Greetings Team:

I have seen the complete DVD set. I really like the Philosophy and the Mentality of the DVD. I am working with a group of 10 year old boys. I believe that a few of the drills might not be adequate for their age yet but I will be able to use most of them. Several of my players don't dominate ball handling. I think that at this age it would be ideal to develop the ball handling skill (together with footwork) since the shooting piece will transition as their body grows (strength, technique, etc.). We will give them repetitions on shooting as well but we want to make sure they master ball handling and footwork now. Having said that do you have any tools for this age group? I saw the app but it is recommended for 12 years and over. Maybe you have some earlier stage drills we could use (the Pete Maravich series?, king of the court?, etc.). We want them to stop looking at the ball while dribbling, improve their crossover, between the legs, behind the back, etc. We are planning to give them a development program this summer and I believe you might have drills with the appropriate age range/skill set that we could use. I plan to introduce everything I can from the DVD, but I would like to add more ball handling development. Let me know if my assumptions need modification. I know that at this age having fun is a big part of their development and engagement toward the sport, having drills that makes it fun for them and also develop their skills would definitely be an excellent experience for them.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can provide.

David

David

I don't think you are giving your kids enough credit. I use this, without modification for all ages. The only concession to age I make is to work a little shorter, because for younger kids, attention span is a major issue.

I have found that younger kids can hold on to a couple of things. I don't believe they are strong enough to hold onto shooting form, have enough basketball (or life) experience to understand spacing, and other things that involve high level of space/time relationships, strength or basketball knowledge. However, the two tings they can hold onto are footwork and ball handling.

I not only work each aspect individually, but I make it a point to work on them together. I believe in overloading when I teach. I try to challenge their limits. I don't wait for them to perfect a particular thing. I always take the long view, not where will you be tomorrow but where will you be 3 years from now. They lose the ball, turn the wrong way, etc. but in time, with high repetition, I have found the rate of improvement to be more consistently steep than in any other way I have worked.