Free drill library · Basketball

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

This is a free sample week of at-home basketball training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a guard: 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

Guard: Hopscotch Footwork 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Hopscotch Footwork · 4 min
    Light and quick. Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
  3. Free Throw Routine · 4 min
    Same routine, every time, even when tired.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Guard: Chest and Bounce Pass Targets 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Chest and Bounce Pass Targets · 4 min
    Step in, thumbs down.
  3. Crab Walk Path · 4 min
    Hips high like a crab. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Guard: Active Hands Wall Drill 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Active Hands Wall Drill · 4 min
    Quick hands, not reaching. Stay balanced.
  3. Form Shooting · 4 min
    Elbow in, wrist snap, hold the finish.
  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

Hopscotch Footwork

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

A playground hopscotch course builds quick feet, balance and coordination.

  1. Draw a hopscotch grid with 8 boxes.
  2. Hop on one foot in single boxes and land on two feet in doubles.
  3. Turn at the end and come back.
  4. Do 6 runs, changing your hopping foot each time.

Coach's cue: Light and quick.

Bring: chalk or tape

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

Free Throw Routine

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Create a calm, repeatable free throw routine and track your percentage.

  1. Pick a routine: deep breath, two dribbles, spin the ball, shoot. Use it every time.
  2. Shoot 2 free throws at a time, then rebound and reset.
  3. Take 20 total and record makes.
  4. Finish by making 3 in a row before you stop.

Coach's cue: Same routine, every time, even when tired.

Bring: basketball, hoop

Chest and Bounce Pass Targets

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Hit tape targets on a wall with chest passes and bounce passes.

  1. Tape a square on the wall at chest height.
  2. From 3 big steps away, step and push a chest pass into it.
  3. Then aim bounce passes so they bounce two-thirds of the way and hit the square.
  4. Do 15 of each and count the hits.

Coach's cue: Step in, thumbs down.

Bring: basketball, wall, tape

Crab Walk Path

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Walk like a crab, tummy up, on hands and feet. Builds strong shoulders and hips.

  1. Sit, place hands behind you and feet in front.
  2. Lift your hips off the ground.
  3. Walk forward, backward and sideways along a path.
  4. Do 4 trips of 10 steps.

Coach's cue: Hips high like a crab.

Bring: open space

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Active Hands Wall Drill

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Build quick, active hands that deflect passes without fouling.

  1. Stand 2 feet from a wall in a defensive stance.
  2. Tap the wall quickly with alternating hands for 20 seconds.
  3. Have a partner lightly toss the ball; deflect it with a quick hand, not a swipe.
  4. Do 4 rounds.

Coach's cue: Quick hands, not reaching. Stay balanced.

Bring: basketball, wall

Form Shooting

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Build a repeatable shooting stroke from close range before adding distance.

  1. Stand 3 feet from the hoop, shooting hand under the ball, off hand on the side.
  2. Elbow under the ball, eyes on the front of the rim.
  3. Extend fully and hold your follow-through (wrist "in the cookie jar") until the ball lands.
  4. Make 10 in a row, then step back one big step and repeat.

Coach's cue: Elbow in, wrist snap, hold the finish.

Bring: basketball, hoop

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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