Coaches Corner

The Steve Nash Youth Basketball Program is a comprehensive coaching resource, especially at the FUNdamentals and Learn to Train stages. Here are some key chapters from the manual:

• Coach Overview
  • A basketball coach is a role model and teacher of basketball, athletic, and life skills, whose goal is to make basketball enjoyable for players working as a team in a positive and safe environment.
• Teaching Techniques
  • Teaching
    • demonstration (the correct way, also show players how they are doing it), questioning, guided defence
  • Skill development, Teaching formations
  • Canada Basketball Fundamental Teaching
    • Mental growth, Technical growth, Athletic growth
    • Teaching progressively, Phases of teaching
• Teaching Tips
  • Helping kids to listen
    • "hold the balls"
    • make it short and sweet
  • Communication, Teaching players, Establishing positive behaviour, Building self-esteem, Creating fair-play rules, Dealing with difficult children, Goal setting, Planning a practice
• Practice Planning
  • and Canada Basketball Daily Practice Plan
• LTAD Model (with Skills)
  • FUNdamental Stage
  • Learn to Train Stage
  • Train to Train Stage
  • Train to Train Stage (Phase 2)
  • Train to Compete Stage

The Youth Basketball section of hoopsplaybook.ca has the complete SNYB Program, which includes lesson plans. The Mega Hoops and Jr. NBA programs also have practice plans (the Jr. NBA includes high school ages, and has hundreds of supporting YouTube videos). For other youth drills, see Steve Nash MVP Basketball, Gooroo Youth Basketball Drills, and Favourite Drills for Kids. Also see Youth Offence and Youth Defence.

For U13 to U19 coaches, see Go-To Drills and a Coaches Handbook. including a Team Playbook.

Canadians want their sport experience to be based on values of fairness, excellence, inclusion and fun. True Sport is a movement dedicated to the notion that good sport can make a great difference, and promotes seven True Sport Principlesto help build that:

• Go For It
  • Rise to the challenge – always strive for excellence. Be persistent and discover how good you can be.
• Play Fair
  • Understand, respect, and follow the rules. Play with integrity – competition is only meaningful when it is fair.
• Respect Others
  • Show respect for everyone involved in creating your sporting experience, both on and off the field of play. Win with dignity and lose with grace.
• Keep It Fun
  • Find the joy in sport and share it with others. Remember what you love about sport and why you play.
• Stay Healthy
  • Always respect and care for your mind and body. Advocate for the health and safety of yourself and those around you.
• Include Everyone
  • Recognize and celebrate strength in diversity. Invite and welcome others into sport.
• Give Back
  • Say thanks and show gratitude. Encourage your sport group to make a difference in the community.

• Canada Basketball > Safe Sport
• Safe Sport Training
• Respect in Sport Training
• Coaching Association of Ontario
  • Safe Sport 101
    • Safe Sport Playbook (eLearning)
• Responsible Coaching Movement
  • Rule of Two
  • Background Screening
  • Ethics Training
• Sport Information Resource Centre > Safe Sport
• Sport for Life > Safe Sport
• Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport > Safe Sport
• Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada
  • Abuse-Free Sport
    • Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner
      • Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS)
    • Canadian Sport Helpline
• Coaching Association of Canada - Free eLearning
  • Anti-racism in Coaching
  • Leading a Return to Sport Participation
  • Mental Health in Sport
  • NCCP Emergency Action Plan
  • NCCP Making Head Way in Sport (concussion awareness)
  • Understanding the Rule of Two

• Keeping Girls in Sport (coach.ca)
• Canadian Women & Sport
  • She's Got it All
  • Covid Impact on Girls in Sport (pdf)
  • Importance of Social Connection (pdf)
• Keep Girls in Youth Sports (TeamSnap)
• Keep Girls in Sport (adidas & Up2Us Sports)
  • Cheat Sheet

• Summer Camp Drills
• At-Home Indoor Drills

• Recreational Program Coaching Clinic 27-10-2024
  • Coaching resources, skills, how to run a practice, pre-game warmup, rebounding, scrimmage, offence, player roles, defence
• Recreational Program Coaching Clinic 01-10-2023
  • running a house-league practice, halfcourt drills, form shooting, fast break progressions, offensive spacing, zone offence concepts, breaking a press, setting screens
  • Basketball Practices - Resources
  • Offence - Creating Space
• Coaches Clinic 07-01-2023
  • dynamic warmup, how to run a practice, simple offensive strategies (U8, U10, U12), teaching offensive fundamentals, teaching defensive fundamentals (on-ball defence)
• Recreational Coaches Clinic 28-09-22
  • warmup, dribbling, Euro-step, shooting, split catch & drop move, man to man defence, motion offence, zone offence, zone defence, press break, pressing, inbounds plays
  • 5-out offence - creating gaps
• Coaches Clinic 10-11-19
  • warmup, transition defence, defending, motion offence (progression)
• Coaches Clinic 29-09-19
  • warmup, dribbling, motor skills, shooting, passing, rebounding, spacing, teaching 4-out motion, 5-out motion, defending gaps, press breaks
  • Offence - Creating Space
  • Defending gaps (simplified)
• Coaches Clinic - Dean Petridis 27/04/19
  • culture, defence, offensive transition, individual offence keys, post play, 1 on 1
  • Ravens defence
  • Ravens fast break
• Substitute Coaches Clinic 30-09-18
  • defence, rebounding, ballscreens, motion, shooting, fast break
  • NBBA Team Practices 2017-18
• Atom Coaches Clinic 28-10-17
  • 4-out motion, defence, fast break, defensive transition
• Coaches Clinic 14-10-17
  • warmup, dribbling, shooting, layups, passing
• Mega Hoops Clinic - 19-10-14
  • dynamic warmup, agility and ballhandling, dribbling, shooting, passing
• Development Coaches Clinic 30-09-12
  • warmup, footwork, dribbling, layups, passing, 1 on 1, shooting, offence

• Coaching Hacks on Google Drive are PDF versions of emails sent to coaches.

• Basic Rules - FIBA Basketball
• OBA Officiating Resources
• FIBA Travelling Rules Interpretation 2017 and 2018 FIBA Traveling Rules (YouTube)
• NBA Traveling and the Gather (videos, language) – the gather step is the same