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Basketball camps...

True story, by and large, cattle call camps on any sport are strictly revenue generators for the owners. Save your money, take private lessons from a good coach.

Yep....sound advice....I coach my own kid.

He will only go to camps that have scouts at them. He is only 9. But when he turns 11. I am taking him to a camp in California that rates the best 6th and 7th graders in America.
 
What's the best basketball camp for Jr high age kids in eastern Nebraska?


Go to any camp and let your son or daughter have fun. Yes the camps are cattle calls and yes they are money makers for the coaches. If you are looking to get your child recruited, stay away. If you are looking for some fun instruction, then go and enjoy the experience. My son had attended both Creighton and Nebraska camps and had a blast at both.
 
I prefer watching videos online for drills for my 9 year old 3rd grade girls. We practice in my basement a few times a week this winter.

They dribble left handed now better than most kids in their class can dribble right handed.

Any recommendations for drills or videos for that age would be much obliged. :)
 
I prefer watching videos online for drills for my 9 year old 3rd grade girls. We practice in my basement a few times a week this winter.

They dribble left handed now better than most kids in their class can dribble right handed.

Any recommendations for drills or videos for that age would be much obliged. :)

Dribbling 2 basketballs at the same time....low to high.
One handed shots...can't use the non shooting hand at all
Sit against the wall dribble drill...2 balls and 1.
Use a men's basketball for the heavier weight.
Tennis ball Dribbling.

Teach them the same moves as they teach WNBA and college players. Their muscle memory allows them to learn those moves easier now.
Footwork drills. Never let them cross their feet on offense or defense.
 
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What's the best basketball camp for Jr high age kids in eastern Nebraska?
For the money, get your kid into a local HS camp, especially one that your son or daughter could potentially attend. Those coaches have a vested interest in seeing kids develop whereas college camps can be hit & miss. One tale tell sign of how well a camp is run is how long the lines are from drill to drill.
 
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I prefer watching videos online for drills for my 9 year old 3rd grade girls. We practice in my basement a few times a week this winter.

They dribble left handed now better than most kids in their class can dribble right handed.

Any recommendations for drills or videos for that age would be much obliged. :)

Usually keeping their head down while dribbling is an issue at that age. If you're having them dribble around the basement length wise (don't know your setup). Hold up a number with your fingers and have them call it out when they are dribbling past you. It forces them to keep their eyes up.

You can build on it by having them doing different moves. Crossover, behind the back, etc and they have to keep their eyes on you/up to call out the number.

It works and kids can't cheat it by keeping their head up and their eyes down. (I hope that all made sense)
 
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Dribbling 2 basketballs at the same time....low to high.
One handed shots...can't use the non shooting hand at all
Sit against the wall dribble drill...2 balls and 1.
Use a men's basketball for the heavier weight.
Tennis ball Dribbling.
Footwork drills. Never let them cross their feet on offense or defense.

Both can dribble well with 2 hands now. Started off with one being good and the other horrible. Now they can play keep away while dribbling with two hands while I try to steal it from them. Have not done the low to high part so I will add that in.

I watched a video done by a local guy that was my PE teacher when I was in elementary and in the video he had them doing layups while holding a second ball in the non-shooting hand. Took a bit but the girls got that part down now.

I have had them do tennis ball dribbling against the wall with 2 hands/balls at one time. Hard to do and that is a work in progress for them. I take it you are talking dribbling on the ground. I eill try that as I have not had them do it yet.

Will try the sit against the wall dribbling. I know they can sit on an invisible hair against a wall already, so they should be able to do this.

We have worked a little on defense, like shuffling sideways, butt low, and palms up. They definitely need work on the not crossing their feet part.

I have done some different jump stop drills teaching them to jump stop to the left or right to create space between them and the defender to get a clear shot. One is great at it and the other a work in progress.

Thank you! I appreciate the advice!
 
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Both can dribble well with 2 hands now. Started off with one being good and the other horrible. Now they can play keep away while dribbling with two hands while I try to steal it from them. Have not done the low to high part so I will add that in.

I watched a video done by a local guy that was my PE teacher when I was in elementary and in the video he had them doing layups while holding a second ball in the non-shooting hand. Took a bit but the girls got that part down now.

I have had them do tennis ball dribbling against the wall with 2 hands/balls at one time. Hard to do and that is a work in progress for them. I take it you are talking dribbling on the ground. I eill try that as I have not had them do it yet.

Will try the sit against the wall dribbling. I know they can sit on an invisible hair against a wall already, so they should be able to do this.

We have worked a little on defense, like shuffling sideways, butt low, and palms up. They definitely need work on the not crossing their feet part.

