The most important lessons coaching beginning school aged basketball players for school or a traveling team are not about basketball.

Teaching players to be responsible people are the real lessons to learn. Responsiblity includes attending practice on time which helps set the tone not only for basketball practice but have an impact on all future life's activities. Listening to coaches, and being respectful of coaches or team-mates is also a critical responsibility and has everyday applications today and in the future as well. Additionally, sportsmanship, requires that young players win with humility and lose with grace. These traits are not automatic nor learned unless taught and demonstrated by a coach. And yes, the coach can also have a positive influence in terms of grades and school behavior, attitude at home and good citizenship in general.

The most important aspects of basketball, when coaching beginners, are knowing and understanding the rules of the game and skills. Emphasis should be placed on spacing, passing and cutting to give beginning players a feel for playing as a team. The vast majority of beginning coaching drills should be devoted to dribbling drills, shooting drills, and to other basketball drills that teach fundamental skills such as passing, catching, holding and cutting.

All drills should start slow with an emphasis on proper technique. Once proper techniques have been achieved the players should increase their speed but keep up proper technique until they lose ball control or correct form.

Emphasis must be on learning and making proper shooting technique routine. To accomplish this, proper shooting technique, this requires a minimum of twenty minutes designated for practice, no matter how long your practice may last. Shooting properly is one of the most important skills a coach can teach a young player to do.

Finally these are a few thoughts for coaches to consider on poise, confidence, and control. Teach your young players when a mistake is made to recognize the mistake, admit the mistake, learn from it so it does not happen again. Then the player should forget about the mistake so that it does not negatively impact anymore plays or the game.

Make a point to highlight that bad body language (head and shoulders drooped), moping, pouting or displays of anger or disgust with officials or opposing players and other negative behaviors are fertile ground for future failures. Correct these situations anytime they occur in practice, games, or in the locker room.

Coaches can and should be a good role model of poise and self-confidence. Players will feed from you and draw confidence from your mental toughness. Consequently, incorporating these coaching lessons will make beginning drills for basketball players a successful formula for everyone concerned.