U9 basketball drills
Fun, simple basketball drills for U9 players (ages 7–8): 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.
Two-Ball Stationary Dribbling
Stationary two-ball series to build weak-hand strength and rhythm.
Zig-Zag Dribble
Full-court change-of-direction dribbling between staggered cones.
Defensive Slide Lane Drill
Slide, backpedal, slide, sprint around the lane — the classic defensive conditioning box.
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.
21
Every player for themselves: 2 points for a basket, then free throws worth 1; first to exactly 21.
3-on-3 Winners Stay
Half-court 3-on-3 games to 3 baskets; the winning team stays on, the next team comes in.
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.
King of the Court
1-on-1 winner stays: score to stay on, losers go to the back of the line.
Knockout
The classic elimination shooting game from the free-throw line.
Four-Corner Passing
Lines in the four corners of the half court; pass, follow your pass, and catch on the move.
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.
Star Passing
Pass and follow around a five-point star — sharp passes on the move.
Circle Box-Out
Ball in the middle of the circle; defenders keep their player off it for 3–5 seconds.
Around the World
Shoot from five spots around the arc; make it to move on.
Beat the Pro
Shooting game against an imaginary pro: +1 for a make, the pro gets +2 for a miss. First to 11.
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.
One-Minute Partner Shooting
Shoot for 60 seconds from one area while your partner rebounds and passes; count makes, then switch.
Two-Minute Team Shooting
Groups at each basket shoot from five spots for two minutes; team target of combined makes.
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 U9 and the app shows the drills that suit them first. Free forever, no card needed.