 in the full court, with one extra rule which allows the defense to apply more full-court pressure.

Borrowing from Ice Hockey’s ‘off-side’ rule, the offensive ball-handler must be the first offensive player to cross the half-court line. Before the ball is dribbled across the half-court line, no other offensive player may be in the front half of the court.

This prevents offensive players from sprinting ahead for easy long passes, and allows the defense to practice their full-court defense more effectively.

Find, Hit, Get (60 to 70 minutes)

Two players start on the top corners of the keyway (offence), and another two players start on the blocks (defence).

• Coach shoots the ball from the foul-line.
• Once the ball is shot, all 4 players can move to rebound.
• Upon the shot, the two defensive players yell: “FIND!”, and run towards the offensive players. “HIT!”, and make contact with the offensive players. “GET!”, and attempt to rebound the ball.
• Whichever team gets the ball becomes offence, and attempt to score on the basket the ball was just shot upon.
• Players rotate positions after either team has scored.

Team Strategy (70 to 90 minutes)

By the time your players are 15 or older, they’ll need a couple of set plays to score with.

If you do not already have a few plays up your sleeve, check out this link below.

28 Basketball Plays to Dominate Any Defense

When practicing set plays, make sure to use all the players you have available!

5v0 might make your plays look great, but they won’t look great once you get to the game!

Practice your plays with defenders.

To begin with, have them not steal the ball or try and blow up your play, but make sure you build towards practicing your plays against a live defence!

If you only have 8 players at training, 3 defenders is better than 0 defenders!

Scrimmage/SSG (90 to 115 minutes)

With 3 different focuses for this training session, we can use small-sided games or 5v5 scrimmages to apply what we have learned to a game!

3v3 Small-Sided Game (90 to 100 minutes)

To emphasize finishing on the basket, we will change the scoring system!

Play either until a certain score, or for an amount of time.

Scoring System:

• Score inside the bottom half of the keyway= 3 points.
• Score inside the top half of the keyway= 2 points.
• Score inside the 3pt line, but outside of the keyway= 1 point.
• 3pt Basket = 0 points, but the opponent’s score goes back to 0.

Making mid-range baskets only worth 1 point will encourage players to keep driving, and not settle for pull-up jump-shots.

Creating a large consequence for the defense giving up a made 3pt shot will cause them to close out harder, creating more driving opportunities for the offense.

5v5 Scrimmage (100 to 115 minutes)

To focus on full-court defense and rebounding, we introduce two simple rules to influence how the game is played.

Once the defense first gets the ball (on a made basket, a rebound, or a steal), the player who has the ball must place it upon the ground. Another teammate shall run across and pick up the ball, and the game shall resume. The new defense cannot defend the ball until it has been picked up by the other team. This gives the defense a chance to set up their full-court defense, on every change of possession.

If the offensive team gets an offensive rebound, they get a “power-play”. They have a free chance to score, without any threat of losing the ball. Once the defense has the ball (on a rebound or a steal), the game stops, and the offense get the ball back.

We recommend that you play mini-games, and coach in between each game. Play until either team has scored two baskets. After the mini-game, bring the teams in, and coach them for 30-45 seconds. Make substitutions, and send them back out onto the court!

Coach in dot-points, not paragraphs.

Cool Down (115 – 120 Minutes)

Conclusion:

The biggest thing I want you to take away from this article is that you need a basketball practice plan for every practice.

A planned practice is more efficient, your players will improve quicker, and you’ll be a far better coach.

basketball practice plan, youth basketball practice plan

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Youth Basketball Practice Plans

Written by Coach Peterman

Basketball plays, 0 comments(s), november 29, 2011, basketball program special, welcome to the well-prepared coach.

If you’re here for the Basketball Special, you’re at the right spot.  Please read on.

So, you’re coaching your son’s or daughter’s team this year and you’re looking forward to basketball season.  You’re hoping that your players will learn and play to the best of their abilities, parents will enjoy watching the action, and everyone will have fun. To make the most of the coaching opportunity, it makes sense to you that you need to have a plan — both an overall plan and individual plans for each practice.  You know that by just running a few drills and scrimmaging the rest of the time, your team won’t be ready.

The plan needs to address:

• What to coach and when?  You need to have a plan for what basketball skills should be taught at the first practice and in the early going, and what can wait until later practices.
• Fundamentals.  You need to coach strategies, tactics and skills that players can carry with them to future teams — not intricate plays that future teams may not run at all.  Solid man-to-man defense, the pick-and-roll, rebounding and give-and-go are skills that teams execute at every level.
• How to keep you players engaged throughout the course of a long season and at every practice.  How to balance repetition with variety so that kids stay interested.
• Preparing your team for different situations that come up in the course of a game and season.  What should players do when they face a zone press?  How to inbounds the ball from the sidelines to create a scoring opportunity?
• How to make the most of the 10 minutes before each practice when you take the court.  Here’s your opportunity to get to know your players better, pass on some valuable basketball knowledge, and teach some life lessons that players will carry on with them long after their days on the hardwood.

A plan will enable you to enjoy the season more fully as you won’t be panicking on practice day worrying about an agenda for the evening’s session.  Parents of players and other coaches will notice that you move through your practices with confidence. You’re prepared.  You’re organized.  It shows.   And, perhaps most importantly, your players will be the primary beneficiaries.  They’ll learn a lot, play their best ball and love basketball!   We have the solution for you.

Actual size: 8.5″ by 11″

Get instant access to “The Well-Prepared Coach — Youth Basketball Coaching Program.” You’ll receive a full-season’s worth of practice plans — 30 practices in all — complete with practice agendas, drills and teaching points.  Each practice session is set for 90 minutes of court time.

Pre-practice meeting outline

This 88 page e-book includes:  pre-practice meeting agendas, practice agendas, inbounds plays, sideline plays, simple offensive plays, where to go for more ideas, fill in activities and drills, and off-season, driveway workout, and more.  See table of contents pages below.

The Practice agendas include a minute-by-minute breakout of each exercise along with the coaching points you should emphasize for each.  The practice plans typically include “Meat” and “Potatoes” sessions for each practice.  “Meat” sessions address basketball basics like:  man-to-man defense, team defense, rebounding, shooting and more.  “Potatoes” sessions include:  power lay-ups, moving without the ball, free throw shooting, post offense and more. The appendices include diagrams and graphics to enable you to quickly grasp and explain coaching concepts.

The Well-Prepared Coach strongly recommends that coaches meet with their players for usually about 10 minutes before court time.  The pre-practice meeting has many benefits.  First of all, it usually ensures that player are dressed and ready to go when court time is available.  It’s also the time for a coach to get to know the players better.  It gives players some time talk a bit and ask questions.

Coaches can cover important basketball topics, team news and updates and prepare players for what’s going to happen at practice.  The extra time provides the coach the opportunity to pass on some important life lessons:  the value of hard work, the importance of sportsmanship and the power and magic of teamwork.  To make it easier for you to implement pre-practice meetings, 30 pre-practice agendas, with talking points, are also included.

So, here’s what you get:

• 30, ninety‐minute practice plans for 4th – 8th grade teams.  Exercises, explanations and teaching points.

• 30 agendas and talking points for pre‐court-time meetings.  Don’t miss your opportunity to really get to know your players and cover important topics.

• A “Driveway Workout” for your players’ off‐season efforts.

• Proven inbounds plays and sideline plays.

• “The Special Play” — This play results in a surprising number of open lay‐ups in games.  In fact, this one play accounted for more than 1/2 of our points in several games!  When you have to have a basket at a key point in the game, here’s the ticket.

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About the Author

MICHAEL O’HALLORAN has coached his 4 children on 15 different basketball teams. His 5th grade girls’ team won the Minnesota State Championship in 2010. He authored Never Forget They’re Kids — Ideas for Coaching your Daughter’s 4th ‐ 8th Grade Basketball Team and co‐created “The Well‐Prepared Coach™” line of coach handout and award certificate printables. He’s the founder and editor of Sports Feel Good Stories.com. Blogs.com selected the site as a “Top 10 Youth Sports Blogs for Parents.” His “Never Forget They’re Kids” approach to coaching sports places an emphasis on learning, having fun, and creating memorable experiences for players.

KEY BENEFITS — 30 Youth Basketball Practice Plans

• A great experience for your players. Basketball is a fun sport, but even the most dedicated players can get bored or not feel challenged unless the coach keeps them engaged throughout the season.  These practice plans will keep your players involved as they improve their games and have a lot of fun in the process.

EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA • EXTRA

Extra – companion book, never forget they’re kids — ideas for coaching your daughter’ 4th-8th grade basketball team, a guide for volunteer basketball coaches — especially those coaching girls in 4th – 8th grades — provides an easy to follow approach to coaching and managing your team..

O’Halloran’s “Never Forget They’re Kids” philosophy places an emphasis on learning, having fun and creating memorable experiences for players.

The book covers important fundamental basketball topics like defensive and offensive skills, rebounding know-how, shooting technique (including the 2 most common shooting flaws for this age group and how to address them), your coaching approach on the bench and practice preparation. For young basketball players, it’s not all about X’s and O’s.

What sets this apart from other basketball coaching books are topics like:

·     30 ideas to keep kids interested in basketball — From a “Rock n’ Roll” practice to a “Slam Dunk Photo Session,” you’ll learn some proven concepts to keep your players engaged during the season.  Kids will look forward to practices as much as games.

·     A detailed explanation of how to handle your first player meeting and your first parent meeting.  A sample introductory email to parents is included.

·     An inexpensive and simple way to create a team website and how to use your camcorder to make the most of the basketball season.

·     Team nickname ideas and slogan suggestions like “There’s no traffic on the extra mile” and “Teamwork makes the Dream work.”

NOTE:  Most of the concepts and strategies outlined in this book work for both boys and girls teams. ________________________________

Book Excerpt   “Keys to My Approach

• Breakdown complicated activities into bite-size chunks.

• Never forget they’re kids. ” ________________________________

KEY BENEFITS — Never Forget They’re Kids — Ideas for Coaching Your Daughter’ 4th-8th Grade Basketball Team    

• Increase your basketball coaching knowledge. You’ll learn successful strategies and tactics to use for your team on offense and defense to make your team more competitive.

• Create a memorable season for your players. Suggestions on how to create a team website easily, incorporate film sessions for your team and more.

BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS •BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS • BONUS

The Well-Prepared Coach Basketball Award Certificate Printables

Includes 114 award certificates to recognize players — both boys and girls — coaches, team parents and more. Designs include: “Coolest Coach,” “Prime Time Player,” “All Universe,” “You’re an All Star,” and “Clutch Player.” It’s a fun way to plus up your season-ending team party. Developed by Michael O’Halloran and designer Greg Johnson, these stylish certificates will be a big hit with your players and their parents.  As a coach or team manager, you’ll look polished and well-prepared.

– Hal Barnes

Includes 57 designs for color printers and the same 57 designs for black ink printers. Print as many as you like on the paper of your choice. Designs are set to work on the standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper size. You can personalize each certificate with players’ names, team names and your personal comments.

KEY BENEFITS — The Well-Prepared Coach — Basketball Award Certificate Printables   • Make your players and team members smile! Kids, and adults for that matter, love to hear words of praise.  Here’s a cool way to give your players, assistant coaches and team parents a feel-good boost.  Present the certificate and heap on the praise.  Your players may never forget it.

• choices. 57 different designs to choose from.  there’s something for everyone., • design that stands out from the crowd. these professionally designed certificates look great on refrigerators, bulletin boards and bedroom walls., the well-prepared coach — basketball coach handout printables.

Print as many as you like. Designs are set to work on standard paper: 8.5″ x 11.”   Basketball coaching forms were designed to make your job easier. Coaching forms include:  “Player Expectations,” “Parent Expectations,” “Shot Tracker,” “Basketball Homework,” “Basketball Play,” “Treat Sheet, “Emergency Contact Information,” “Practice Plans,” and more. Customize each form with your own comments, team name and personal info.

Print as many as you’d like for your team. It’s a fun way to plus up your team communications. Parents will appreciate being kept in the loop. As a coach or team manager, you’ll be better organized and look polished and well-prepared. Each form can be personalized, either via printer or hand-written notes, with your own personal agenda topics.

KEY BENEFITS — The Well-Prepared Coach — Basketball Coach Handout Printables  

• Keep your parents and players in the loop. These coaching forms will make it easy for you to share team information.

  The Well-Prepared Coach — Basketball Coach Handout Printables — A $14.99 Value

——————————–

So here’s what you get:

1.) 30 Youth Basketball Practice Plans — A $29.99 Value

2.) Never Forget They’re Kids — A $14.99 Value

3.) Basketball Award Certificate Printables — A  $19.99 Value    

4.) Basketball Coach Handout Printables — A $14.99 Value

TOTAL VALUE:  $79.96

  So, what’s your price?

YOUR PRICE FOR ALL 4 TITLES:  $39.99    

60 Day, No-Risk Guarantee :  Order The Well-Prepared Coach — Youth Basketball Coaching Program and if at anytime during the first 60 days, you are not 100% satisfied for whatever reason, send me an email and I’ll refund your money in full.

Click on “Order Now” to pay securely by credit card or PayPal.

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Basketball Practice Plans For Youth Teams

Eliminate hours of planning with 100+ illustrated drills to confidently teach kids ages 6-14 essential basketball skills, game strategy and technique, youth basketball coaching made easy, step-by-step basketball practice plans and drills for beginners to experienced coaches, designed for busy schedules.

Eliminate tedious work and google searching with pre-designed basketball practice plans that cover everything you need from A to Z.

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With our expert guidance, proven strategies, and a clear roadmap to follow throughout the season, you'll eliminate all the guesswork.

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Stop buying dozens of ebooks, videos, and other resources. We have a comprehensive library of drills, skills and strategies - and new resources are added monthly

Improve Player Skills

Proven drills and strategies designed to improve your players' skills and help them reach their full potential on the court.

• Learn how to pick an offense & defense
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• 24 Practice Plans Included
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Coach With Confidence

Are you hesitant to take on the challenge of coaching a youth basketball team because you lack experience? Don’t let that stop you from creating a winning team! Our comprehensive basketball practice plans for youth basketball have everything you need to succeed, regardless of your coaching background. Don’t wait any longer to take the first step towards confident and effective coaching.

Expertly Crafted Practice Plans

We include everything a youth basketball coach needs, including a full season practice plan, drills, plays, team building, and more.

Step-By-Step Instructions

We break down each aspect of coaching into easy-to-follow steps, making it simple for you to implement our strategies and create a winning team.

Designed for Youth Teams

We understand that coaching youth basketball requires a unique approach, and our system is specifically tailored to help you succeed in coaching young athletes 8 and up.

Age-Appropriate Skill Development

Our guides are based on proven strategies used by successful basketball including ball handling, passing, shooting, footwork, athletic development, and more

Gain Access to Exclusive Resources

For 6 Years Old to 14 Years Old – Beginner to Advanced. New content is added frequently. 

Here's What Our Customers Have to Say!

Tune into the only weekly podcast dedicated to helping youth basketball coaches succeed, unlock the secrets of youth coaching, 11 reasons why zoom action is better than the ball screen for youth teams.

Discover why Zoom Action is a better alternative to the ball screen especially for developing youth basketball players. Its simplified yet strategically rich approach, resonates with youth teams.

Building The Best Offense For Your Youth Basketball Team

There are literally thousands of man-to-man offenses being used today on every single level of basketball, so how do you know if the offense you are using is actually a good one?

Zone Defense: The Efficient Solution or a Coaching Cop-Out?

As a youth basketball coach, teach the six essential elements of defense: communication, vision, guarding the ball, passing, shooting, and effort. Focus on these, not man or zone defense, to build a strong defensive team.

Unlock Your Team’s Full Potential with This Simple Mindset Trick!

Teaching basketball skills and plays is important, but it is equally important to teach players the right mindset for the game.

Efficient Basketball Practice Strategies To Get More Done

Incorporating efficient basketball practice strategies into your practice sessions can help your players improve their skills and stay engaged. Planning your practice, incorporating game situations, focusing on skill development, keeping it competitive, and providing feedback are essential elements

Coaching Confidence Guarantee

Try our coaching program risk-free for 30 days. If you don't agree that it's the best investment you've ever made in your coaching career, we'll personally fly out to your next game and perform a cheer routine in front of everyone (jk)! We will refund your investment.

