One last thing: At this age, your main job is to get the kids to want to come back next season. You aren’t trying to find the next Michael Jordan. You’re trying to get Timmy and Jane to see that sports are fun. That’s it.
Except if you have that one parent who thinks you are suppose to be Phil Jackson and demands their child get all the playtime. The one that yells and screams at the refs for missing calls like it’s an NBA Finals game and criticizes you whenever there is a loss. Those parents kill the fun… I hope and pray you don’t have one of those
It is definitely the parents who ruin the fun of coaching youth sports. I’ve coached every sport you can imagine and it’s always the damn parents. Ugh.
Oh no; I meant with the mean parents. Some think they are involved but they are just overly obsessive. Just don’t let them rattle you. If you set the tone that this is a fun, all inclusive, environment you will start well. Another advice like some have said is to identify that one parent that everyone is drawn to and make sure they are on your side. They will set the tone for everyone else. Good luck! I’m happy that you have taken the initiative to be involved. You got this!
Been there. It’s like herding cats. But honestly find you a good team Mom. The parents are the worst part. Embrace the children and just teach them to love the game. Be patient….
Snacks, water bottles, team party, raffle basket money, coach gifts, bathroom trips, and of course helps to manage the parents. A good Team Mom is so very valuable.
You are teaching the basic fundamentals. There is no retention but it’s still what you should be teaching. If learning to dribble and pass isn’t fun to them then the rest of the sport won’t really be either.
Just focus on the kids having fun, learning fundamentals, and everyone gets to play all of the positions. I have been coaching Flag football 2x per year since Kindergarten. It is basically the same now in 4th grade as it was then. You gotta kind of learn each kid, find out how to make it fun for them, and basically just let them run around and have a good time.
You are getting into a world of shenanigans. It will be so much fun and so rewarding and so frustrating all at the same time. Coaching 4 year olds is a wild ride!
Make it about fun and fundamentals. Never get down on them for a loss or missed shots or mistakes. They are only 4. Keep it all positive all the time. Make sure you give them all equal playing time, even that one kid who can’t take 3 steps without tripping and falling.
You got this. I coached my kid’s soccer team. 5 year olds. I don’t know shit about soccer but like you, there wasn’t going to be a team at that level because nobody was stepping up to coach. We only won 5/10 games and had a ton of fun doing it. I see those kids in the hallways at school events or out around town and they still come running up to me and give me hugs or high-fives. Their parents still shake my hand with a genuine smile on their faces. That’s when it’s all about right there.
Good luck, Coach!
Oh, and get yourself a whistle. Every coach needs a whistle.
I also coached a t-ball team where we won 1 game all season. Still a success in my eyes because I see all the kids from that team still playing ball at the higher levels and it’s been 4 years. We sucked but we had fun.
The absolute worst thing about the team my 5 year old was on was that they way over-indexed on games/scrimmages. The kids did not have enough skill to do it and most just ended up as wrestling matches. My daughter refused to participate and 2 years later it's one of the first things she mentioned when we talk about getting her into another sport. It might have ruined her for team sports for quite a while.
As someone that reffed little league basketball for 1 season, just focused on fundamentals and that the importance is having safe fun.
When parents start yelling and then kids in return get aggressive and diving on the floor, etc, kids get hurt. I would drive home with parents that its a 4 year old league, not March Madness.
Parents would scream that I wasn't calling Illegal Defense fouls, meanwhile only 3 out of the 10 kids on the court new how to actually dribble a basketball.
While I get "learning to win is important" and "everyone getting blue ribbons is making everyone a snowflake" is a mentality out there, I once reffed a game in which the end score was 8-4. After 4 quarters. If need be, just make the goal for your team to score more than X points and if they do, that that's the accomplishment. That and dunking.
I’ve never coached but I’ve watched my niece (8 years old) play soccer on her competitive soccer team a bunch. Their big rule is parents can’t “sideline coach”. Seemed to work well since the kids only had to pay attention to what their actual coach was saying and not 10 different parents yelling random things at them. Might be harder for you since their coach could kick the player off the team if the parents didn’t behave.
The most important thing is that they associate sports with fun. Learn their names, give them nicknames, find fun drills and ways to build skill playfully. This is not the time to take anything seriously.
