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Running a Youth Basketball Camp! Even if you have never run a youth basketball camp before, don’t worry, we’re here to give you enough information to get you started in the right direction. Take a look at the information below and feel free to add or take away to make it fit your style of teaching (coaching). Use the information as a guide, or use it as it is written – it’s up to you… Important things to remember to run a successful camp... "GETTING STARTED" First - Pick an age group and gender - just boys, just girls, or both? Do you want to run a camp for really young players? Elementary school players? Middle school players? or even High School players? If you are running a camp for the local recreation center, you may not have to make this choice – it may already be made for you. Caution about the really young players. Be careful not to pick age groups that are too young (like 5, 6 and even 7 year olds), you may spend more time babysitting than teaching basketball. Remember you are running this camp to teach basketball to the youth of the community, and you need to be able to do this without the distraction of having to babysit and / or focus most of your attention on one or two unruly campers – remember all the campers need your attention… Important Note on Insurance: If you are not running the camp through a recreation center or basketball club, then you are going to have to look into getting some liability insurance prior to holding the camp. It is not as expensive as you think. There are many insurance companies out there that can provide you with liability insurance, but it is easier just to use companies that specialize in youth sports insurance. Most of these companies can give you a very good deal (but you may find a better deal if you shop around).Here are a couple of Youth Sports Insurance providers: Second - Start getting organized. Once you know the age groups / gender its time to start planning the camp activities. Below is a sample “Checklist” that I used to plan and organize a camp (so I wouldn’t forget anything). SAMPLE BASKETBALL CAMP CHECKLIST 1) Print out all Camp related Paperwork, phone # list, etc. 2) Bring the Following: - Whistles (make sure all your assistants have whistles also)
- Stopwatch
- Clipboards
- Pens / Pencils
- Pump and Needles for the basketballs
- Basketballs (its best to allow for 1 basketball per player)
- Cones
- Pennies / Practice Jerseys (enough to cover the number of teams)
3) Follow up with the person / persons assisting with the camp, are they ready to go? Do they understand their roles, let them know what time they need to be there, what to bring, etc. 4) Follow up with the gym coordinator (person who is in charge of the gym): - Baskets down (and at the right heights)
- Score clock ready (and working)
- Small table for the score clock
- Area to use for breaks, lunch (if needed) – will campers bring a lunch?
- Emergency procedures, phone numbers, etc.
- Are there vending machines available, etc.
5) Follow up with the Recreation Center – Can you get the roster early? Or even a partial Roster? If yes, start logging in the participants names on the camp lists, logs, etc. (try to do this early). Are you familiar with the basketball gym? Do you know how many baskets there are? Where the restrooms are located? It would be very beneficial to visit the gym in advance. 6) Plan first day of camp (see next step below), have some time at the beginning to allow the campers to get comfortable with other campers, the coaches, etc. Use this time to get acquainted with the campers – ask them their names, ask how they are doing – so they don’t feel so intimidated… 7) Drills – Basic skills to work on for beginners. - Jumping – teach the proper way to jump.
- Catching – teach the proper way to catch the ball.
- Passing – teach the basics of the bounce pass, and chest passes.
- Footwork – show basic footwork drills.
- Ball Handling (basic) – I always start the camp off each day with ball handling.
- Shooting – teach the basics of shooting.
- Lay Ups – teach the basics of the lay up.
- Basic defense (moving side to side, keeping their hands up)
Just a short list of drills to get you started, add or delete drills and skill work as you need to, its your camp, do what you are comfortable doing…just make sure the drills fit the age group you are having the camp for! 8) Games – Plan how you will run the games: - Girls vs. Boys, Girls vs. Girls, Boys vs. Boys
- Mix the Girls and Boys
- How long will the game be played (quarters, half, etc.)
- Plan player rotation (be fair, allow all players to play).
- Ages? Some players too young, too old, separate wisely.
9) First Aid Kit – Be ready for some basic care if needed. Have a emergency plan ready (just in case). 10) Awards for competitions – Make sure you get some awards, certificates, t-shirts, etc if you are planning to have individual or team competitions during your camp (the players love to get awards at the end of the camp). Third - Start Planning. Now the fun begins. It’s time to start planning the camp activities. Below is a sample “Camp Practice Plan” that I used to plan my camps with. 1) Role Call: Run 2 Laps, Stretching exercises - teach the importance of stretching, and make sure that they do it correctly. 2) Ball Handling: Teach proper stance, techniques first… 3) Passing Drills: Teach the players to look the ball into their hands when they catch it. 4) Shooting Basics / Drills: - Basic form (follow through / reach in cookie jar) – no basketball
- Practice shot using basic form – with basketball
- Shooting Competition – 2 lines, first team to 10.
- Basics of the Free Throw
- Basics of the Lay-Up (2 steps and up, etc)
5) Review of Basic Basketball Fundamentals: - Traveling, Double Dribble, etc.
- Triple Threat Position CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO CLIP!
- Using a Pivot Foot
- Fouling – How many you get, don’t reach, etc.
6) Defense Basics: 7) One on One Competitions: (explain the basics, keep track) – CLICK HERE FOR HANDOUT! 8) Hot Shot Contest: (how many baskets in a one minute period) Lots of fun for the campers – CLICK HERE FOR HANDOUT! 9) Knock Out: (a fun game to break up the day a little) CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO CLIP! 10) Competition / Games: – Make up the teams, player rotation, etc. Have the players come up with their own team names, get them involved. CLICK HERE FOR HANDOUT! 11) End the day with a “cheer” at mid court: Great job, etc. Fourth - Other Notes, During the Camp, Etc. Once the camp gets started, use these suggestions to help make it an awesome experience for all the campers! 1. Be energetic, and show the campers that basketball can be fun! 2. Don’t show favoritism to any one camper, treat all campers the same. 3. Have a plan in place for dealing with any unruly campers, campers that get homesick, or campers that just don’t want to be there. 4. Make sure you have cell phone numbers of all the parents in case of emergencies. 5. Keep up the pace – don’t slow down, keep things flowing and you’ll spend less time babysitting. 6. Make sure to plan water breaks, and most importantly bathroom breaks into your schedule. 7. Lunch Breaks (if applicable) - If you are holding an all day camp, make sure that the campers bring their lunches with them. And, if you have a lot of younger campers it may be a good idea to show a movie during lunch time to keep them from getting distracted after they are done eating. 8. Take notes at the end of the day – what could you have done differently (or better?), what worked, what didn’t work, what was missing, did you forget something, did I forget to mention something? You get the picture – understanding what went well, and what didn’t go so well can only assist you with making any future camps even more successful than your first one… Running a youth basketball camp can be very rewarding, lots of fun, and make you or your basketball club a good amount of money. The campers are paying for quality instruction, and want to have a fun experience – it’s your job to ensure that this happens. If you organize and plan early enough, you will have a successful camp. Good luck!
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Running a Youth Camp 