Invest In Yourself To Become a Winning Coach

Immediate download of basketball practice plans, hundreds of drills organized by player's needs, learn the strategies that win more games, offense playbooks to fit your team, the best youth defenses that get the most stops, thousands of plays, all the helpful docs you need to plan your season, video tutorials to help you teach complex material, the step-by-step framework we use to run successful practices, unlock the secret to crafting drills and practice plans that perfectly match your team's cognitive and motor skill growth at every age level., blitz attack: the only offense designed specifically for youth players, memorial day sale: ends may 29 at midnight, lifetime deal, learn what to teach at every age, are your players struggling to grasp your plays frustrated by their inability to execute your instructions learn the art of aligning child development stages with your practice plans..

The Ultimate Youth Basketball Guide for Players, Parents & Coaches

If you’re looking for honest, accurate and easy-to-understand advice on youth basketball – you’ve come to the right place!

This guide is dedicated to offering players, parents and coaches the best information, reviews and advice about the game of basketball.

“This site is AWESOME – especially all the free basketball tips and resources!”

This Site Is Loaded With The Following Youth Basketball Plays, Drills and Tips:

• 11 hot tips to help  players  elevate their game to the next level.
• 9 valuable tips  parents  can use to help their child succeed.
• Drills, practice plans and guidelines to help  coaches  become more organized and effective.
• Easy-to-follow  drills  for players, parents and coaches.
• Simple and effective  plays  designed to help coaches and players succeed on the court.
• Shooting tips including a review of the  Swish Shooting Program .
• Equipment  and  training aids  for players, parents & coaches. Reviews of equipment, recommendations of the best training aids, helpful books and DVD’s.
• The  rules  of the game – along with  referee  signals.
• Over 200 basketball  terms  to help you gain a better understanding of the game.
• Basketball  quotes  to help motivate and inspire you.
• Fun and useful basketball  clipart  that you can download.
• Fundraising  ideas for your team.
• And many other valuable  resources!

I have been involved in basketball for over 25 years. First as a player, then as a high school coach, and now coaching my children.

I love the game very much! I am truly passionate about it!

I hope you share my passion for the game and thoroughly enjoy  The Ultimate Youth Basketball Guide for Players, Parents & Coaches!

Huge Fathead Selection! Basketball Fatheads & Sports Wall Decals.

Looking for Basketball Fatheads? This huge Fathead selection includes the greatest NBA & NCAA sports wall decals & wall graphics. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James…

Honest Vertical Jump Program Review. Top Jump Programs Here!

Buying a Vertical Jump Program? If so, check out my honest & thorough reviews of the top vertical-jump programs available today! To increase your vertical jump you need the best program…

Vertical Jump Training & Products. Jump Higher & Dunk The Basketball!

Our Top Selections For Vertical Jump Equipment and Vertical Jump Training Programs. If you want to increase your vertical jump then you need to check out…

Revolutionary Basketball Shooting Program. Swish 1 & 2: Simply The Best!

This Basketball Shooting Program teaches the steps to “pure shooting” in a simple – yet highly effective manner! Basketball shooting instructor…

Basketball Videos & DVDs For Coaches & Players! Get Your Basketball Education!

This collection of Basketball Videos & DVDs will help coaches & players understand every aspect of the game! Coach K, Five Star, Ganon Baker…

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Revolutionary Basketball Training Programs! Unleash your basketball skills with these state-of-the-art Basketball Programs. Coaches & players learn the secrets to elevating your game…

Youth Basketball Drills To Help You Play & Coach Like A Champion!

Great youth basketball drills! Players and coaches take your game to the next level! Easy to understand. Dribbling, passing, shooting…

Incredible FREE Basketball Drills For Players, Parents & Coaches! Free Drills!

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Huge Basketball Drills Collection! Submit Your Favorite Basketball Drill Today!

Submit your Basketball Drills for free! Check out these incredible drills for basketball. This collection of basketball drills is being built by basketball coaches & players just like you…

Improve Your Basketball Shooting Technique Today! Swish Shooting Program!

Proper & effective Basketball Shooting Technique tips for coaches & players.

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Free Muscle Building Tips & Advice. Amazing Muscle Building Resources!

These Free Muscle Building Tips will help you develop the strong, chiseled body you’ve always wanted! Revolutionary Muscle Building Advice, tips & resources from…

Basketball Mental Training With The IntelliGym. Think Faster, Play Better!

IntelliGym, the Basketball Mental Training tool for the serious player! The IntelliGym takes basketball mental training to a whole different level…

Basketball Training Equipment, Training Aids & More. Basketball Training Tips!

Basketball Training Equipment has become a HUGE part of today’s game! Basketball players & coaches need to check out these…

Ultimate Youth Basketball Player! 11 Tips To Elevate Your Game!

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Basketball Training Tips & Advice To Elevate Your Game!

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Coaching Youth Basketball Guidelines. Basketball Coaching Tips & More!

Coaching Youth Basketball tips & advise to help coaches at all levels. Basketball coaching tips, drills, safety & more. Basketball coaches will…

Youth Basketball Tips For Players, Parents & Coaches! FREE Basketball Tips!

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Youth Basketball Parents Hot Tips. 9 Keys For Success!

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Top Quality Basketball Hoops! Hot Tips On Purchasing Basketball Hoops!

Valuable information on Basketball Hoops! Learn how to buy & install basketball hoops. Portable hoops, in-ground hoops…

Huge Selection Of Basketball Pictures & Posters! NBA Posters!

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Simple Youth Basketball Plays To Help Elevate Your Offense! Basketball Plays!

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Incredible Youth Basketball Offensive Plays. Basketball FREE Plays!

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Basketball Sneakers Tip, Advice & Information. Basketball Sneaker Buying Tips.

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Looking for Basketball Apparel? Check out our tips & advice on basketball uniforms, basketball jerseys, NBA apparel & other sports apparel. Hot basketball apparel…

Huge Directory Of Basketball Terms For Players, Parents & Coaches!

Over 200 Basketball Terms to help you understand the game better! Don’t know the difference between a jump ball and a jump shot? We can help…

Basketball Training Aids To Improve Your Game! Players & Coaches: Check Us Out!

Tips on Basketball Training Aids to help elevate your game! Players and coaches will get valuable information…

Basketball Tickets! NBA Tickets, NCAA Tickets & More!

Huge selection of Basketball Tickets! Choose from NCAA basketball tickets & NBA tickets. Get the tickets you want here at the best prices…

Visit Our Online Basketball Store! 1000s Of Basketball Items!

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Online Basketball Coaching Clinic. Convenient, Affordable & Extremely Valuable!

This Online Basketball Coaching Clinic features members of the NBA Coaches Association. View this clinic from the comfort of your home or office…

Youth Basketball Fundamentals. Great Tips On The Youth Basketball Fundamentals!

Learning these Youth Basketball Fundamentals will help players & coaches improve all aspects of their game! Basketball Fundamentals covering dribbling…

The History Of Basketball Facts. Basketball History Information!

The History of Basketball is filled with great and memorable events and highlights! The game was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891…

Youth Basketball Rules Made Simple! Great For Player, Parents & Coaches!

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Suggestions For The Ultimate Youth Basketball Guide!

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Youth Basketball Blog

The Youth Basketball Blog keeps you up-to-date with all the additions and changes to the UltimateYouthBasketball.com Web site. Subscribe here.

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4 Free Special Reports. Subscribe To Ultimate Hoops!

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10 Youth Ball Handling Drills � The Maravich Series

If you�re looking for a great set of ball handling drills for beginners or youth basketball players, go no further than the Maravich drills.

The Maravich drills are named after the legendary "Pistol" Pete Maravich. Maravich still holds the NCAA single season scoring record and the career scoring record while only playing three seasons. In addition to being a great scorer, anybody who watched him marveled at his ability to handle the basketball. He was truly a magician with the basketball.

If you would like to be a great ball handler like Pistol Pete, the Maravich drill series is an essential foundation .

This is a great stationary ball handling series that improves your feel for the ball while improving...

With youth players, we�ll spend about 3 to 5 minutes with this at every practice until we build a solid foundation .

Check out the video below...

Here is a list of the progressions mentioned in the video with approximate times:

0:25 - Ball Slaps 0:43 - Finger Tips 1:00 - Ball Circles 1:26 - Ball Wraps - One Leg 1:42 - Figure 8 - No Dribble 1:57 - Front To Back Toss 2:11 - One Leg Dribble 2:29 - Figure 8 Dribble 2:52 - Figure 8 Dribble - 1 Hand 3:09 - Spider Dribble

Emphasis Tips:

In addition to this, make sure to spend time dribbling on the move. You�ll also find as the players advance, that you can progress to more advanced drills and spend less time on stationary ball handling.

