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🏀 Basketball · ages 6–7
Basketball practice plan for 6 and 7 year olds (45 minutes)
Checked · v0.1.0
The whole practice: Warm-up 7 · three drills 24 · water 2 · game 8 · cool-down 4 minutes, for 10 players and 5 balls. Every player is moving in every block, the game comes last, and nobody is ever out.
🏀 Basketball · ages 6–7 · 45 minutes · 10 players · 5 balls
- 0:007 min
Warm-up Warm-up
Jog on the spot, Arm circles, Skipping. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.
- 0:078 min
Drill Ball tricks
X playerO partner or defender— run- - pass∿ dribble
Set up. Everyone in a space of their own, arms out so nobody touches. Gear: a ball each. With your players that is 10 groups of about 1.
- Pass the ball round your waist ten times, then the other way.
- Round one knee, then the other.
- Tap it from hand to hand over your head.
- Bounce it once and catch it with both hands, ten times.
Say: “Fingers spread” · “Eyes up” · “Soft hands”
Easier: Hold the ball in two hands and roll it round your tummy. Harder: Figure eight through the legs without stopping.
- 0:158 min
Drill Partner passing
Set up. Partners face each other three big steps apart, all the pairs side by side. Gear: a ball a pair. With your players that is 5 groups of about 2.
- Chest pass: thumbs behind the ball, step toward your partner and push.
- Ten chest passes, then ten bounce passes that land two thirds of the way.
- Take one step back after every ten.
Say: “Step in” · “Thumbs down” · “Show a target”
Easier: Two steps apart, and catch with the ball hugged to your chest. Harder: Pass with your weaker hand only, or with a second ball going the other way.
- 0:232 min
Water Water break
Everybody drinks, in the shade if there is some.
- 0:258 min
Drill Cone weave
Set up. Five cones in a line, two big steps apart. Groups of three, each player with a ball, starting one after another. Gear: a ball each, five cones or shoes a group. With your players that is 4 groups of about 3.
- Dribble round the cones, in and out, with your right hand.
- Turn at the end and come back with your left.
- Go again as soon as the player ahead reaches the second cone.
Say: “Eyes up” · “Low and soft” · “Other hand back”
Easier: Walk it, and use two cones farther apart. Harder: Switch hands at every cone with a crossover.
- 0:338 min
Game Five-pass keep-away
Set up. Two teams of three or four in half a court. No dribbling. Gear: a ball and pinnies for half the group. With your players that is 2 groups of about 8.
- The team with the ball counts its passes out loud.
- Five passes in a row is a point.
- Defenders may catch a pass in the air, never take the ball from someone's hands.
- Every point, the ball goes to the other team. Swap teams round every three minutes.
Say: “Move to get open” · “Call for it” · “Hands up on defense”
Easier: Three passes is a point, and defenders walk. Harder: Every player has to touch the ball before a point counts.
- 0:414 min
Cool-down Cool-down
Reach for your toes, Butterfly. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.
Every plan here has a water break, two in practices over an hour (our rule). On hot days the CDC says to drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty, to start slowly and build up, and to practice when it is cooler. cdc.gov: Heat and Athletes. Head knocks and concussion: read CDC HEADS UP, the CDC's page for coaches and parents. cdc.gov/heads-up
Why this practice looks like this
Six and seven year olds can dribble and catch, but not both while thinking about anything else. This plan keeps the ball in their hands, adds a partner for passing, and ends in a game where passes score, so the child who cannot shoot yet still helps the team. The guidelines for 7–8 suggest 30–60 minutes, once a week.
The drills are Peabody's own, in plain words, each with a drawing, three short things to say, and an easier and a harder way so one plan fits the whole team. The warm-up and the cool-down come from the Gym, where every move has picture steps a child can follow.
What the guidelines say at 6–7
- At 7–8 the guidelines suggest practices of 30–60 minutes, one a week, and games of four 8-minute periods. Source: NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines.
- For 7–8: a size 5 ball (27.5 inches), an 8-foot basket, equal playing time, player-to-player defense only, no pressing, and no stealing from the dribbler. Source: Youth Basketball Guidelines: Ages 7–8 (PDF).
More practices
Basketball at other ages:
Ages 6–7 in other sports:
Game day: make an equal-play-time lineup, or a bracket for the end-of-season tournament. All the tools are on the coaches' page.