4th Grade Travel Team Basketball Tryout

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

Google Search “4th Grade Travel Team Basketball Tryout”

If you are looking at this page THANK YOU! Here is an outline of a tryout schedule for 4th grade boys. It is not perfect, but hopefully some of the ideas and drills will be helpful as other coaches plan and run a 4th grade tryout.

4th Grade Practice #1

Team Goals:

  1. MOST IMPROVED ball-handling & shooting team in the league.
  2. Run the Floor & Make Lay-ups / Run the Floor & DON’T GIVE UP  Lay-ups
  3. Play great team, especially HELP SIDE, defense 5 vs. 1

6:00 – 6:05 Shooting Knockout* See who can shoot and make lay-ups. Players who are knocked out go to lay-up basket. Record winners. Record finalists. 

Dribbling: Evaluate how comfortable the players are with the basketball! 

Ballhandling

6:05 – 6:15 Dribble lines: ball drills and full court dribbling drills. 

6:15 – 6:20 3 trips, Dribble walk, Dribble March

6:20 – 6:30 2 ball series (together, alternating, escape dribble crossover, between the legs, behind the back) 

Lay-ups

6:30 – 6:40 Rebound & outlet, Full court lay-ups, W lay-ups (1:30)

6:40 – 6:45 Mini Mikans

6:40 – 6:50 2 on 0 fast break, 3 man fast break

SHOOTING

6:50 – 6:55 BEEF, partner shooting

6:55 – 7:00 Range finder

SCRIMMAGE

7:00 – 7:05 ½ court games

7:05 – 7:15 full court Scrimmage

The No-Cut Basketball Travel “A” Team

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

  • Should I Coach Youth Basketball?

The title of this post might seem like a trailer for a scary Halloween movie or a Mike Lupica book. But it can happen and does happen. The big question is how does it happen and then more importantly how should a coach approach the season.

Some grades will have a low turnout for a variety of reasons, but there is always hope until the 1st tryout that a few more bodies might show up.

The goals of a youth basketball tryouts are:

  1. Evaluate the Talent: The tryout should include drills, half-court, and full-court games that will allow the evaluation committee to see the skills level individual players
  2. Select 1 – 4 “Travel Teams:” This is often the most challenging aspect or a tryout because the differences between skill levels of youth basketball players, particularly at younger ages, is not always clear. Many parents will be sending emails to the coaches and directors once the teams are posted.

In this particular situation, 11 players showed up for the tryout. To put this in perspective the grade above this team had over 70 players tryout and there were 4 travel teams. The grade below also was very competitive and had over 50 players tryout.

What Should a Coach Do?

The best thing for a coach to do is stick with the tryout schedule. The coach surely spent a great deal of time preparing a variety of drills and games to assess the skill level of the players. This would be the team he/she will be coaching so it is an amazing opportunity to really focus on the players. The coach can evaluate basketball skills, but additionally work ethic and the ability to listen.

At this particular tryout it was clear there was one particular player who really had no interest in being there. Asking questions like “When will this be over?” and “Are we done yet?”

The good news was there were no cuts and no nasty emails to respond to. The bad news was there were no cuts and there were several, if not ALL players who did not possess the skills be on a “A” Travel Team.

Here is the 4th Grade Tryout schedule

Stay tuned… our next post will be about How to Coach the Worst Team in the League?

Yearly Youth Basketball Coaching Plan

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

The following is a list of youth basketball ideas for each month. Each region of American will have different schedules, so adjust the ideas based on your season and age group.

October

Review Basketball Library: We have always found it helpful to spend some time reviewing your favorite basketball instruction books. This will get your mind thinking basketball.

Youth Basketball: December

Youth Basketball Year: June

Youth Basketball Year: September

#1 Coaching Youth Basketball Book

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

Coaching Youth Basketball-5th Edition by Don Showalter is the best book we have come across for youth basketball coaches. Here are our top 10 reasons why:

This is the best purchase you can make for $5.99 you cannot go wrong.