How Can You Learn The Drills and Skills To Become A Great Ball Handler?!?

If you would like to learn the necessary skills and drills to becoming a great ball handler, make sure to check out our Shooting, Ball Handling, and Finishing Camps .

For more Advanced Basketball Camps , you can check out the...

We also have many great ball handling resources listed below: 30 Competitive Skill Development Drills Basketball Dribbling and Ballhandling Fundamentals, Drills, & Tips With Video Clips The Importance of the Back Up Dribble and How It Reduces Turnovers Against Pressure

Coaches Transform Lives Through Basketball. Hoop Leaders Is Here to Help. 

Connect With Other Coaches

We connect youth basketball coaches in a fun, collaborative environment. Fellow coaches who join our platform can come together to network, share ideas, ask questions, discuss strategies, and more. Activity on our platform is rewards based—earning points and special badges redeemable for free products and access to exclusive content. The more you participate, the more you benefit!

Get More Organized

Our planners and notebooks are designed to help basketball coaches stay organized and efficient all season long. From practice schedules to game plans, our range of youth basketball planning tools streamline the preparation and execution processes.  Need assistance? Our planners and notebooks contain QR codes that lead directly to group discussions, AI chat, and articles for instant help and feedback. 

Read, Learn and Grow

We believe learning and improving as a coach never stops. Our library of articles, digital templates and worksheets is perfect for coaches of all experience levels who are looking for ways to further sharpen their skills. Our content is sourced from experience coaches and trainers with years of expertise.

What is a Hoop Leader?

We are dedicated to the growth, development and well-being of young basketball players.

We are committed to continually enhancing our skills as coaches, leaders, and mentors.

We believe in the power of community and share what we know with fellow coaches. 

Does That Sound Like You?

You'll fit right in.

Become a Hoop Leader in 3 steps: 

1. JOIN OUR SITE

Browse our plans and find the right one for you. For a limited time all of our plans are free for life so take advantage as we grow our community!

2. MEET OTHER COACHES

Start connecting with other youth basketball coaches and trainers immediately from across the U.S. The Chalk Talk forum by Hoop Leaders is an interactive platform for sharing plays, strategies, tips and more. 

3. START DISCUSSION

Visit the Chalk Talk forum and engage in conversation. Earn points for your participation, which are  redeemable for Hoop Leader products, access to exclusive content and more. 

Ready to Join Us? It's Free and Easy!

IF YOU'RE NOT LEARNING YOU'RE NOT GROWING

Get the free newsletter that’s helping 100+ coaches keep up with the latest trends in youth basketball. 

Valuable Information for Kids & Parents

You'll find lots of links to loads of information here. Advantage Basketball Camps is not only a great place to learn about basketball, but a great resource to learn about other stuff, too! Check out these informative and entertaining websites. Learn what to eat to be healthy. Play some cool games. Get help with your homework. Explore the wonderful world of basketball and youth sports!

• Read an article on the key training concepts that produce excellent basketball players
• Read how "Muscle Memory" is such an important part of learning the game
• Cool, Positive Websites for Kids
• Nutrition – Good Eating Habits

Basketball Products

• Homework Help!

Basketball Websites

• Sportsmanship & Positive Attitude

Sports Psychology

Autism parenting, muscle memory, post high school education, college scouting online.

Health and Safety

Cool, Positive Websites for kids

• Christian web site: http://www.christianwebsite.com/search/Cool
• Cool sites for middle school kids: http://www.sldirectory.com/studf/cool.html
• Cool sites from the Tacoma Public Library: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/kids-subject/elementary-school
• Empowering books for girls: http://www.deebest.com
• Great resources for children and teens: http://bcn.boulder.co.us/youth
• Government for kids: https://bensguide.gpo.gov
• Kidtastic - Contests, cards, info, store; all for kids: http://www.kidtastic.com
• Kids Who Care: http://www.kidswhocare.org
• King County Library System - Teen Zone: https://kcls.org/browse/teens
• Seeking Harmony in Neighborhoods Everyday - Empowering youth against violence: https://www.shine.com
• Great sites for kids and parents from the American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/alsc
• Sports illustrated for kids: https://www.sikids.com
• Coffee Break Arcade: https://www.coffeebreakarcade.com
• FunBrain - Site for kids and teachers K-8th grade: https://www.funbrain.com
• Games from Multnomah County Library: https://multcolib.org/search/site/kids%20games
• KidsCom - Games, chat, video game cheats: http://www.kidscom.com
• Kids Planet by Defenders of Wildlife: https://defenders.org
• Kudzu Kids - Investigative mystery game: http://www.kudzukids.com
• Prongo - Games, jokes, downloads for ages 3-12: http://www.prongo.com
• How to Eat Healthy: A Beginner's Guide - (Girl Scout Troop "Staying Fit Badge" - Contribution from MaryAnne ) https://www.wellnessverge.com/how-to-eat-healthy-beginners-guide
• Mission Nutrition® for grades 6-8 http://www.missionnutrition.ca/eng/announcement.html
• Nutrition for Kids - Guides and handouts: https://nutritionforkids.com
• The Ultimate Guide to Nutrition and a Balanced Diet https://www.dietspotlight.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-nutrition-and-a-balanced-diet
• Basketball Courts and Accessories - Specializing in outdoor and indoor modular surfaces for basketball courts, tennis courts, shuffleboard courts, multi-game courts, basketball hoops, and basketball court accessories. https://www.versacourt.com
• HoopSkills.com http://www.hoopskills.com
• Macleem Sports Wear http://www.macleemsports.com
• New, revolutionary basketball shooting practice device. Patent-pending shooting practice rebounder. Shoot from anywhere on the court and this low cost device returns both made and missed shots to shooter. http://www.shootandstar.com
• Sportwaves.com - Custom team sport bags and promotional bags http://www.sportwaves.com/basketball-bags.htm

Homework Help

• Ben's Guide to the US Government: https://bensguide.gpo.gov
• BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Help: http://bjpinchbeck.com
• The Black Hole Gang - Cool science topics: http://www.blackholegang.com
• Cultivating. Connecting. Curating. Learning course: http://educatorlabs.org
• Jiskha Homework Help - Educational content: https://www.jiskha.com
• King County Library System: https://kcls.org
• Multnomah County Library - Homework help: https://multcolib.org/homework-center
• Natural history libraries: http://www.lib.washington.edu/Sla/natlib.html
• Think like a Computer! A Guide to Number Sequence Puzzles https://www.barcodediscount.com/static_articles/think-like-a-computer-a-guide-to-number-sequence-puzzles.htm
• Washington State Library: https://www.sos.wa.gov/library
• The World Almanac for Kids Online: https://www.infobase.com/product/schools/the-world-almanac-for-kids-online-2
• World Religions - An intro to some of the many religions and spiritual traditions in the world: http://www.uri.org/kids/world-religions
• Algebra homework help: https://www.algebra.com
• Algebra Resources Galore!: https://www.veritasprep.com/sat-prep-algebra-resources-galore
• Math and Reading Help for Kids - Math and Reading Help for Kids is a directory of articles offering tips for homework help, improving test scores, developing positive study habits, and more: http://mathandreadinghelp.org/article_directory/Homework_Help.html
• Math.com - The world of math online: http://www.math.com

Geometry Resource Collection for Students of All Ages

• Concepts in Geometry | Free Lesson Plans: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/concepts-in-geometry.cfm
• Geometry Calculators Collection: 232 Calculators Divided by Geometry Type and Skill Level: https://www.calculators.org/math/geometry.php
• Geometry from Wolfram MathWorld: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/topics/Geometry.html
• Geometry Lesson Plans | Teach-nology: http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/math/geometry
• AAU WashingtonGirls Basketball: http://www.washingtongirlsbasketball.com
• AAU (National) Girls Basketball: http://aaugirlsbasketball.org
• Adidas: https://www.adidas.com/us
• AND1 Basketball products: https://and1.com
• Best Basketball Tips: http://www.best-basketball-tips.com
• ESPN: http://www.espn.com
• High school basketball resource: http://thefinalscore.tv
• Inaugural Maui Summer Classic Youth Basketball Tournament: https://www.mauisummerclassic.com
• Mid-Summer Nights' Madness Elite Girls Basketball Tournaments, National Class, NCAA Certified https://www.triplecrownbasketball.com/index.html
• More Than Hoops Basketball Camp - Intensive basketball skills training and motivation camp http://www.morethanhoops.com
• NBA: http://www.nba.com
• Nike Basketball products: https://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/basketball/pct?redirect=true
• On the Ball Youth Basketball - AAU sanctioned leagues and tournaments in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii: http://www.ontheball.us
• Recruiting updates, team stories and private message boards: https://washingtonpreps.rivals.com
• ShareThePlay.com - This free service allows coaches to create plays online, then share those plays as animations with a team or other coaches via their web browser: http://www.sharetheplay.com/splash.html
• SLAM Online - Basketball magazine: https://www.slamonline.com
• Spokane Hoopfest: http://spokanehoopfest.net
• WNBA: http://www.wnba.com
• WTA Tournaments: http://www.yourwta.com
• Youth Basketball Coaching Resources: http://www.coachlikeapro.com

