At-home basketball drills for 14 year olds and older: forward

This is a free sample week of at-home basketball training for 14 year olds and older, for a forward: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 14 to 15 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 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Finish through contact 14 minutes

Two-foot jump stops into layups · 5 min
Stop on balance, then rise
Euro-step footwork · 5 min
Long first step, quick second
Weak-hand finishes · 4 min
Soft off the glass, same both sides

Session 2

Forward: Drop and Jump 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Drop and Jump · 5 min
Spend as little time on the ground as you can. Safety: Ages 13 and up, only with a coach watching. Use a sturdy box no higher than about 12 inches, and stop the set when your landings get loud or your knees cave in. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Two-Foot Hop Finish · 5 min
Hop, land balanced, rise up. Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Forward: Repeat Rim Reaches 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Repeat Rim Reaches · 5 min
Quick off the floor. Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Guarding a Ball Screen · 5 min
Talk early, stay attached. Safety: For ages 10 and up. Go at walking pace first. Any body-to-body contact is only with a coach watching and a partner your size.
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

Drop and Jump

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Step off a low box and jump straight up the instant you land.

Step off a low box, landing on both feet.
Jump straight up as fast as you can.
Land softly and reset.
Do 4 sets of 4 with full rest.

Coach's cue: Spend as little time on the ground as you can.

Bring: low sturdy box

Safety: Ages 13 and up, only with a coach watching. Use a sturdy box no higher than about 12 inches, and stop the set when your landings get loud or your knees cave in. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Two-Foot Hop Finish

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Hop off one foot onto two feet to change angle around a cone defender, then finish.

Drive at a cone placed in the lane.
Hop sideways off one foot and land on both.
Rise up on balance and finish with either hand.
Make 8 from each side.

Coach's cue: Hop, land balanced, rise up.

Bring: basketball, hoop, cone

Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Repeat Rim Reaches

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Jump up to touch a high target several times in a row, building quick second jumps.

Stand under the backboard or a tape mark high on a wall.
Jump and reach for it, land softly, and jump again quickly.
Do 5 jumps in a row, then rest 45 seconds.
Do 4 sets.

Coach's cue: Quick off the floor.

Bring: hoop or high target

Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Guarding a Ball Screen

Ages 14 and up · 14 min

Talk with a teammate and choose how to guard a screen: go over the top or switch.

Set a screen with a teammate or a chair at the top of the key.
The screen defender calls "screen left" or "screen right".
Go over the top of the screen or switch on the call, then recover.
Do 15 reps at walking pace first.

Coach's cue: Talk early, stay attached.

Bring: basketball, cone or chair, 3 players

Safety: For ages 10 and up. Go at walking pace first. Any body-to-body contact is only with a coach watching and a partner your size.

Safety for ages 14 and up

Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced 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)