I have done some different jump stop drills teaching them to jump stop to the left or right to create space between them and the defender to get a clear shot. One is great at it and the other a work in progress.

Thank you! I appreciate the advice!

Yeah, the tennis ball Dribbling is to help them keep their hand on top of the ball.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Enjoy the process Dad.
 
Usually keeping their head down while dribbling is an issue at that age. If you're having them dribble around the basement length wise (don't know your setup). Hold up a number with your fingers and have them call it out when they are dribbling past you. It forces them to keep their eyes up.

You can build on it by having them doing different moves. Crossover, behind the back, etc and they have to keep their eyes on you/up to call out the number.

It works and kids can't cheat it by keeping their head up and their eyes down. (I hope that all made sense)

I have done the numbers thing. I saw it in a Bob Bigelow video. It works great! Definitely takes a lot of practice to make it a habit as it is a work in progress at times.

We have a long open basement that is half carpeted with this carpet and then the rest covered it thin hard rugs, so dribbling is relatively easy.

They are just starting to be able to dribble behind the back without having to turn completely around to catch it with the other hand to keep dribbling. It's a work in progress.

Their crossover is decent and they continue to work on it. I usually have them start on one end of the basement and dribble towards me while I change numbers on my hand and tell them to switch hands. I will add more crossover dribbling to that drill.

My girls played during the halftime of a high school girls game a week or two ago and one of them dribbled up the court the whole way with her left hand and dribbled past a couple defenders before passing it. I knew she could dribble decent with her left hand, but seeing her do it so well against other kids was a proud moment.

I am trying to keep it fun for them as much as possible and they love basketball. Many times we switch drills and they complain that they want to do the current drill "one more time" before switching.

I like to record them playing and review it to give them pointers and let them see how they look playing. One of my daughters had many open shots next to the basket during the first of their two halftime games. She passed every time. I asked her why she didn't shoot and she said she didn't know that there was going to be a huge crowd watching them play! She was nervous.

It was just a 3 on 3 on 3 where the offense keeps the ball going back the other way if they score or the defense goes the other way with the ball if they get the rebound while the other team waits at the end they were at when they missed a shot or didn't get the rebound.

Thanks for the advice!
 
I have done the numbers thing. I saw it in a Bob Bigelow video. It works great! Definitely takes a lot of practice to make it a habit as it is a work in progress at times.

We have a long open basement that is half carpeted with this carpet and then the rest covered it thin hard rugs, so dribbling is relatively easy.

They are just starting to be able to dribble behind the back without having to turn completely around to catch it with the other hand to keep dribbling. It's a work in progress.

Their crossover is decent and they continue to work on it. I usually have them start on one end of the basement and dribble towards me while I change numbers on my hand and tell them to switch hands. I will add more crossover dribbling to that drill.

My girls played during the halftime of a high school girls game a week or two ago and one of them dribbled up the court the whole way with her left hand and dribbled past a couple defenders before passing it. I knew she could dribble decent with her left hand, but seeing her do it so well against other kids was a proud moment.

I am trying to keep it fun for them as much as possible and they love basketball. Many times we switch drills and they complain that they want to do the current drill "one more time" before switching.

I like to record them playing and review it to give them pointers and let them see how they look playing. One of my daughters had many open shots next to the basket during the first of their two halftime games. She passed every time. I asked her why she didn't shoot and she said she didn't know that there was going to be a huge crowd watching them play! She was nervous.

It was just a 3 on 3 on 3 where the offense keeps the ball going back the other way if they score or the defense goes the other way with the ball if they get the rebound while the other team waits at the end they were at when they missed a shot or didn't get the rebound.

Thanks for the advice!

As I'm sure you know, don't over do it. There are so many kids that get burned out of sports because of overexposure and losing the fun. I knew a lot of kids, girls especially for some reason, that played and excelled at sports but playing 2 or 3 club sports year round since they were kids can be too much. Once they got half way through HS they ended up quitting because they were burned out. I grew up with a girl that broke State scoring record in soccer and a freshman and sophomore and then quit. Another girl that went to UNO, started as a freshman, won a National Championship and then quit. Don't push too hard.

I coached at the JCC and at OSA and there are way too many parents that push to hard (I not accusing you of this, just want people to be cautious). If you're putting your kids in club setting because they enjoy it and you want them to get better, great. But if you're doing it for a college scholarship, do the math on the $3-4K you're spending a year at that club and see how much the CHANCE at a scholarship is costing you. Especially because outside of D1, scholarship money is not that great. (End of rant.)