Sportsmanship/Positive Mental Attitude Websites

• Motivation and a positive mental attitude - Article: https://ageless.co.za/positive.htm
• Positive Mental Attitude - Article: http://www.wholeperson-counseling.org/ndoc/pmafaith.html
• Association for the Advancement of Applied Sports Psychology - What is Sport Psychology? Questions & Answers: http://www.aaasponline.org
• Competitive Edge - Psychology of sports champions: https://www.competitivedge.com
• Exercise & Sports Psychology Tidbits: https://www.exrx.net/Psychology/Tidbits
• How to Reach Any Goal Four TIPS - Article: https://www.powerhomebiz.com/leadership-management/success-tips/how-to-reach-any-goals.htm
• The Performance Enhancement Site for Athletes in Search of Excellence: https://stayinthezone.com
• Psych Web - Information for students and teachers of psychology: https://psywww.com
• Virtual community of coaches, players, and parents - Tournament info: https://infosports.com
• When Winning Is The Only Thing, Can Violence Be Far Away? - Article: http://www.peace.ca/sports.htm
• Best Autism Apps: https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/best-autism-apps/
• Memory a Matter of Repetition: https://www.courant.com/hc-memmuscle.artsep05-story.html
• Design Degrees and Programs http://www.design-training.com
• California Colleges Search - California Schools: Search engine for California colleges universities and colleges in California, which offer the degree you are looking for. http://www.california-colleges-search.com
• Fashion Design School Search - Fashion Schools: Fashion Design School Search for locating quality fashion schools http://www.fashion-design-schools-search.com
• JUCO Athletic Financial Aid: A recruiting and resume service for high school student-athletes who want to apply for community college athletic scholarships. We only deal with junior or community colleges. Initial information and evaluation is free. http://www.athletic-scholarships.net
• Online MBA Program: Business Education / Top Business Schools: MBA Online Business Schools offers you the ability to search top business schools for the business class requirements to earn your executive MBA or business degree. http://www.business-training-schools.com
• Paralegal Education / Paralegal Training: Criminal Justice Degree Search provides a paralegal education search engine that will allow you to search for paralegal schools that offer the paralegal programs you are looking for. http://criminal-justice-degree-search.com
• College Basketball Scholarships - A recruiting and resume service for high school athletes who want to compete at college level in the USA. Initial help and advice is free. https://www.athleticscholarships.net/basketballscholarships.htm
• Child Internet Safety Guide nstlaw.com/child-safety/internet
• Comprehensive & Updated Washington Car Seat Laws - Experienced Mommy: Washington Car Seat Laws in 2020 https://www.experiencedmommy.com/Washington-car-seat-laws
• Online Teen Safety Guide - This helpful site provides resources necessary for both parents and their teens to safely utilize the Internet. https://www.staysafe.org/teens
• Summertime Burn Safety Tips - The Grossman Burn Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center offers some tips to keep your family safe during these summer months. https://www.advantagebasketball.com/docs/slmc-grossman-summer-safety-flyer.pdf
• The Ultimate Parent Guide fro Protecting Your Child on the Internet - Several great ideas for keeping younger kids and teens save online and with cellphone usage. https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/the-ultimate-parent-guide-for-child-internet

The Ultimate Youth Basketball Camp Guide

Youth basketball camps are a great way to build your basketball program into the competitive juggernaut you’ve always dreamed of it being. This long-term approach is what keeps kids interested in playing basketball and dreaming of one day wearing your school name across their chest. If you’re looking to build a program that competes at a high level every year then a fun and competitive youth basketball camp needs to be a part of your basketball program.

Filling Your Youth Basketball Camps

If your youth basketball camps have a low number of kids participating in them something is wrong and it needs to be fixed right away. If you’re the varsity coach or the camp director you need to take a serious look at three things: format, coaches, and competition.

The format of a youth basketball camp has a lot to do with how fast paced the camp is. Kids don’t like sitting around for too long and they don’t like listening all of the time. Now you can’t get rid of the coaching aspect where kids need to sit and listen. You can make sure they’re moving and interacting with each other and the camp coaches frequently. (I’ll cover this in more detail in a second.)

Who is working your camp? I’ve been to camps where there is one coach and a bunch of kids and the one coach gives all of the instruction first, and then all the kids perform the drill that was just explained. This is tough on the coach and the kids. You need to have your high school players as your assistant coaches in camp. They need to be interacting and joining the kids in the drills. Kids look up to these players and get excited when they get to interact with them. If you don’t have your high school players helping coach the kids aren’t going to tell their friends who they talked to and they won’t be excited to come back the next day, week, or year.

Competition:

Kids love competition. If you’re not teaching a skill and then allowing kids to compete using the skill you need to start doing this right away. Competitions can be as simple as relay races when dribbling or making a certain number of shots while shooting. More advanced competitions would be to use small-sided games where kids are playing against another player. They don’t necessarily need a winner or loser, just something that pushes the kids in a fun way.

Youth basketball players like a fast pace schedule, interacting with high school players as their coaches, and competing against each other. If you focus on these three criteria in your camp all you’ll need to do is encourage your campers to invite a friend for day two. You’ll be amazed at how fast the number of participants grows in your camp.

If you want to run a great camp but don’t want the headache of figuring it all out you can find everything in my Starting and Running a Basketball Camp From A-Z course .

How Much Should You Charge?

One of the first things to do is to answer a few questions about your camp. Each answer will be a piece of the puzzle as to how much to charge.

• What ages/grades will camp be for?
• How many days will camp be?
• How long each day is camp?
• Will you pay workers or use volunteers?
• Do you have any equipment needs? (balls, cones, pinnie jerseys, awards, etc)
• Will you give out camp t-shirts?
• Will you need to rent a gym or pay for custodians to be on site?
• Does the school take a cut or will the money go back into your program?
• Is the camp a fundraiser for your basketball program? (If yes, how much do you need to raise? Do you have other fundraisers?)

Finally, you need to do a little homework on what others in the area are charging. One piece of advice, don’t compare your price to a college/university or professional player running camps. The price for these types of camps are inflated because of the name attached to them. They’re typically trying to filter out kids by charging more. You’re trying to get kids in the gym to build your program. After you’ve done a little homework on the cost of running a camp and checked out a few camps similar to yours its time to decided on what you feel appropriate to charge for your youth basketball camp.

Don’t Keep Your Future Players Out Of The Gym

It’s important to recognize that I’m coming from the mindset of building a program through a youth basketball camp and I’m not worried about the bottom line like a private camp. I have nothing against private camps or making money off of your expertise. It’s just important to know the end goal of both types of camps – one is teaching players while making a profit, the other is teaching players while building a program.

1. Do You Have A Plan For Families Who Can’t Afford Camp?

Over the years, I have had parents who just couldn’t afford camp. It didn’t matter how inexpensive it was there wasn’t money in the budget for basketball camp. My stance has always been that I will take a hit on the bottom line if it means I get kids in the gym. This was true when I ran my own private camps and now as I run my basketball programs youth basketball camps. If a parent ever brought up cost as a reason their child couldn’t attend camp I removed the barrier. At different times I’ve asked, “How much could you afford?” and at other times I’ve said, “Don’t worry about it, just bring them to camp.” You’ll have to decide what works best for you.

2. What About Families With Multiple Kids?

If a family has three or four kids the amount it costs to send their kids to camp goes up extremely fast. Do you have a limit for families with multiple kids? I’ve seen camps say the first two kids are full price and all other siblings are free. Once camp did a half-price discount for two or more kids. It doesn’t matter what you choose, you just want to have a plan in place so you’re fair to each family and you’re not keeping kids out of the gym.

