U8 basketball drills
Fun, simple basketball drills for U8 players (ages 6–7): ball handling, layups, passing and games that keep young players moving and smiling.
Ball Wraps & Figure 8s
Stationary ball-control series: head, waist and knee wraps, then figure 8s through the legs.
Full-Court Speed Dribble
Lines on the baseline push the ball the length of the floor with 3–4 dribbles per half court.
Zig-Zag Dribble
Full-court change-of-direction dribbling between staggered cones.
Defensive Zig-Zag Slides
Slide, drop-step and slide again the length of the floor in a zig-zag, staying in a low stance.
Mikan Drill
Continuous alternating layups under the rim to build touch and footwork with both hands.
Weak-Hand Layup Series
Dribble with the weak hand around a cone at the wing and finish with the weak hand every rep.
Dribble Knockout
Everyone dribbles inside the circle or key and tries to knock others' balls away while keeping their own.
Hot Shot
Shoot from marked spots worth different points in 60 seconds — highest score wins.
Knockout
The classic elimination shooting game from the free-throw line.
Give and Go
Pass to the wing, V-cut to the basket and get it back for a layup.
Keep-Away (3-on-1 / 4-on-2)
Passers in a small square keep the ball away from the defender(s) in the middle without dribbling.
Partner Passing
Partners 12–15 feet apart cycling chest, bounce and overhead passes.
Circle Box-Out
Ball in the middle of the circle; defenders keep their player off it for 3–5 seconds.
Form Shooting
One-hand shots close to the rim to groove a repeatable release before moving out.
Free-Throw Routine
Build a repeatable routine: shoot in sets of two, partner rebounds and records.
Dribble Tag
Everyone dribbles inside the half court; taggers try to tag players or knock their ball away.
Dynamic Warm-up Lines
Four lines moving baseline to half court through a dynamic movement series.
Partner Mirror Warm-up
Partners face each other in a stance; one leads, the other mirrors slides, drops and sprints.
Two-Line Layups
The classic pre-practice layup lines: one line shoots, one line rebounds, then switch.
Set your team to U8 and the app shows the drills that suit them first. Free forever, no card needed.