  1. Author: Don Showalter is the director of youth and sport development of basketball. He has held this position since 2016. He is the most knowledgable individual about developing basketball skills and players. In addition he was a high school coach for 42 years. 42 years! That is greater than the average age of a youth basketball coach. (Made up stat, but probably true.)
  2. 5th Edition: The book stands the test of time. 5 editions is incredible. Many coaches, parents and players have seen the value in this resource.
  3. USA Basketball: He is surrounded by the best minds in basketball. He shares ideas with some of the greatest players and coaches in the world. His job is basketball.
  4. Age Specific Focus: As a youth coach, the age-specific focus is priceless. Coaches all possess a background in basketball, but not a background in 1st or 8th grade basketball. Each age group is capable of learning different skills. This is invaluable for practice planning.
  5. Rule Modifications for different ages: Once again these recommendations come with the support of USA basketball.
  6. Teaching: The goal of coaching youth is to teach young players basketball. It seems teaching is the driving focus of this book.
  7. Drills, Drills, Drills: The drills in the book are fantastic for rookie and veteran coaches.
  8. Pictures: The pictures do a great job of presenting a visual that might answer questions. There are plenty of pictures that all are very helpful.
  9. Coaching Tips: The tips are very helpful in explaining the drill and how it might apply to the bigger picture.
  10. Checklist and Forms: The least enjoyable, but in many ways the most important aspect of coaching. It is all here prepared for all youth coaches.

Coaching 1st Grade Basketball

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Where do If you start when you are coaching 1st grade basketball. Most people would do a google search “Coaching 1st Grade Basketball”, Here are the results:

There are some good resources to get started.

  1. Youth Basketball: Google Search 1st Grade Basketball
  2. Youth Basketball: USA Basketball Guidelines for 1st Grade
  3. 1st Grade Basketball Pre-Season Email (General Pre-Season Email)
  4. 1st Grade Playing Time Rotation
  5. Top 10 Things to Remember About Coaching 1st Grade Basketball
  6. 1st Grade 1 hour Practice Plan
  7. 1st Grade Basketball: Weekly Shooting Progress Chart
  8. Take a Family Dribble Walk
  9. The Numbers Game Is A Great Alternative to Full-Court Games

Youth Basketball Guest Blogs

  1. Kamren Young (@FFBAcademy1) Mastering Footwork in Youth Basketball (February 2025)
  2. Mia Wenjen (@pragmaticmom) Coaching Youth Basketball: Create Individual Award Certificates (October 2022)
  3. Everythingmom.com (@EverythingMom) 4 Tips for Moms to Support a Youth Basketball Player (October 2022)
  4. Joe Haefner Breakthrough Basketball (@BreakthruBball) TOP 6 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CHOOSING A BASKETBALL CAMP (March 2022)

Inch & Miles: Amazing Children’s Book

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

This is the 1st book in any basketball library should be Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success. It is an amazing book that will help children develop a healthy definition of success that they can use in sports, school, and life.

The story takes two friends Inch and Miles on a journey to learn the blocks of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. The main characters, Inch and Miles, are given a magical whistle by Coach Wooden to help them on their journey to understand the meaning of success.

The colorful characters that Inch and Miles encounter are unique. Each represents one block in the Pyramid of Success.


Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success is a great resource for parents, teachers, coaches, and any person who works closely with children.

Click here to buy on amazon: https://amzn.to/4feh9kt

In a classroom, a teacher could read one section a week or a day. A youth basketball coach could encourage the parents to buy a copy and read to the child.

It is a great book for many reasons.

  1. The Pyramid of Success: It is based on John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success which is a great blue print for life. Every parents, youth coach, and youth athlete can benefit from learning and applying the blocks of the pyramid to life.
  2. Colorful Characters: Each character is colorful and drawn with incredible skill. The message of each character is presented in a rhyming poem. It is fun to read and great to hear.
  3. Excitement: The story has a great plot and leaves the readers waiting

Below are the blogs for each theme:
Inch and Miles: The Magic Whistle: As our heroes begin the quest to find the answer to Mr. Wooden’s question, what is success? Inch and Miles are given a special whistle that will be of great assistance on their journey to understanding success. Below are Mr. Wooden’s final words of advice to our heroes:

The First Row

Cornerstone: Axelrod the Ant: Hard Work: Axelrod the Ant teaches Inch and Miles about one of the cornerstones to the John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Axelrod is the first character Inch and Miles meet. Axelrod shares his story of hard work.