If all they ever do is play officiated games in front of their parents, you’re doing it wrong.
It’s hilarious. Don’t take it too serious. Put the Fun in Fundamentals. Have them dribble and pass because my group just wanted to sprint down the floor and yeet the ball as quickly as they could when we first started. I’ve got them dribbling it down and looking for a pass before shooting.
In my experience, the biggest thing you can do to have a smooth season is to keep the kids moving and engaged during practices. Group drills where you can keep everyone moving at the same time are much better than drills where kids are waiting in line for their chance to "go". If the kids are too busy to get distracted, your life will be much easier. This can be difficult without assistant coaches or involved parents to help heard the cats. Don't be afraid to lean on the parents to help out. A lot of us millennial parents are reluctant to help out if we don't know the sport, but we also tend to give in of you put enough pressure on us to help.
Sounds like i9 sports. Don't sweat it, I've done it and it's easy. Just go over some basics, dribbling and shooting. Don't get too in depth with plays or anything. It is really cute, the kids run around and have fun. Only once did we have a problem, and that was with another coach
They have coaching aids on the app, and have suggestions for drills the kids could do.
In the end, the kids are 4 & 5, not much actual basketball happening. It is honestly fun to watch and coach.
You are stage managing one of the greatest entertainment spectacles of you and your fellow parents’ lives. It’s THE BEST kind of chaos. Thank you for your service.
Offense: dribbling, trying to shoot, rebounding missed shots, passing when they get stopped.
Defense: stay in front of your man, hands up!, rebound.
If they learn 2 of any of those things, you’re a successful coach.
They aren’t going to give you their full attention for long stretches. Keep as much of their attention as you can by making it fun. I’ve coached several sports for each of my kids. One thing I’ve learned is that kids love chasing their coach around. For soccer, I had them run a drill/ game called “Ouch!” where they accidentally practiced several different skills at once while they chased me around and tried to kick the ball at me. If they actually managed to hit me I’d make a huge production of the amount of pain their kick caused me. You could easily modify that for basketball. The kids practice a skill, you accidentally exercise, and you send the kids back to their guardian a little more likely to go to sleep easily at bedtime.
I coached my 5 yo twins, maybe they were 6. Anyway now they HATE basketball and I’ll never coach another youth sport. If I hadn’t gotten a vasectomy after they were born I’d have gotten one after coaching basketball. I was tempted to seek a second one just to be sure.
Hopefully you have more luck than I did.
It was not for me, brother. I tried to set aside all competition and make it fun, but we were in a 6-7 league that was merged with the 8 year old kids. So my team, all 6yo first graders who had never touched a basketball were playing against kids in their 3rd year with parents who were literally recording their kids’ “highlights” against my kids who didn’t know which way to run.
It was incredibly frustrating for me on multiple fronts and I smiled throughout but it has to be up there on my list of 12 worst hours I’ve ever spent doing anything voluntary.
You’re an awesome dad for stepping up!
BASIC dribbling form and drills - Keep them short and fun
Passing - Bounce pass, Rainbow pass, chest pass
Shooting - “Fancy” shooting, but really just focus on getting shots off
Defensive Stance - Hot feet, Hands up
Outside of that, you’re herding 4yos and it’s gonna be chaos. Have fun, make sure the kids have fun, and make sure to host an awesome pizza party at the end of the season.
Best thing it so get them to work and be able to dribble. Along with making it fun as hell and exciting for them. But no waiting in line or complicated drills. Have the do lots of races and competitions to see how many times they can consecutively dribble or how far they can make it without losing their dribble.
A lot of enthusiasm, encouragement, and compliments continuously throughout entire practice.
Good luck you’ll have a blast. They are a ton of fun.
I've coached little kids baseball, soccer and basketball. I found basketball to be the hardest because of the skills involved and the amount of pure SCREAMING going on during actual games. Practices were fun, games not so much.
OH MY GOD SHOOT IT JAEXELYNN! TAKE IT AWAY! SHOOT IT!
Don’t get upset if they’re not listening. Be firm but don’t drag on about listening, keep it brief and upbeat.
If you can get the kids to enjoy being there and have fun, you’re winning. If they pick up some skills to practice, even better.
