Beginner training plan
Your first trainingI like to start by giving the athlete a choice between 2 drills. This gives the athlete a sense of control over their first workout which usually helps calm nerves. My go to drills for first lessons are simple, fundemtally sound, and fun!
Drills such as:
- mirror ball handling game: the athlete is mirroring stationary ball handling moves that I am do for 30 seconds, then the roles switch and they get to get creative and I mirror them
- shooting mechanics/form shots: with younger athletes, I like to use the BEEF acronym to work on shooting. We start with close in form shots and slowly move all the way out to the free throw line
I like to end with a fun game to close the lesson on a high note. Games like horse and 2-bounce are my go-tos.
Training 2-3The second and third lessons will always begin with 5 minutes of stationary ball handling, followed by 5 minutes of moving ball handling. We will then go into shooting mechanics once again, continuing to break them down in close ranges and slowly move out to longer 2s and 3s. If it is a group session, this is when I will start to incorporate more live play. If it is an individual session, this is when I start to incorporate self-competitive games where we keep track of makes and try to beat our best numbers.
Training 4-10Lessons 4-10 will all be building off of where we started. We will start incorporating things like:
-combo ball handling moves (cross- between, cross-cross)
- dribble moves into shots/layups
-more movement into shots
At lesson 5, I like to evaluate where I’m seeing growth in the athlete the most and least and check in with the athlete to see how they are feeling.
Training 11+
