Dribbling

• Many middle school athletes are playing with regulation-size basketballs for the first time, but they have middle-school sized hands. That leads to a lot of dribbling balls off of feet, knees and elbows (often their own). Coaches can curtail this by incorporating a wide variety of ball-handling drills in practice. That includes having players dribble between their legs in a "figure eight" motion, as well as having them dribble while sprinting the full length of the court (right hand one way, left hand back). A key is to make sure players keep their heads up and not look down while dribbling.
  
  

Shooting

• Most middle schoolers have the strength to hit the rim and make baskets when shooting, usually from 15-feet away and beyond. But middle school kids often don't use proper form, making this a critical area for coaches. Players must be taught to keep their elbows in and hands under the ball when shooting, making an L shape, and using their weak hand as a guide on the side of the ball. It is also imperative that players be taught to focus on the rim (either front or back) and follow through. This can be accomplished via numerous shooting drills, including baseline jump shots and free throws.
  
  

Passing

• Middle school players are gaining strength and endurance as they grow, allowing them to pass the ball with purpose. It is at this level they can further develop two-handed chest passes, bounce passes and long outlet passes. Coaches can assist this process by instituting drills in which players stand 6-to-10 feet from a wall and attempt to hit a target as many times as possible in a minute, using both bounce and chest passes. Another drill is to have two players stand 10 feet apart, passing the ball to each other with a defender in the middle.
  
  

Defense

• Defense is often an afterthought to young teens (and even grown-ups), mostly because it takes discipline and determination to do it well. Basically, most basketball players realize that glory usually results from scoring points. Still, coaches need to stress the idea of players bending their knees and shuffling their feet when they don't have the ball. One way to do this is to have players crouch into a defensive position and slide from side to side, and front to back.
  
  

Rebounding

• Grabbing the ball off the backboard after a missed shot is something that regularly happens by accident at the middle school level. But coaches can fix that by teaching players a variety of drills focused on showing players how to box out on defense and follow their shots on offense.