3rd Grade Curriculum

Ball Handling
 
 Stationary

• Right hand/left hand dribble

fingers spread on ball; push fingers rather than  slap ball; hip high; on balls of feet
athletic position with knees bent; alternate to left hand; eyes up; protect with other hand
 

• Stationary front changes (crossover)

continually form the letter “V”; use fingertips to control dribble and create front change; ball below hip level; ball close to legs(shins)
 

• One-handed V’s

    front of legs with right hand only (then left hand only); right side of body; left side of body
 

• High/Low on command

    alternate 3 high dribbles and 3 low dribbles; left and right; maintain athletic position
 

• Dribble tag

    in restricted area with boundaries; players must maintain dribble while being chased;
    player becomes “it” when dribble is stopped or player steps out of bounds
               

• Figure 8’s

feet wide apart; alternate right hand to left hand dribbling ball low with finger tips in and  around legs forming repeated 8’s
 

• Leg circles

   repeated low dribble circles around right leg with right hand only; same drill with left
 
Half Court

• Right hand (then left hand)

    dribble to half court; jump stop at half court and when returning to starting point; eyes up
           on coach displaying different numbers of fingers
 

• Hesitation dribble

    ball in right hand; stop at halfway point and chop feet while keeping dribble alive; dribble 
    to half court with same hand; left hand drill coming back; coaches can stand at halfway
           point encouraging hesitation move
 

• Front change/crossover

    players jog on angle to their right (up court) for three dribbles and then make V to left
    hand; this is followed by three left hand dribbles while walking on angle to their left;                       
    players plant outside foot to change direction and initiate crossover and increase speed
 

• Hop-back and go

    player dribbles on angle to right side for three dribbles, then hops twice with ball in same                    
    hand (right) tucked behind knee; after hop-back player switches direction; repeat with left 
    hand
 
Jump Stops         ½ season
 

• Half court drill designed to teach players the proper balanced position prior to passing and shooting

• Player dribbles ball three times with right hand and performs “jump stop” into a balanced basketball position.  After third dribble, player should literally jump slightly into the air landing on the toes/balls of the feet with ball in triple threat position.

 
Shooting
 
Stationary Shooting
 

• feet as wide as shoulders; shoulders squared to the basket; knees bent; eyes on rim; shooting elbow tucked in; lead foot slightly ahead of weak-side foot; follow through with fingers pointing into the rim

• no dribble to start; coach rebounds and passes to next shooter in line so players stay squared to the rim/backboard

• players should shoot through their body bending knees for power and to keep elbow in; no twisting or turning of shoulders that would result in player “throwing” rather than shooting the ball at the basket

• players can also start with lead (strong) foot back and step into shot with strong foot

• raise hoop to 9 feet but keep emphasis on proper form and short range shooting (12-15 ft.)

• heel-toe-toe shooting; coach passes to player who has weak side heel (left) on ground at catch; player then pushes weak side toes (left) and then brings right toes forward driving toes from both feet into court to elevate into shot

 
Shooting From Dribble
 

• players line up 10-12 feet in front of hoop and take one dribble with strong hand toward basket, perform a jump stop, and take a balanced shot at the basket

• players perform same drill while dribbling with opposite hand

• jump-stop bank shot; player lined up on left wing and on right wing; players drive to block and jump stop into bank shot using the box on the backboard as a target; dribble with outside hand on drive to hoop

 
 
Lay-up Series
 

• adherence to proper layup footwork/form:  inside foot down; bring ball up with two hands and push ball with outside hand to “box”; start with no dribble and progress to dribbles

• players must dribble with outside hand (right on right side, left on left side); advancing players must be pushed to attempt weak side layups with appropriate outside hand; new players may still need to use strong hand on weak side until halfway point of season

• progress to lay-up following jab step from the wing area; player jabs strong foot forward to move defender prior to dribbling to basket for lay-up

 
Triple Threat and Passing
 

• Triple Threat Position

player catches ball from coach and gets into “triple-threat” can dribble, pass, or shoot) position with feet balanced, ball tucked to strong-side chest, eyes up
               