3. What If A Camper Can Only Attend Part Of The Camp?

This one can be tricky and gets hard to be consistent with. Once word gets around that one family got a discount because they could only attend two days but another family didn’t get a discount and can only attend for three days it looks like a coach is playing favorites when this may not be the case at all. To stay out of the drama I didn’t offer discounts. If family vacation conflicts with our youth basketball camp it just didn’t work out this year. I know exactly why parents only want to pay half price for attending half the camp but it opens a can of worms I didn’t want to have to deal with.

Two Camp Formats To Choose From

There are two types of camp formats you could use. Neither is right or wrong, it’s all based on what your comfort level is with delegating responsibility and recruiting camp coaches to work under you. Camps that decide to use the Camp Coach format tend to have multiple sessions with different age groups scheduled at different times and they may take longer to run each day or need to be broken up into different weeks. The Camp Director format usually has multiple grade levels together with students broken down into groups by grade. More players can attend from different age groups in a shorter period of time using this format.

Type 1: Camp Coach

As the camp coach you’re the person in front of campers giving all of the instruction and any players or coaches you have helping are there to reinforce what you’re teaching. If you have four camp coaches one day you may break down kids into groups of four. If it is just you then you’ll keep the kids together as you run them through drills and games.

Breakdown By Grades (camp 8am-3pm)

• 1st-2nd grade 60-90 minutes
• 3rd-4th grade 60-90 minutes
• 5th-6th grade 60-90 minutes
• 7th-8th grade 60-90 minutes
• 9th-12th grade 90-120 minutes

Sample Camp Schedule

9:00 Daily Theme / Quote / Split Campers Into Two Groups

9:10 Warm-Up / Stretch

9:15 Dribbling

9:25 Defense

9:35 Drink Break

9:40 Passing

9:50 Shooting Instruction

10:05 Shooting Games

10:20 Dribbling Games

10:30 Camp Dismissal

Type 2: Camp Director

As a camp director, you set the schedule and allow your camp coaches to do the teaching based on their experience and ability to communicate with the kids. This format allows you to handle any issues that may come up and to take care of tasks that happen behind the scenes. This is the type of camp I run. I think it’s great for my players (camp coaches) to be in front of the kids and to teach skills and referee games. This is all part of me helping them grow as young people and as basketball players.

Breakdown By Grades and Stations (9am-12pm)

• 1st-2nd grade Station 1
• 3rd-4th grade Station 2
• 5th-6th grade Station 3
• 7th-8th grade Station 4
• 9th-10th grade Station 5
• 11th-12th grade Station 6

9:00 Daily Theme / Quote

9:10 Go To Stations / Warm-Up / Stretch

9:20 Dribbling

9:35 Shooting

9:50 Shooting Tests

10:15 Lay-Ups

10:25 Lay-Up Competition

10:35 Passing

10:50 Defense

11:05 1v1 Competition

11:25 3v3 Competition

11:45 All Camp Knockout or Free Throw Competition

12:00 Camp Dismissal

Daily Theme For Camp

While most parents and kids look to youth basketball camp as a fun way to build skills it’s important to recognize that sports can teach more than just skills. I’ve used a daily theme for every camp I’ve ever run. I typically start with a quote that emphasizes the theme and then I give examples of players who have exemplified the theme. Throughout the day I ask my coaching staff to be on the lookout for campers who exemplify the theme for the day. The next time the whole camp comes together, either that day or the next morning, I recognize what the camper has done.

As far as what themes I use, I’ve always tried to choose something that wasn’t already being emphasized in station work or games. For example, the coaches at the stations talk about hard work all the time. I don’t feel as though I need to use that as a theme. I like to use concepts that I want to see in my players on my teams, things such as unselfishness, being a good teammate, and honesty, being a competitor. I’m building my program for success on the court and off. This is the first step to getting the kids and parents to know we are about more than just basketball.

Daily Camp Theme Ideas

• Unselfishness
• Competition
• Putting Others First
• Any thing to do with being a Good Teammate

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Youth Basketball Camp Drills

Coaches should go through the fundamentals of each skill before having players get into drills. I like to give my camp coaches (remember, they are my high school players most of the time) a packet of drills they can go to for ideas. You’ll be surprised how quickly some of your coaches run out of ideas or have campers do the same thing for too long and make camp boring. Here are a few drills you could use in a packet to hand out.

Dribbling Drills

• Zig Zag Dribbling
• 1v1 Alley Dribbling
• Dribble Tag Evasion
• Box Ball Handling

Shooting Drills

• Pass First Lay-Ups
• 5 Spot Shooting
• Utah Shooting
• Baseball Shooting Drill

Passing Drills

• Start, Stop, Pivot Passing
• Partner Passing
• Partner Passing With Dribbling
• Machine Gun Passing

Defense Drills

• Man to Man Defense Basics
• 1v1 Full Court Dribbling
• Closing The Gaps Drill
• 2v1 Rebounding

Small Sided Games

• 1v1 Attack 
• 2v1 Continuous

Youth Basketball Camp Games

A great way to add some fun and competition to camp is through playing skill-based games. These games can be incorporated into stations or be done as an entire camp. Depending on the number of campers you have you may need to break the camp down by grades to make the drills competitive. Here are ten games to choose from:

• Sharks and Minnows
• Hot Shot Shooting
• Free Throw Competitions
• Lay-Up Competitions
• 3,2,1 Shooting
• Thunder and Lightning
• 1v1 Games and Tournaments
• 3v3 Games and Tournaments
• 5v5 League Games and Tournaments

Awards Ceremony

It’s always nice to wrap up a week of camp with an awards ceremony. I’ve seen both styles of camps I listed above do awards. Some camps do it by station and let a station coach recognize kids a while others bring everyone together and recognize campers in front of everyone. Since I act as the camp director, I have my camp coaches keep track of shooting totals in our shooting tests and who the winners are in the different competitions. We’ve also done awards for the hardest worker, best teammate, most coachable, and most improved.

Awards are a great way to keep your campers coming back and staying excited about basketball.

One last note on awards. It’s amazing to see the camp coaches get excited for the campers as well. This may be the first time they’ve seen the direct impact they can have on another person. Through their coaching, a camper made more shots, was a better teammate, and did something they have never done before. This is part of creating quality players in your program but more importantly quality people.

Camp Coaches Meetings

It doesn’t matter if you have one coach helping you out or you have an entire camp staff of a dozen coaches, you should have a camp coaches meeting before and after each day of camp. Find out what worked, what didn’t work, what struggles coaches had, and go over that day’s schedule or the next day’s schedule so everyone is on the same page. I remember the feeling of walking into camp as a coach and just being given a bunch of kids with no idea what was going to be next. It’s a lot more enjoyable for the coaches and ultimately the players when everyone is on the same page.

Meeting Ideas

• Handout a weekly schedule
• Go over that days schedule each morning (things do change)
• Go over the next days schedule after camp each day
• Find out what was a success
• Find out what didn’t work well
• Ask for success stories to use with your theme for the day
• Remind coaches of conduct and to be encouragers (remember they are high school kids)
• Talk about how long to do a drill and give new drill ideas
• See if someone will be gone and make sure another coach can cover the station
• Get scores and names of campers who won competitions

As the head of the program, you have a lot to do already. Make the summer camp season a little bit easier on yourself by getting organized early on and by allowing others to step in and help out where they are able. Good luck to you and your campers this summer!

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LIKE MIKE SPORTS

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BASKETBALL LEAGUE

Basketball youth league, register for summer basketball league, youth basketball league in cypress and katy tx.

Like Mike Sports, youth basketball league runs throughout the year, with leagues in Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Our leagues are for both Boys and Girls catering for players of all skill levels and development. We are focused on player development and teaching the  fundamentals, our goal is for every player to get a solid understanding of basketball and  have grasp of the fundamentals  to build on as they continue  their basketball journey.

Like Mike Sports youth basketball league is centered on the development and improvement of every players at any skill level. This is a competitive  youth league; our goal is teaching our players the fundamentals  of basketball using varies methods and by having passionate experienced Coaches that conduct the practices and game sessions. We have developed different levels and an advancement route for all our players. T herefore,  as our players progress in their development and build on the fundamentals  they are taught, they are promoted to a higher level, such as level 2 and eventually move to club level 3.  The league games are competitive, as we sometimes allow our AAU teams to play in the games, depending on the location you register for, the games are held on either Saturdays or Sundays.

