Coaching basketball to kids is incredibly rewarding but also hard work!
Creating a training session with drills ideal for the team’s age and ability can be daunting.
To make life a little easier for you, I’ve put together a list of basketball drills for 10-year-olds that will cover all the main areas of basketball that youth players should focus on.
Basketball should be fun for them at this stage, so we must ensure every drill is fun.
Remember, we’re dealing with kids here. The more enjoyable it is for the player, the more effort they’ll put into training and the longer they’ll play the game.
For example, in basketball, passing is at the heart of teamwork. So not only do young players need to learn the basic types of passes — the bounce pass, the overhead pass, the chest pass — they need to understand how to create space and get open to help their teammates.
In this article, we also answer the most critical questions about basketball training for 10-year-olds and reveal the best exercises for fitness, ball handling, throwing, and more.
Things to Know About Basketball Training for 10-Year-Olds
Would you like to train children in basketball but do not yet know what is important? Then read on now because we answer the most important questions about mini basketball training.
Children ages eight to ten bring their biological and motor development levels to start basketball training.
Since the children are growing, it is particularly important that one-sided overloading is avoided.
The main focus of basketball for 10-year-olds should be on training and promoting the motor, physical and social skills of the children.
The game of basketball should be learned in a child-friendly way. Implicit learning, trying things out, is better than explicit learning, where the children are trained according to clear guidelines.
Technical and tactical training should only be on the training plan after the age of 12.
It is essential that you, as the coach, do not praise the children for winning but for individual play actions. This provides more motivation and puts the focus on learning ball handling and the like correctly.
There are different ball sizes for basketball training for children and young people:
· Ball size 3 and 4: mini basketball up to 8 years
· Ball size 5: mini basketball up to 12 years
Every child must have a ball to practice their technique and game individually.
The rules of the game for mini basketball are simplified and, therefore, more child-friendly than the rules for the regular basketball game.
In itself, a t-shirt and shorts are sufficient for mini basketball training. But there are also suitable jerseys for children.
It is important that the material is breathable and the clothing offers a lot of freedom of movement. Therefore, it makes sense for teams to choose uniform jerseys that can be designed individually.
Basketball Drills for 10-Year-Olds: Technique
Steps, ball handling, and throwing – the basics of basketball are trained in basketball training for children.
We present you with a selection of suitable exercises that you can integrate into your basketball training for children.
Important: For 10-year-old kids, the exercise units should not exceed 25 to 30 minutes per training session.
Motor skills and technical skills are still not as well developed in children. For this reason, the focus for 10-year-olds should be on forms of play with many smaller and simpler games.
Dribbling
There is no basketball without dribbling, which is why children need to learn how to dribble at an early age.
Various exercises are suitable for training ball handling and dribbling, such as:
· change of hands in front of the body
· dribble with two balls
· dribble an eight
To practice fast dribbling, you can set up a dribbling course with different objects to dribble around and through. It is important that you make sure that the children dribble fast and deep and always keep their hands over the ball.
Passing and catching
Along with dribbling, passing and catching is a fundamental basketball exercise for kids that trains players’ reactions.
Passing through the center circle with two players at a time is a good exercise for children’s basketball training.
Throwing
The aim of a basketball game is always to hit the basket as often as possible. For this reason, your 10-year-olds should start throwing practice early.
A suitable basketball exercise for children is the “Makes in a Row” drill, in which two players compete against each other. The drill can be individually adapted by various tasks.
Game forms
Learning to play basketball in a playful way – the best way to do this is with different child-friendly forms of play.
You can use the game forms to warm up your team and let the children practice different skills.
The following three-game forms are suitable for varied basketball training for children.
Warm-up: clothespin game
The clothespin game is ideal for warming up and getting in the mood for training.
Here’s how the game works:
- Divide the children into two groups.
- One group has clothespins attached to the stomach side of the t-shirt, and the other group provides the catchers.
- The clothespin group stands behind the baseline. The children’s arms are behind their backs.
- The catcher group stands in the middle of the field.
- The aim of the game is for the children in the catcher group to capture as many clothespins as possible.
Focus on passing: number/number passing
Passing is practiced in a playful way by passing numbers. In addition, it serves to prevent injuries caused by uncontrolled passing by training the players’ communication skills.
This is how the game works:
· Variant 1: Passer and passer face each other. It is passed in a specific order (1,2,3,4,5). The passer calls the number and the passer must call the ball.
· Variant 2: The passer must run to the opposite sideline after the successful pass.
· Variant 3: The passer can refuse the ball by closing his arms. The passer must then quickly call out another number.
· Variant 4: Passing numbers is played across the entire basketball court – the aim of a team is to get the ball to the end line without dribbling.
Game-related exercise: 3-field basketball
With the 3-field basketball, children can playfully learn the rules of basketball.
Here’s how the game works:
Divide the basketball court into three areas. Markings or cones help.
Divide the children up as follows:
· Field 1: 1 defender and 2 attackers
· Field 2: 3 players from each team
· Field 3: 1 defender and 2 attackers
There is only one ball in play. At the beginning of each game, it is thrown in from the baseline on one of the attacking squares.
The following rules apply to the playing fields:
· The players are not allowed to leave their fields.
· Dribbling is not allowed in field 1.
· No long passes may be played from field 1 to field 2.
· Only when two successful passes have been played in midfield may the ball be passed into an attacking field.
Basketball Drills for 10-Year-Olds: Condition
In addition to tactics and technique, fitness training is an integral part of basketball exercises for children.
The endurance, strength, and speed training form the basis for the mini-basketball game.
Persistence
Children have a great urge to move, with which endurance can be easily trained. Running games are ideal for endurance training, such as the 6-day race.
Example: 6-day race – this is how the game works:
- Set up several benches in a star shape in the hall (depending on the number of teams).
- Leave enough space around the benches. Form teams.
- All members of a team must sit on a bench.
- Then, a captain is appointed who counts the laps.
Now the children should run as many laps as possible around the benches in a given time (approx. 10 to 15 minutes). The team with the most rounds wins.
You can make the 6-Day race a pure running game or let the kids dribble a basketball while running.
Power
Young basketball players up to 10 should also train their strength playfully. With older children, you can also use classic strength exercises.
Suitable exercises can be:
Pulling into the seat on a carpet:
· The children sit on a small rug or a towel, raise their legs, and have to pull themselves forward with their arms.
Pushups:
· Playful variant: Two players in a push-up position try to pull each other’s hands away.
Sit-ups:
· Playful variant: The children throw the ball against the wall in a sit-up position.
Squats
High jumps
Speed
The third pillar of coordination training is speed training. Again, catching games are ideal for this, as they playfully promote speed and perception when the children have to watch out for several catchers.
Recommended reading: 15 Absolute Best Basketball Drills for 5-year-olds (2023)