• Ball Strong Series

    players catch from partner; under direction of coach they get in triple threat, then tuck   
    ball to hip followed by jab steps and then a ball fake (showing their elbow)
 

• Chest and Bounce Passes

    balanced body position; pass with two hands out of chest; short jab step with strong foot;
    thumbs down on release
 

• Fake and Pass

    from triple threat position, player makes shot fake raising the ball while showing elbow to   
    defender prior to making bounce pass; progress to player placing ball on hip after ball fake  
           to make the bounce pass around the defender; player must step around defender
 

• Partner Passing

    two players facing each other; both slide to half court and back throw bounce and/or
    chest passes
               

• Outlet Passes

    rebounding line and outlet line on ball side wing; coach tosses ball off backboard; player    
    rebounds ball, puts ball on forehead with elbows flexed, pivots outside and completes
    outlet pass to teammate who dribbles toward middle of court to ½ court
 

• Drive and Dish

    player drives from left hash toward middle of foul line with right dribble and makes     
    bounce pass to teammate ready at the block; same from left and right sides
 

• Give and Go

    player passes from wing to teammate at foul line area and cuts toward block after
    passing; player at foul line completes bounce pass to cutting teammate; can also be done
    from foul line to wing with cutter
 

• Reverse Ball and Cut

    players on wings and point; player on right wing reverses ball to point who passes to
    opposite wing; on pass from point, initial wing player cuts across lane for bounce pass
    from wing 2; wing 1 turns to basket for bank shot
   
 
Defense
 

• Teaching Objectives

    keep dribbler out of lane when on the ball; ball-you-man concept when playing off the ball
    defense keeping back to basket seeing both ball and man
 

• Defensive Lane Slides

    slide from lane line to lane line in balanced stance while keeping feet apart
 

• Zig-Zag Slides

    player starts in corner with feet at 45% degree angle; left foot up to force offensive player    
    to dribble with left (weak) hand; player slides on angle back to lane line; at lane line player
    plants right foot and performs “drop-step” to get into reversed 45% angle with right foot
    forward; player then slides on angle back to sideline; angled slides to half court
 

• Introductory Help and Recover Drill

    2 offensive players just outside of elbows (one with ball); 2 defensive players; player with
    ball dribbles toward middle of lane; off the ball defensive player slides in to lane to “help”
    and “recovers” once ballhandler passes to his offensive partner 
 
    
 
Movement/Full Court Drills
 

• First Assist

    line on wing and line on opposite block; player from wing dribbles toward lane and makes       
    bounce pass to player at opposite block who shoots to the box on the backboard; can add  
                           jump stop and/or hesitation dribble
 

• One post layups

    player line in corner; coach in middle of court; player takes two dribbles, performs jump
           stop, passes to coach, keeps running toward basket to receive bounce pass from coach,
           dribbles to basket to take layup (can be done on each side; dribble with outside hand)
 

• Two Post Layups

    As above with coaches at back court and front court elbow areas
 

• V-Cuts

    player runs from wing to block, plants outside foot, and cuts back up to wing to receive     
    ball; then player makes a dribble move to the basket
 

• Human Cones

    coaches line up 8-10 feet apart; players take turns dribbling through the coaches
    switching dribbling hand
 

• Pass and Screen Away

    line at point and line at each wing; point guard passes to a wing player and sets screen for
    opposite wing player; opposite wing takes fake jab step and cuts tightly off screen to foul
    line with hands up; wing player with ball makes bounce pass to cutter who squares to     
    basket and shoots
 

• Two on One ½ Court “Break”

    two offensive players split at ½ court; defensive player at foul line; offensive players
    attack staying split just outside elbows; offensive players goal is to quickly get a layup off
    backboard; pass to score should be a bounce pass
 
 
Game Play
 

• 4 on 4 if possible
•  no full court defense
• no stealing off dribble (until ½ way into season)
• first pass cannot be stolen so all players can have success at “point guard” (for first few weeks or as needed)
• encourage bounce pass
• allow some fast break off bad pass to let players develop full court dribbling/scoring skills
• encourage at least two passes in “1/2 court” offense before shooting
• encourage ball reversal and cutting
• defensive players keep back to basket as much as possible