18U basketball practice plans (ages 17 and 18)

Basketball Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: dribble in place with each hand, then dribble the length of the court and back at jogging pace; finish with 10 close-range form shots.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Euro-Step Introduction 10 min

1. Place a cone near the lane as your "defender".
2. Catch or dribble, then take a long step to one side of the cone.
3. Take a long second step to the other side, ball protected on the far side of the body.
4. Finish with a layup. Do 5 slow reps per side, then 5 at speed.

Coaching point: Two long steps. Protect the ball. Balance first.

Chair Attack Combos 12 min

1. Set a chair at the top of the key.
2. Dribble at it and use a two-move combo: crossover then between the legs.
3. Explode past it with your eyes up and finish at the rim.
4. Do 12 reps, changing the combo every 3.

Coaching point: Sell the first move, explode on the second.

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.

Pick-and-Roll Footwork 14 min

1. Ball handler starts at the top. Screener sets up next to a cone.
2. Ball handler dribbles off the screener, shoulder to shoulder.
3. Screener rolls to the basket with hands ready.
4. Ball handler decides: shoot, pass to the roller, or keep dribbling. 8 reps each side.

Coaching point: Wait for the screen. Brush shoulders. Read the defender.

Five-Ten-Five Technique Rehearsal 15 min

1. Set three cones in a line, 5 yards apart; start at the middle one.
2. Run 5 yards right, touch the line with your outside hand, turn low.
3. Run 10 yards to the far cone, touch, turn, run 5 back through the middle.
4. Do 3 walk-throughs, 3 at three-quarter speed, then 2 timed with full rest.

Coaching point: Low turn, push off the outside foot.

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Basketball Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 4 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Shoulder: bring one arm across your chest and hold it gently above the elbow with the other hand. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Side lunge: feet wide, bend one knee and sit toward it, the other leg straight and toes pointing forward. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Basketball Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 7 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: dribble in place with each hand, then dribble the length of the court and back at jogging pace; finish with 10 close-range form shots.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Guarding a Ball Screen 16 min

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

Coaching point: Talk early, stay attached.

Safety: For ages 14 and up. Go at walking pace first. Any body-to-body contact is only with a coach watching and a partner your size.

Box Out and Outlet 2v2 16 min

1. A coach shoots; the defenders each find a player and box out.
2. The one nearest the ball grabs it and chins it.
3. Pivot outside and pass to a guard on the sideline.
4. Do 12 reps and swap teams.

Coaching point: Box, grab, pivot, outlet.

Safety: For ages 14 and up. Go at walking pace first. Any body-to-body contact is only with a coach watching and a partner your size.

Court-Length Shuttles 16 min

1. Start on the baseline. Sprint to the free-throw line and back.
2. Sprint to half court and back, then to the far free-throw line and back, then the far baseline and back.
3. Rest 60 to 90 seconds.
4. Do 3 rounds (2 for beginners).

Coaching point: Touch the line, turn fast, push again.

Safety: Warm up first and drink water. Stop if you feel dizzy.

Basketball Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Shoulder: bring one arm across your chest and hold it gently above the elbow with the other hand. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Side lunge: feet wide, bend one knee and sit toward it, the other leg straight and toes pointing forward. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.