That being said; do you have cement walls? Tape a square on a wall and work on dribbling by and passing the ball to the square. Bounce passes and chest passes. Too many kids only learn to pass while stationary.

There are a lot of variations. Jump stop and pass, pass on the move, learning a pocket pass, etc. You can do it at different distances and incorporate it with your dribbling moves.

Eyes up dribbling, crossover (explode out of the crossover), two dribbles and a bounce pass to the mark.

Fundamentals in basketball, especially in the men's game, are hard to find. A great dribbler and passer will always have a spot on a team.
 
Figure 8 with the basketball between your legs as fast as you can is another ball handling drill..

But like I said you won't be disappointed in Pistol Pete home work basketball at the time I had all 4 VHS tapes by the time I lended them out to family and friends I never seen them all of them again.

Sure you can by DVD ones now. Might have to google it.
 
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As I'm sure you know, don't over do it. There are so many kids that get burned out of sports because of overexposure and losing the fun. I knew a lot of kids, girls especially for some reason, that played and excelled at sports but playing 2 or 3 club sports year round since they were kids can be too much. Once they got half way through HS they ended up quitting because they were burned out. I grew up with a girl that broke State scoring record in soccer and a freshman and sophomore and then quit. Another girl that went to UNO, started as a freshman, won a National Championship and then quit. Don't push too hard.

I coached at the JCC and at OSA and there are way too many parents that push to hard (I not accusing you of this, just want people to be cautious). If you're putting your kids in club setting because they enjoy it and you want them to get better, great. But if you're doing it for a college scholarship, do the math on the $3-4K you're spending a year at that club and see how much the CHANCE at a scholarship is costing you. Especially because outside of D1, scholarship money is not that great. (End of rant.)

That being said; do you have cement walls? Tape a square on a wall and work on dribbling by and passing the ball to the square. Bounce passes and chest passes. Too many kids only learn to pass while stationary.

There are a lot of variations. Jump stop and pass, pass on the move, learning a pocket pass, etc. You can do it at different distances and incorporate it with your dribbling moves.

Eyes up dribbling, crossover (explode out of the crossover), two dribbles and a bounce pass to the mark.

Fundamentals in basketball, especially in the men's game, are hard to find. A great dribbler and passer will always have a spot on a team.

I mostly let the girls ask me to practice playing ball instead of me telling them lets go practice. I completely agree with the 'don't overdo it' stuff.

I am not a fan of all of the camps myself. My niece goes to team camps constantly for the first half of the summer every year. One or two a year maybe, but she overdoes it in my eyes (her idea, not her dads). Too much $$$ and time!

We go with the seasons... played a lot of volleyball with them in the yard this past fall when I would get home from work and baseball back in May & June. When the season hits, they are all about that sport.

Yep, one wall is cement in the room we practice in, so I will definitely tape a square up so they can pass in different situations! I love that idea! Thanks!

I have worked with them a little on exploding out of the crossover; working on each little part and body balance/center of gravity and foot placement and then putting it all together.

Thank you!
 
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I let my 14 yr old play against my 9 yr old to beat him up a little. He's a track kid so his athleticism really makes my 9 yr old have to use his skill and concentration.

A crossover and jab steps eliminates his athleticism.. I taught him about 6 different crossover moves along with the Eurostep which is tough on kids his age.
 
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Figure 8 with the basketball between your legs as fast as you can is another ball handling drill..

But like I said you won't be disappointed in Pistol Pete home work basketball at the time I had all 4 VHS tapes by the time I lended them out to family and friends I never seen them all of them again.

Sure you can by DVD ones now. Might have to google it.

One of my girls has mostly figured out one type of figure 8 drill (ball stays between legs and they dribble it while alternating hands and from the front and back) and both are learning just dribbling it in a figure 8 around and between their legs.

I did a quick search earlier after reading your first post and found a few videos talking about the P.P. DVDs and I sped through one and it showed a couple drills (scrambled eggs dribbling I think).

I will look into those! Thanks!
 
A crossover and jab steps eliminates his athleticism.. I taught him about 6 different crossover moves along with the Eurostep which is tough on kids his age.

I had no idea there were that many crossover moves... I will look into them.

Haven't heard of the Eurostep. I will look into that as well. Thanks.
 
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More of a tip than a drill, but...

During some of their more intense drills, have your kids knock down a couple of free throws from time to time - when they're sweaty, tired and their heart rate is up. Personally I think that prepares a player for actual in-game trips to the FT line better than just shooting dozens and dozens of them after practice.
 
I mostly let the girls ask me to practice playing ball instead of me telling them lets go practice. I completely agree with the 'don't overdo it' stuff.