Charlie the Chimp: Friendship

Loyalty

Betty the Bee: Cooperation
Cornerstone: Rhonda the Robin: Enthusiasm

The 2nd Row
Tess the Trout: Self-Control
Rascal the Rabbit: Alertness
Skittles the Squirell: Action
Fred the Frog: Determination

The 3rd Row
Hugh the Horse: Fitness
Silky the Spider: Skill
Louie the Lion: Team Spirit

The 4th Row
Everett the Eagle: Poise
Albert the Alligator: Confidence

The Top of the Pyramid
Personal Best

Create a Basketball Library

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

We will share with you some of out favorite basketball books for all ages.

How to Coach Girls: by Mia Wenjen & Alison Foley A fantastic book for any coach of girls. Click here to view on Amazon https://amzn.to/4flvk7c 4.8 stars Read reviews

Basketball Shooting by Dave Hopla: #1 Book for Teaching Players How to Shoot a Basketball This is the best instructional book on shooting basketball. It is really helpful for coaches. Being able to help players improve shooting with great technique and many drills from form shooting to moving drills. Read the full book review…

Walk-On Warrior is a personal account of John Wilkkon’s experience as a walk-on basketball player at Marquette University. It is a great read for current and former basketball. It available on Amazon. Click here to view on amazon: https://amzn.to/3YlExX9

Fall River Dreams: The Friday Night Lights of High School Basketball: Fall River Dreams is a MUST read for any committed high school basketball player or coach, especially if you live in Massachusetts. Below are some 5 reasons this books is a great resource. Read full book review

Children’s Books

Inch & Miles: Amazing Children’s Book: What a great book to read to young children. The characters are amazing and teach great life lessons from John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

Coaching Youth Basketball 5th Edition is #1 Coaching Youth Basketball Book: Read a full review of book. This is a GREAT resource for youth coaches of all levels.

Click here to buy on amazon: https://amzn.to/4feh9kt

High School books

Click here to view on amazon: https://amzn.to/46alnp5

Stuff Good Players Should Know: Intelligent Basketball From A to Z 

Click here to view on amazon: https://amzn.to/3zYmzA1

Click here to view on amazon: https://amzn.to/3YlExX9

Walk On Warrior by John Willkom

Basketball Bucket List: Great Basketball Experiences

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills, books, teaching tools, guest blogs and so much more for basketball coaches, players, and parents.

Many people create a bucket list of important things they hope to accomplish. Lou Holtz had an impressive list of 107 items. He accomplished so many of them including meeting the Pope, coaching at Notre Dame, and winning a National Championship.

Like any bucket list, items can be revised, added and completed at any time.

  1. Create a Basketball Library: We are old school. We feel books are the best way to process and understand basketball. There are so many great ones out there. Ask your fellow coaches for recommendations.
  2. Attend a Dave Hopla Shooting Lecture or a Dave Hopla Shooting Camp (HoopGroup): (@DaveHopla) Seeing an expert in his / her field is impressive. Coach Hopla often makes over 98% of his shots. in our humble opinion he is the World’s Best Shooting Instructor. It is truly amazing to see shot after shot hit the bottom of the net. His instruction has been perfected after decades of studying the art of shooting. His shooting tips are easy to understand and remember. Players and coaches of all ages and skills levels can benefit IMMENSELY from learning from the best!
  3. Have a Hoop at Home: Every parent and player should have a basket in the driveway, on a garage, or out front. It is an absolute must – NO EXCUSE.
  4. Attend an Overnight Basketball Camp.
  5. Attend a Harlem GlobeTrotters Game: AMAZING family experience. So much fun. Great player – crowd interaction.
  6. Play Recreation or In-Town Basketball
  7. Attend a Summer Recreation Basketball Clinic
  8. Attend a High School Basketball Game.
  9. Attend a College Basketball Game
  10. Attend a ProCamps camp – Amazing experience!
  11. Play Travel Basketball
  12. Play AAU Basketball
  13. CoachUp @CoachUp