Basketball Coaching Guide 2024Planning

PlanningPreseason Planning

Improve your knowledge of basketball and of coaching athletes with intellectual disabilities by accessing the resources available in your local program and on the Special Olympics International website.

Locate a facility that will accommodate your athletes’ needs (school, YMCA, church, playground, etc.).

Secure the proper equipment.

Recruit and orient volunteer assistant coaches.

Recruit assistance providing athletes’ transportation to and from practice.

Schedule two or more practices per week for at least eight weeks before a major tournament or National/State Games.

Schedule scrimmages and games against local teams before National/State Games.

Ensure that all athletes have been medically approved before the first practice.

Obtain medical and parental releases.

Establish goals and develop a plan for the season.

What must your athletes be able to do by their first game?

When do you introduce those skills?

How will you build upon them?

In-Season Planning

Use skills assessments to identify each athlete’s skill level and to record each athlete’s progress throughout the season.

Assess the team’s abilities:

How many athletes can play one-on-one?

How many athletes can work with teammates (two-on-two)?

How many athletes can run the floor and control the ball (fast break)?

How many athletes can offer pressure defense: half court, full court?

Design an eight-week training program, such as the one suggested for a beginning program that follows.

Plan and modify each session according to what needs to be accomplished.

Design or use drills based on your needs:

Directly relate drills to your offensive and defensive systems.

Keep everyone busy.

Be simple and specific.

Reinforce proper technique.

Keep drills short and intense (no shorter than 30 seconds, no longer than 10 minutes).

Add progressions and demands to familiar drills as skills increase.

Contribute to more than one aspect of the game when possible.

Emphasize conditioning as skill is learned.

Involve offense and defense (one area may be emphasized, but not at expense of other).

Develop skills by progressively increasing difficulty.

Perform the skill.

Perform the skill a certain number of times.

Count the number of times the skill is done in a prescribed time.

Require the skill to be done a minimum number of times in a prescribed amount of time.

Add an opponent and play, but emphasize the skill and enforce the rules.

Play and reach a prescribed goal (time or frequency).

Add more players (encourage competition and cooperation).

Add conditions that must be met within the play.

Introduce game concepts according to readiness level and development; modify the implementation schedule as needed.

Essential Components of Planning a Basketball Training SessionEach training session needs to contain the same essential elements. The amount of time spent on each element will depend on the goal of the training session, the time of season, and the amount of time available for a particular session. The following elements need to be included in an athlete’s daily training program. Please refer to the noted sections in each area for more in-depth information and guidance on these topics.
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The final step in planning a training session is designing what the athlete is actually going to do. Remember when creating a training session to allow for a gradual buildup of physical activity.

Easy to difficult

Slow to fast

Known to unknown

General to specific

Start to finish

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