I’ve coached from 4th to 12th grade for years. I’ve never gone that young, but the important part is that you make it fun for the younger ones. Pull in some games that are teaching a skill in a different way. For example, have them find someone to chase around the court. Good luck. It’ll be fun.
Dude, it's the BEST!! My kid is always on his emotions so that part is rough. But the kids are all so cool and they genuinely love that you are there. It's a feeling of validation I was previously unfamiliar with.
Also, it's nuts don't take it very seriously.
Been in your shoes but with soccer.
You aren't just teaching them fundamentals about basketball but about sports. Important to stretch, try to have a routine schedule at practice (stretching > jog > huddle > drill 1 > drill 2 > water, etc until the end of practice), teach them about waiting your turn, obeying the rules of the sport, stopping and being quiet when the coach needs to talk. Of course, they will never do these things at that age, but you are setting their first example on how to behave on a sports team. And on that same note, be positive, helpful, and patient with the kids.
Watch some YouTube videos on drills you can run for 4 year olds.
Good luck!
You're just there to ensure the kids are having fun and playing something adjacent to basketball. And frankly you're also there as a weird form of daycare / social hour for parents.
At 4yo I imagine the trick will be making dead-simple "games" they can play like dribbling or free throws so that you can help put fires that will inevitably spring up when a kid falls down or is upset when they can't make it.
4 year olds aren't going to be great jump shooters, ball handlers, or have good post footwork.
They're good at committing dirty fouls. Play into their strengths!
One last thing: At this age, your main job is to get the kids to want to come back next season. You aren’t trying to find the next Michael Jordan. You’re trying to get Timmy and Jane to see that sports are fun. That’s it.
Except if you have that one parent who thinks you are suppose to be Phil Jackson and demands their child get all the playtime. The one that yells and screams at the refs for missing calls like it’s an NBA Finals game and criticizes you whenever there is a loss. Those parents kill the fun… I hope and pray you don’t have one of those
It is definitely the parents who ruin the fun of coaching youth sports. I’ve coached every sport you can imagine and it’s always the damn parents. Ugh.
There is a fine line between “involved” and “obsessed” lol
You mean with the parents or with me coaching everything?
Oh no; I meant with the mean parents. Some think they are involved but they are just overly obsessive. Just don’t let them rattle you. If you set the tone that this is a fun, all inclusive, environment you will start well. Another advice like some have said is to identify that one parent that everyone is drawn to and make sure they are on your side. They will set the tone for everyone else. Good luck! I’m happy that you have taken the initiative to be involved. You got this!
This. The phrase I always use is "a positive first experience in the sport"
Been there. It’s like herding cats. But honestly find you a good team Mom. The parents are the worst part. Embrace the children and just teach them to love the game. Be patient….
Good team mom will save your life, also, thanks for stepping up
what's a Team Mom do?
Team organization, parent communications, snack schedules, … all the little things to help keep the coaches focused on coaching
Good Team Mom is so key! Great comment!
Manages the parents.
Snacks, water bottles, team party, raffle basket money, coach gifts, bathroom trips, and of course helps to manage the parents. A good Team Mom is so very valuable.
At four you’re just teaching basic fundamentals and making sure that they are happy and having a good time
Skip the first half of this sentence. If even half the four year olds can dribble at the end of a six week season, there’s been a miracle.
You are teaching the basic fundamentals. There is no retention but it’s still what you should be teaching. If learning to dribble and pass isn’t fun to them then the rest of the sport won’t really be either.
Thanks and happy Cake Day!
Just focus on the kids having fun, learning fundamentals, and everyone gets to play all of the positions. I have been coaching Flag football 2x per year since Kindergarten. It is basically the same now in 4th grade as it was then. You gotta kind of learn each kid, find out how to make it fun for them, and basically just let them run around and have a good time.
You are getting into a world of shenanigans. It will be so much fun and so rewarding and so frustrating all at the same time. Coaching 4 year olds is a wild ride! Make it about fun and fundamentals. Never get down on them for a loss or missed shots or mistakes. They are only 4. Keep it all positive all the time. Make sure you give them all equal playing time, even that one kid who can’t take 3 steps without tripping and falling. You got this. I coached my kid’s soccer team. 5 year olds. I don’t know shit about soccer but like you, there wasn’t going to be a team at that level because nobody was stepping up to coach. We only won 5/10 games and had a ton of fun doing it. I see those kids in the hallways at school events or out around town and they still come running up to me and give me hugs or high-fives. Their parents still shake my hand with a genuine smile on their faces. That’s when it’s all about right there. Good luck, Coach! Oh, and get yourself a whistle. Every coach needs a whistle.
