Coaching Youth Basketball - Why You Should Teach All The Skills

We have this kid who has been with us for 5 years. When he got to us, he was the least skilled player on the team. He was tall but slow and couldn't handle the ball at all. Most coaches would stick him in the post and let him founder there. We had a different agenda in mind.

We are of the mind that every player will learn all the skills. Guard skills, post up skills - everyone handles in the full court and every has the green light to shoot it. We quickly learned that this one kid brought with him something that no other kid has. He's terribly smart. Like best in his class smart.

So he stayed with us and within a year he was able to handle the ball in the full court. He couldn't beat anyone on the dribble yet because of his speed, but he never turned it over either. He would challenge for a few dribbles, draw a defender, then make a pass that would free up our offense. During this time he continued to work on his post up skills and guard skills.

He developed a jump shot and some nifty ball moves. Long story short, this kid has the potential to drop 30 on anybody any day. Now, let's be clear. He did all the hard work. We just guided him and pushed him when he needed it. But he did the work.