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At-home basketball drills for 7 to 10 year olds: center

This is a free sample week of at-home basketball training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a center: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard, or at a driveway hoop. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of basketball for 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Center: Wake-Up Starts 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Wake-Up Starts · 4 min
    Pop up and push the ground away. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
  3. Grab and Chin It · 4 min
    Two hands, chin it.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Center: Bank Shots From the Blocks 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Bank Shots From the Blocks · 4 min
    Hit the corner of the square. Safety: Clear loose balls off the floor under the hoop before you start, so nobody lands on one. Use the hoop and ball for your age: an 8-foot rim and size 5 ball at 7 to 8, a 9-foot rim and size 6 at 9 to 11.
  3. Grab and Chin It · 4 min
    Two hands, chin it.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Center: Puddle Jumping 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Puddle Jumping · 4 min
    Swing the arms, land like a cat. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
  3. Bank Shots From the Blocks · 4 min
    Hit the corner of the square. Safety: Clear loose balls off the floor under the hoop before you start, so nobody lands on one. Use the hoop and ball for your age: an 8-foot rim and size 5 ball at 7 to 8, a 9-foot rim and size 6 at 9 to 11.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 basketball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Wake-Up Starts

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Start a short run from lying, sitting or kneeling, the way an animal jumps up when it wakes. Race only your own clock.

  1. Set two markers about 10 big steps apart.
  2. Lie on your tummy, sit or kneel behind the first marker.
  3. On "go" get up as fast as you can and run past the second marker.
  4. Walk back slowly; do 6 to 8 starts, trying a new start position each time.

Coach's cue: Pop up and push the ground away.

Bring: two cones or markers

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

Grab and Chin It

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Catch the ball strongly with two hands and pull it under your chin with elbows out.

  1. Toss the ball gently off a wall above your head.
  2. Reach up and catch it with two hands.
  3. Pull it to your chin with elbows wide.
  4. Do 20 catches.

Coach's cue: Two hands, chin it.

Bring: basketball, partner or wall

Bank Shots From the Blocks

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Use the square on the backboard to score short bank shots from each side.

  1. Stand on the block, two steps from the rim (use a lower hoop if you can).
  2. Aim at the top near corner of the square.
  3. Take 10 shots from each side.
  4. Count your makes and try to beat your record next time.

Coach's cue: Hit the corner of the square.

Bring: basketball, hoop

Safety: Clear loose balls off the floor under the hoop before you start, so nobody lands on one. Use the hoop and ball for your age: an 8-foot rim and size 5 ball at 7 to 8, a 9-foot rim and size 6 at 9 to 11.

Puddle Jumping

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

Pretend lines or towels are puddles and jump over them with two feet, landing quietly like a cat.

  1. Lay out 5 or 6 "puddles" of different sizes.
  2. Jump over each one with two feet.
  3. Land quietly with bent knees.
  4. Go through the course 4 times, making the puddles wider if it feels easy.

Coach's cue: Swing the arms, land like a cat.

Bring: chalk, rope or towels

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard (or a driveway hoop). Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: basketball

  • A ball and hoop sized for age: size 5 ball and 8-foot rim at 7-8; size 6 and 9-foot rim at 9-11.
  • Court shoes that grip; ankle brace after a sprain if a doctor suggests it.
  • Land softly with knees over toes on every jump; a short landing and balance warm-up protects knees.
  • At least one day a week away from basketball, and play other sports until about 14 (USA Basketball and NBA).
  • Box-outs, screens and post contact: walking pace first, coach watching, light contact.
  • Watch packed tournament weekends: many games in a short time raise injury risk.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Basketball: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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