I am not a fan of all of the camps myself. My niece goes to team camps constantly for the first half of the summer every year. One or two a year maybe, but she overdoes it in my eyes (her idea, not her dads). Too much $$$ and time!

We go with the seasons... played a lot of volleyball with them in the yard this past fall when I would get home from work and baseball back in May & June. When the season hits, they are all about that sport.

Yep, one wall is cement in the room we practice in, so I will definitely tape a square up so they can pass in different situations! I love that idea! Thanks!

I have worked with them a little on exploding out of the crossover; working on each little part and body balance/center of gravity and foot placement and then putting it all together.

Thank you!

The biggest part of teaching dribbling moves is why to do them. A lot of kids learn to dribble between their legs, but don't know what it does or why they should use it. The crossover can be such a great move when the kid knows how to explode and what the purpose of the move is. Same with a nice behind the back. Kids learn it because it looks cool, but rarely are able to use it or know when to use it in a beneficial way.
 
One of my girls has mostly figured out one type of figure 8 drill (ball stays between legs and they dribble it while alternating hands and from the front and back) and both are learning just dribbling it in a figure 8 around and between their legs.

I did a quick search earlier after reading your first post and found a few videos talking about the P.P. DVDs and I sped through one and it showed a couple drills (scrambled eggs dribbling I think).

I will look into those! Thanks!

Yea dribbling figure 8 is good too.. But I'm talking just taking the ball in a figure 8 from hand to hand as fast as you can...

Also Amazon has them, they do have all 4 DVD's for$ 89.90 plus $4.00 for shipping and handling...

You won't regret it and your kids will love it... You might want to explain to them that he is the all time scoring leader in College Basketball history and wasn't eligible to play his Freshman year averaging 44.3 points a game without the 3 point line.:)
 
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The biggest part of teaching dribbling moves is why to do them. A lot of kids learn to dribble between their legs, but don't know what it does or why they should use it. The crossover can be such a great move when the kid knows how to explode and what the purpose of the move is. Same with a nice behind the back. Kids learn it because it looks cool, but rarely are able to use it or know when to use it in a beneficial way.


I'll say this the better you can handle the ball especially point guard the better you'll be over anyone one...

Dribbling between your legs cross over is a quicker move and harder for the defender to steal over the basic cross over dribble.. You either can do it well or you can't which means you're not a very good ball handler.
 
One last tip, teach them A great shot fake. Show the ball, use you head and neck. It'll get their opponent in the air. Once the person guarding them is in the air, have them jump into the opponent. While doing that, scream like you're being stabbed, flail, and throw the ball towards the basket. Watch D Wade or half of the NBA if you need some assistance.

Other parents will really like appreciate you the skills and that you instilled in your child.
 
I'll say this the better you can handle the ball especially point guard the better you'll be over anyone one...

Dribbling between your legs cross over is a quicker move and harder for the defender to steal over the basic cross over dribble.. You either can do it well or you can't which means you're not a very good ball handler.

In women's basketball, it doesn't matter your size if you can handle the ball.
 
One last tip, teach them A great shot fake. Show the ball, use you head and neck. It'll get their opponent in the air. Once the person guarding them is in the air, have them jump into the opponent. While doing that, scream like you're being stabbed, flail, and throw the ball towards the basket. Watch D Wade or half of the NBA if you need some assistance.

Other parents will really like appreciate you the skills and that you instilled in your child.

Very sound advice... That helped out when I was coaching girls and boys especially down on the blocks for bigger players..

Well done.Winking
 
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While doing that, scream like you're being stabbed, flail, and throw the ball towards the basket. Watch D Wade or half of the NBA if you need some assistance.
Other parents will really like appreciate you the skills and that you instilled in your child.

lol now that's funny right there Laughing
 
Yeah, I kinda figured the camps were just money makers. My kid already plays on a team that has tournaments every weekend and attends the local high school camps. A lot of the advise on here is appreciated!
 
tell them to start doing everything with their off hand for a month. brush your teeth, eat, everything other than write basically. helped me big time when i was like 14 with making off hand scoop shots and little floaters in the lane.
 
Yeah, I kinda figured the camps were just money makers. My kid already plays on a team that has tournaments every weekend and attends the local high school camps. A lot of the advise on here is appreciated!
Whatever it takes to keep them in the gym. If it keeps them excited about playing then it's worth the money. My oldest went to the Husker camp when Tyron Lue was an incoming freshman. There was some great talent at that camp to learn from. He learned how to swear proficiently from Danny Nee while there.:oops: He learned some great ball handling drills and that he needed to devote time every day to make himself a better shooter. Make a 100 free throws a day. Every day. Not shoot. Make.
 
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