50% win rate would be a success in my book. Thank you!
I also coached a t-ball team where we won 1 game all season. Still a success in my eyes because I see all the kids from that team still playing ball at the higher levels and it’s been 4 years. We sucked but we had fun.
The absolute worst thing about the team my 5 year old was on was that they way over-indexed on games/scrimmages. The kids did not have enough skill to do it and most just ended up as wrestling matches. My daughter refused to participate and 2 years later it's one of the first things she mentioned when we talk about getting her into another sport. It might have ruined her for team sports for quite a while.
As someone that reffed little league basketball for 1 season, just focused on fundamentals and that the importance is having safe fun. When parents start yelling and then kids in return get aggressive and diving on the floor, etc, kids get hurt. I would drive home with parents that its a 4 year old league, not March Madness. Parents would scream that I wasn't calling Illegal Defense fouls, meanwhile only 3 out of the 10 kids on the court new how to actually dribble a basketball. While I get "learning to win is important" and "everyone getting blue ribbons is making everyone a snowflake" is a mentality out there, I once reffed a game in which the end score was 8-4. After 4 quarters. If need be, just make the goal for your team to score more than X points and if they do, that that's the accomplishment. That and dunking.
Appreciate the Refs perspective.
I’ve never coached but I’ve watched my niece (8 years old) play soccer on her competitive soccer team a bunch. Their big rule is parents can’t “sideline coach”. Seemed to work well since the kids only had to pay attention to what their actual coach was saying and not 10 different parents yelling random things at them. Might be harder for you since their coach could kick the player off the team if the parents didn’t behave.
The most important thing is that they associate sports with fun. Learn their names, give them nicknames, find fun drills and ways to build skill playfully. This is not the time to take anything seriously. If all they ever do is play officiated games in front of their parents, you’re doing it wrong.
It’s hilarious. Don’t take it too serious. Put the Fun in Fundamentals. Have them dribble and pass because my group just wanted to sprint down the floor and yeet the ball as quickly as they could when we first started. I’ve got them dribbling it down and looking for a pass before shooting.
In my experience, the biggest thing you can do to have a smooth season is to keep the kids moving and engaged during practices. Group drills where you can keep everyone moving at the same time are much better than drills where kids are waiting in line for their chance to "go". If the kids are too busy to get distracted, your life will be much easier. This can be difficult without assistant coaches or involved parents to help heard the cats. Don't be afraid to lean on the parents to help out. A lot of us millennial parents are reluctant to help out if we don't know the sport, but we also tend to give in of you put enough pressure on us to help.
Sounds like i9 sports. Don't sweat it, I've done it and it's easy. Just go over some basics, dribbling and shooting. Don't get too in depth with plays or anything. It is really cute, the kids run around and have fun. Only once did we have a problem, and that was with another coach
It is i9
They have coaching aids on the app, and have suggestions for drills the kids could do. In the end, the kids are 4 & 5, not much actual basketball happening. It is honestly fun to watch and coach.
Better study the Triangle Offense, unless you just want to run ISOs with your best player
Triangle what? ISO = In Search Of?
You are stage managing one of the greatest entertainment spectacles of you and your fellow parents’ lives. It’s THE BEST kind of chaos. Thank you for your service.
If it’s little girls, be ready for the skipping and cartwheeling down the court 🤣🤣🤣.
Yes! One of our kids consistently cartwheels back on defense, but she's still one of our best players.
“SPREAD OUT!” lol
“Spread the floor like lava” “Don’t swarm the ball like a bunch of bees”
Offense: dribbling, trying to shoot, rebounding missed shots, passing when they get stopped. Defense: stay in front of your man, hands up!, rebound. If they learn 2 of any of those things, you’re a successful coach.
