The Problem: Too many turnovers!  There are LOTS of causes of turnovers at the youth level, including:

• Over dribbling (especially dribbling slowly into traffic, or always to the same side)
• Poor passing (slow/high passes to teammates that are far away, “telegraphing” passes when the passer stares at the receiver and makes it obvious he is going to pass to that teammate)
• Not being strong with the ball: letting the defense take it away from you or “tie you up” (a.k.a. Held Ball)
• Unforced errors (travelling, stepping out of bounds, etc)
• Lack of moving without the ball, waiting for “my turn with the ball” and making it easy for the defense to steal passes

Strategies: Encourage shorter passes, more movement without the ball, and less dribbling

• Teaching what a good pass is (open man, open passing lane, nearby)
• Passing with 2 hands instead of 1, and receivers stepping towards the catch
• Make passing easier by: using pass fakes in triple threat, and dribble/drives to create space to pass
• Input rules on offense: No standing still for more than 2 seconds in the same spot, must move after passing (cut to the hoop, go set a screen, etc.), don’t dribble for no reason (and then don’t pull up dribble until you “have a plan”).

Something to Try: One of our favorites, No Dribble Half Court Game, can help your team understand moving without the ball to get open. Also, during scrimmages coaches can require a specific number of passes (ex: 5 passes) before anyone can shoot, or can require players to move the ball into the key and then back to the top of the key before shooting is allowed (gaining experience moving the ball but protecting it).  A few more advanced Drills to try that are fun and effective include: Basketball Super Bowl, 25 Passes