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The Full Court Block Shot
There is the one and only true scoring drive for the youngest players. What about the Hail Mary Huck? Well that is really not a scoring more, that is exactly what it is a prayer and huck. It is not a basketball move. It is the first attempt at trying to score basketball, but it truly is not a scoring move. It is a scoring hope or a scoring wish.
The full court block shot is a move that most younger players can be successful at some level. It is great drill to do with younger players at EVERY practice session. It may not always be possible to do the full court version of the shot due to practice space limitations, but a coach can adapt the drill to fit half court. If you only have a half court, adapt the scoring move to fit your practice area.
Coaching Point: A player can use a teaching progression focusing on one step before moving on to the next one
Step #1 Dribbling the Ball Without Traveling.
This is the goal of coaches at the youngest level. Dribbling is the best skill to focus on at the youngest levels. Teach the players not to run with the ball every time they have possession. It may be near impossible for kindergarten players, however as players progress each year the percentage of players who run with the ball should be significantly lower than the previous year.
In an earlier post, we stress the top 10 reason to eaching dribbling is the first skill that should be stressed to young basketball players. Improvement is the true measure of success and being able to dribble the ball without traveling is a huge accomplishment for any basketball player grade 2 and under. So when teaching the full court block shot, stress and praise players who can dribble without running with the ball.
Step #1 Jump Stop
The second step to the block shot is getting to the block and coming to a jump stop.. Coaches are strongly encourage to set up two cones for the takeoff area. Players should dribble to the cones and come to a jump stop.
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Step #3 Top Corner of the Square
The final and most important part of the block shot is shooting the basketball. All players should be reminded to aim for the top corner of the square. This will not always happen, however when players do hit the top corner off the square, very often there will be positive results. Keep encouraging, reinforcing. and praising players who use the top corner of the basketball when taking a block shot.
Coaches should encourage players to complete the Mini-Mikan drill whenever they pick up a basketball. An email can be sent to parents sharing a little workout that the players can complete at home. The players who do it regularly will hopefully see drastic result as the year goes on.