Fun Games for Youth Basketball: Shootout

To begin, you need to pick out five or six spots upon the court that players will have to shoot from; i.e., each low block,right and left elbow, free-throw line, or any other spot you designate. It would be good to mark the spots at other places upon the court with an X using masking tape. The spot where the shot will be taken from is at your discretion. Only make sure that it is a spot that your players have a reasonable chance of making the shot. If you are coaching 2nd-4th graders, it wouldn't be a good idea to ever get much over 8-10 ft out. We would recommend beginning this game from close in, working their way further out as game progresses. We will normally start this game out at either low-block. It will surprise you how many you have out just from this one place before turn is through.

Once you have picked the spots from which the players will take their shots, have them line up single file behind at the first one. Give the first player in line the ball. On whistle that player will shoot. If he/she makes shot they will move to the back of the line. If they miss they will be out. Do this from first spot until you are back around to the player who started, them move on to next position and repeat. Your numbers should start dropping dramatically with each new spot. Continue like this until there is only one player left who will be deemed the Shootout Champion. In the case that you get through all the spots and still have more than one player left, or everyone who is left misses from a designated area, then you will have to go into sudden death and make it a hair more complicated.

We would solve this by giving each player left a ball, and a set spot on the court an equal distance away from the goal. The first player to make five shots from their spot earns the title!