PRACTICE DAYS AND TIMES

Cypress Practice Days and Times are Mondays  or Tuesday depending on team allocations and level. The younger age group have practice at 6pm-7.30pm and older age groups have practice 7:30pm-9.00pm. Skills Clinic is on Thursdays  at 6:00pm-7:00pm. In Katy Practice day is on Wednesday 6pm-7.30pm or 7:30pm-9.00pm and Skills clinic is on Friday either 6:00-7:00pm or 7:00-8:00pm.

In Cypress the game day is on Saturday from 8:00am-4:00pm and in Katy the game day is on Sunday from 2:00pm-7:00pm, the times are based on your team allocations.

The location in Cypress is on Spring Cypress Road 77429 and in Katy the league will be held at Keith Harrow Blvd 77084. 

OUR LEAGUE PACKAGE

1.5 Hour Weekly Practice Session on a separate day

Competitive Weekly Games

2 Skills Clinic

Reversible Practice Jersey

Weekly Training program/Drill posted on Instagram and Facebook

Competitive League/Games

NCAA Certified Basketball Coaches

Playoff Tournament

Live Stream of Games*

Create Highlight Video for any Player

Video of Games Available

OUR PRACTICE

All Practice sessions and Classroom Education, are conducted by experienced NCAA certified Basketball Coaches, that can coach and train your child/players the right way ensuring they are taught the right skill sets and fundamentals, which will become the building blocks we use for further development.

Youth Basketball League in Cypress TX, the practices are held either on a Monday or Tuesday with Skills Clinic sessions on Thursdays depending on Level.

Youth Basketball League in Katy TX, the practices are held on Wednesdays and Skills Clinic sessions on Fridays.

OUR HOMEWORK

Our Team of Coaches will set weekly development plan/drill(s) for players to practice, this will be posted on our Instagram and Facebook pages as homework for every player.

Each week “A Player of the Week” will be selected based on the players performance in demonstrating the homework drill.

This produces a significant impact on the rate of development of each player, as it ensures that players are working on the drills and plans for them to improve.

YOUR DEVELOPMENT

Our competitive League is broken up into 2 Levels, Level 1 and Level 2, all players will begin at Level 1 with some exceptions. During the League our players will be evaluated at practice and during the games, players that have shown and demonstrated significant improvement will be selected to Level 2 at the end of the season.

Level 2 players are trained and taught to prepare for AAU/club level, a higher level of basketball. As such they have more sessions and start learning more plays.

YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE 2024 SCHEDULE

Summer Basketball League

$285 FOR THE SEASON - REGISTRATION OPEN

STARTS MONDAY 10TH JUNE 2024

ENDS SUNDAY 11TH AUGUST 2024

TIME - 6.:00PM - 9:00PM

Cypress - Spring Cypress Rd 77429

Katy - Texas Christian School, 17810 Keith Harrow Blvd 77084

HEAD LEAGUE COACH

Coach Jimmy

Our Basketball League is a competitive league focused on player development. Players move to different levels from Level 1/Level 2/ Level 3 and then Club Level as they develop.

CYPRESS PRACTICE TIMES                                                              

LEVEL 1  Monday 6:00pm-7:30pm                                             

LEVEL 2 Tuesday 6:00pm-7:30pm                                           

LEVEL 3 Thursdays 7:00pm-9:00pm                                        

2 SKILLS CLINIC SESIONS Thursday 6:00pm-7:00pm

KATY PRACTICE TIMES                                                             

LEVEL 1  Wednesday 6:00pm-7:30pm                                             

LEVEL 2 Wednesdays 6:00pm-7:30pm                                                                                 

2 SKILLS CLINIC SESIONS Fridays  7:00pm-8:00pm

CYPRESS GAMES                                                                              

Saturdays                                                                

KATY GAMES                                                                              

Sundays After 2:00pm   

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE BASKETBALL LEAGUE 

1.5 Hour Weekly Practice Session

2 Skills Clinic Sessions

Weekly Games

Practice/Game Reversible Sublimation Jersey

Weekly Training program/Drill posted on Instagram/Facebook

Duration : 8 Weeks

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

1ST/2ND PLACE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Purdue Basketball 2024-2025 Offseason Homework - Sam King

W hen you’re a walk-on at a major university you know one thing, you’ve earned respect. Coming in as a scholarship player is easy by comparison. The walk-ons do everything that the scholarship players do except they do it for little to no playing time, little to no clout on campus, and little to no ultimate reward in the form of NIL and future basketball earnings. So why do it then? Because they have to. Because they must. Because they are driven to compete and push themselves.

Sam King is one such walk-on for the Boilermakers. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds as a senior at Columbus North. While there he had the opportunity to go play at some smaller schools, and I believe a walk-on opportunity at Northwestern, but he ultimately chose to come to Purdue and walk-on and we are glad he did.

King, like all walk-ons, knows that playing time will not come often or at all. During the 2023-2024 season King appeared in six game but did get the incredible opportunity to play in an NCAA Tournament game when Purdue faced Utah State in the Round of 32. King played in that one for just 1 minute but did record a bucket in that time. Pretty incredible moment that I’m sure he will never forget. It’s moments like those where you see the starters on the bench erupting with pure joy that makes the draw of being a walk-on evident. Sure, you’re part of a team and make some lifelong friends but it must be grueling and exhausting with such little return on the court. But to step on the court and score during the NCAA Tournament? What a dream.

For the offseason I’m assigning King another year of hard work, effort, sweat, and staying focused in the classroom. King’s future isn’t on the basketball court, that’s obvious. Maybe it’s on the sidelines if he wants, Matt Painter has shown an affinity for helping guys get some work in the program if they are interested, but for now King needs to continue to be a positive presence in the locker room and work toward his future like all college students do.

The job of a walk-on is hard, but King seems up to the task. I hope he continues to represent Purdue well and I hope next year he gets even more opportunities to show us his character, and his basketball skill.

Twenty-Six Athletes Expected to Participate in USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team Trials

Opinion | California Democrats declare war on homework

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Which is why, of course, it’s so fitting that the California legislature wants to deny this ability to Golden State students in the name of…you guessed it…equity!

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo is pushing Assembly Bill 2999, otherwise known as the Healthy Homework Act, which would develop updated homework guidelines across California school districts and mandate that school boards establish homework policies that support and consider impacts to students’ mental and physical health.

Assemblywoman Schiavo said, “As a single parent, I know how stressful homework time can be for our kids and the entire family. The Healthy Homework Act is about ensuring that our homework policies are healthy for our kids, address the needs of the whole child, and also support family time, time to explore other extra-curricular interests, and give students and families time to connect and recover from the day.”

Schiavo told KQED the inspiration came in the car while campaigning two years ago. The Assemblymember’s then 9-year-old daughter Sofie, asked what her mother could do if she won.

Schiavo answered that she’d be able to make laws.

Then, Sofia asked if she could make a law banning homework.

And presto, here we are!

If the Healthy Homework Act passes, Sciavo’s kid may have some other ideas, perhaps the Ice Cream For Breakfast Act, the Math Is Too Hard Act, and the I Don’t Feel Like Going To School Today Act, also known as Sofie’s Law.

A better name for this anti-homework law would have been the Your Kid’s Gonna Live With You Forever Act.

The bill cites a survey of California high schoolers from Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education. It found that 45 percent said homework was a major source of stress and that 52 percent considered most assignments to be busywork.

Casey Cuny is California’s 2024 Teacher of the Year,  which considering the state of public education in California is more of an indictment than an accolade, and a supporter of the bill. Cuny says homework needs to be dialed back to make things more equitable.

“I never want a kid’s grade to be low because they have divorced parents, and their book was at their dad’s house when they were spending the weekend at mom’s house,” she told KQED.

Yeah, try running that one by your boss when your school days are behind you and you aren’t getting the work done at your job.

“But, you can’t fire me!  My parents got divorced and I have anxiety!”

While we’re at it, let’s pass a law requiring that every school kid in California be encased in bubble wrap.

I guess “equity” means making everyone remedial.

This isn’t the first time the California legislature has done this. In 1901 they voted to abolish all homework for students 14 and younger.

Their argument was that hours of homework robbed children of outdoor play and was regarded as a form of child labor.

By the time we got to the 1940s, virtually no school in the country was assigning homework.

What changed?

According to David Roos’ of the History Channel, the Cold War hit and the Russians successfully launched Sputnik 1 in 1957.