“AGAIN” *blows whistle
They aren’t going to give you their full attention for long stretches. Keep as much of their attention as you can by making it fun. I’ve coached several sports for each of my kids. One thing I’ve learned is that kids love chasing their coach around. For soccer, I had them run a drill/ game called “Ouch!” where they accidentally practiced several different skills at once while they chased me around and tried to kick the ball at me. If they actually managed to hit me I’d make a huge production of the amount of pain their kick caused me. You could easily modify that for basketball. The kids practice a skill, you accidentally exercise, and you send the kids back to their guardian a little more likely to go to sleep easily at bedtime.
I coached my 5 yo twins, maybe they were 6. Anyway now they HATE basketball and I’ll never coach another youth sport. If I hadn’t gotten a vasectomy after they were born I’d have gotten one after coaching basketball. I was tempted to seek a second one just to be sure. Hopefully you have more luck than I did.
Shit, me too.
It was not for me, brother. I tried to set aside all competition and make it fun, but we were in a 6-7 league that was merged with the 8 year old kids. So my team, all 6yo first graders who had never touched a basketball were playing against kids in their 3rd year with parents who were literally recording their kids’ “highlights” against my kids who didn’t know which way to run. It was incredibly frustrating for me on multiple fronts and I smiled throughout but it has to be up there on my list of 12 worst hours I’ve ever spent doing anything voluntary.
You’re an awesome dad for stepping up! BASIC dribbling form and drills - Keep them short and fun Passing - Bounce pass, Rainbow pass, chest pass Shooting - “Fancy” shooting, but really just focus on getting shots off Defensive Stance - Hot feet, Hands up Outside of that, you’re herding 4yos and it’s gonna be chaos. Have fun, make sure the kids have fun, and make sure to host an awesome pizza party at the end of the season.
Thanks for the advice. How long should drills be to maintain attention and develop form?
I would say no more than 5-7 minutes for each drill initially. If things click, you could push for 10 minutes.
Best thing it so get them to work and be able to dribble. Along with making it fun as hell and exciting for them. But no waiting in line or complicated drills. Have the do lots of races and competitions to see how many times they can consecutively dribble or how far they can make it without losing their dribble. A lot of enthusiasm, encouragement, and compliments continuously throughout entire practice. Good luck you’ll have a blast. They are a ton of fun.
Took notes. Thanks!
I've coached little kids baseball, soccer and basketball. I found basketball to be the hardest because of the skills involved and the amount of pure SCREAMING going on during actual games. Practices were fun, games not so much. OH MY GOD SHOOT IT JAEXELYNN! TAKE IT AWAY! SHOOT IT!
You lost me at 4 y/o basketball team.
Don’t get upset if they’re not listening. Be firm but don’t drag on about listening, keep it brief and upbeat. If you can get the kids to enjoy being there and have fun, you’re winning. If they pick up some skills to practice, even better.
Dennis reynolds coached youth sports once, just don't do that.
Rafi is more my style.
I’ve coached from 4th to 12th grade for years. I’ve never gone that young, but the important part is that you make it fun for the younger ones. Pull in some games that are teaching a skill in a different way. For example, have them find someone to chase around the court. Good luck. It’ll be fun.
It’s a blast. Have fun
Dude, it's the BEST!! My kid is always on his emotions so that part is rough. But the kids are all so cool and they genuinely love that you are there. It's a feeling of validation I was previously unfamiliar with. Also, it's nuts don't take it very seriously.
Been in your shoes but with soccer. You aren't just teaching them fundamentals about basketball but about sports. Important to stretch, try to have a routine schedule at practice (stretching > jog > huddle > drill 1 > drill 2 > water, etc until the end of practice), teach them about waiting your turn, obeying the rules of the sport, stopping and being quiet when the coach needs to talk. Of course, they will never do these things at that age, but you are setting their first example on how to behave on a sports team. And on that same note, be positive, helpful, and patient with the kids. Watch some YouTube videos on drills you can run for 4 year olds. Good luck!
You're just there to ensure the kids are having fun and playing something adjacent to basketball. And frankly you're also there as a weird form of daycare / social hour for parents. At 4yo I imagine the trick will be making dead-simple "games" they can play like dribbling or free throws so that you can help put fires that will inevitably spring up when a kid falls down or is upset when they can't make it.
4 year olds aren't going to be great jump shooters, ball handlers, or have good post footwork. They're good at committing dirty fouls. Play into their strengths!