A year later, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), a $1-billion spending package to bolster high-quality teaching and learning in science, mathematics and foreign languages.

By 1962, 23 percent of high-school juniors reported doing two or more hours of homework a night, nearly twice as many as in 1957, the year of Sputnik.

If we were going to win the Cold War, we needed an educated population who could out think the Russians.

So, now it’s okay to be dumb again.

Let’s face it, these kids are being set up for failure.

The term “homework” is just another word for “practice.”  Regardless of what profession you end up in, you’re not going to be any good at it unless you’ve practiced it – a lot.

Would you want to be treated by a doctor who never ‘practiced’ at medicine?  Or represented by a lawyer who never “practiced” litigating in a courtroom?  Or pay huge sums of money for a NBA ticket to watch players who never “practiced” playing basketball?

The answer is obviously no.

And now here we are again, with mediocrity being the goal.

Public schools in America today have become little more than dime-store self-esteem mills, churning out mindless drones who can’t read or write but feel really good about themselves (in addition to – yes – those who’ve been taught to despise themselves). But genuine self-esteem doesn’t come from being told you’re awesome every five seconds. It comes from achievement. Mastery. Accomplishment.  Like learning how to do math or write a coherent essay. A healthy, daily dose of homework is the key to that.

John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.

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40 Facts About Elektrostal

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 10 May 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Elektrostal's fascinating history, vibrant culture, and promising future make it a city worth exploring. For more captivating facts about cities around the world, discover the unique characteristics that define each city . Uncover the hidden gems of Moscow Oblast through our in-depth look at Kolomna. Lastly, dive into the rich industrial heritage of Teesside, a thriving industrial center with its own story to tell.

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Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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Jury foreperson in New Hampshire youth center abuse trial ‘devastated’ that award could be slashed

Plaintiff’s attorney Rus Rilee speaks to media after a $38 million ruling was awarded to David Meehan in the youth center abuse trial at Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood, N.H., Friday, May 3, 2024. The jury found the state liable for abuse at its youth detention center and awarded the sum to Meehan, a former resident who says he was beaten and raped as a teen. (David Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

Plaintiff David Meehan, center, leaves the courtroom with his attorney Rus Rilee, right, and victim specialist Joelle Wiggin during Meehan’s trial at Rockingham Superior Court in Brentwood, N.H., April 10, 2024. The jury found the state liable for abuse at its youth detention center and awarded the sum to Meehan, a former resident who says he was beaten and raped as a teen. (David Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Attorneys for a New Hampshire man who prevailed in a landmark lawsuit over abuse at a state-run youth detention center are asking for a hearing after the jury foreperson expressed dismay that the $38 million award could be slashed to $475,000.

Jurors on Friday awarded $18 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in enhanced damages to David Meehan, who alleged that the state’s negligence allowed him to be repeatedly raped, beaten and held in solitary confinement as a teenager at the Youth Development Center in Manchester. But the attorney general’s office said the award would be reduced under a state law that allows claimants against the state to recover a maximum of $475,000 per incident.

“I’m so sorry. I’m absolutely devastated,” the jury foreperson wrote to attorney Rus Rilee on Friday evening, according to the hearing request filed Saturday.

Jurors were not told of the cap, but they were asked how many incidents it found Meehan had proven. They wrote “one,” but the completed form does not indicate whether they found a single instance of abuse or grouped all of Meehan’s allegations together.

“We had no idea,” the jury foreperson wrote. “Had we known that the settlement amount was to be on a per incident basis, I assure you, our outcome would have reflected it. I pray that Mr. Meehan realizes this and is made as whole as he can possibly be within a proper amount of time.”

After consulting with outside counsel with expertise in post-trial matters, Rilee and attorney David Vicinanzo requested that a hearing be held Monday. According to their request, Rilee did not see the email from the juror until Saturday and did not reply.

Meehan, 42, went to police in 2017 and sued the state three years later. Since then, 11 former state workers have been arrested and more than 1,100 other former residents of the Youth Development Center in Manchester have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse spanning six decades.

Meehan’s lawsuit was the first to be filed and the first to go to trial. After four weeks of testimony, jurors returned a verdict in under three hours.

Over the course of the trial, Meehan’s attorneys accused the state of encouraging a culture of abuse marked by pervasive brutality, corruption and a code of silence. They called more than a dozen witnesses to the stand, including former staffers who said they faced resistance and even threats when they raised or investigated concerns, a former resident who described being gang-raped in a stairwell , and a teacher who said she spotted suspicious bruises on Meehan and half a dozen other boys.

The state argued it was not liable for the conduct of rogue employees and that Meehan waited too long to sue. Its witnesses included Meehan’s father , who answered “yes” when asked whether his son had “a reputation for untruthfulness.” Others who testified included a longtime youth center principal who said she saw no signs of abuse over four decades and a psychiatrist who diagnosed Meehan with bipolar disorder, not the post-traumatic stress disorder claimed by his side.

In cross-examining Meehan , attorneys for the state portrayed him as a violent child who continued to cause trouble at the youth center — and a delusional adult who is exaggerates or lies to get money. The approach highlighted an unusual dynamic in which the attorney general’s office is both defending the state against the civil lawsuits and prosecuting suspected perpetrators in the criminal cases.

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• Kontinental Hockey League

Gagarin Cup Preview: Atlant vs. Salavat Yulaev

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Gagarin cup (khl) finals:  atlant moscow oblast vs. salavat yulaev ufa.

Much like the Elitserien Finals, we have a bit of an offense vs. defense match-up in this league Final.  While Ufa let their star top line of Alexander Radulov, Patrick Thoresen and Igor Grigorenko loose on the KHL's Western Conference, Mytischi played a more conservative style, relying on veterans such as former NHLers Jan Bulis, Oleg Petrov, and Jaroslav Obsut.  Just reaching the Finals is a testament to Atlant's disciplined style of play, as they had to knock off much more high profile teams from Yaroslavl and St. Petersburg to do so.  But while they did finish 8th in the league in points, they haven't seen the likes of Ufa, who finished 2nd. 

This series will be a challenge for the underdog, because unlike some of the other KHL teams, Ufa's top players are generally younger and in their prime.  Only Proshkin amongst regular blueliners is over 30, with the work being shared by Kirill Koltsov (28), Andrei Kuteikin (26), Miroslav Blatak (28), Maxim Kondratiev (28) and Dmitri Kalinin (30).  Oleg Tverdovsky hasn't played a lot in the playoffs to date.  Up front, while led by a fairly young top line (24-27), Ufa does have a lot of veterans in support roles:  Vyacheslav Kozlov , Viktor Kozlov , Vladimir Antipov, Sergei Zinovyev and Petr Schastlivy are all over 30.  In fact, the names of all their forwards are familiar to international and NHL fans:  Robert Nilsson , Alexander Svitov, Oleg Saprykin and Jakub Klepis round out the group, all former NHL players.

For Atlant, their veteran roster, with only one of their top six D under the age of 30 (and no top forwards under 30, either), this might be their one shot at a championship.  The team has never won either a Russian Superleague title or the Gagarin Cup, and for players like former NHLer Oleg Petrov, this is probably the last shot at the KHL's top prize.  The team got three extra days rest by winning their Conference Final in six games, and they probably needed to use it.  Atlant does have younger regulars on their roster, but they generally only play a few shifts per game, if that. 

The low event style of game for Atlant probably suits them well, but I don't know how they can manage to keep up against Ufa's speed, skill, and depth.  There is no advantage to be seen in goal, with Erik Ersberg and Konstantin Barulin posting almost identical numbers, and even in terms of recent playoff experience Ufa has them beat.  Luckily for Atlant, Ufa isn't that far away from the Moscow region, so travel shouldn't play a major role. 

I'm predicting that Ufa, winners of the last Superleague title back in 2008, will become the second team to win the Gagarin Cup, and will prevail in five games.  They have a seriously well built team that would honestly compete in the NHL.  They represent the potential of the league, while Atlant represents closer to the reality, as a team full of players who played themselves out of the NHL. 

• Atlant @ Ufa, Friday Apr 8 (3:00 PM CET/10:00 PM EST)
• Atlant @ Ufa, Sunday Apr 10 (1:00 PM CET/8:00 AM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Tuesday Apr 12 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Thursday Apr 14 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)

Games 5-7 are as yet unscheduled, but every second day is the KHL standard, so expect Game 5 to be on Saturday, like an early start. 

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