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Basketball Practice Plan Template

Pick the length, age group, players and focus and get a timed practice plan you can print.

Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded

Basketball Practice Plan Template is a free tool that builds a timed practice plan and prints it as a one-page sheet. Choose how long the practice is, the age group, how many players you have and what to work on, and the tool lays out a warm-up, skill blocks, a team part, a scrimmage and water breaks from 29 drills. Each drill has its setup, three steps and the coaching points. Add the team name and the theme of the day, then print the sheet or save it as a PDF. It runs in your browser, needs no sign-up and uploads nothing.
Basketball practice plan template example

How to use the Basketball Practice Plan Template

  1. Choose the length of the practice: 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 or 120 minutes.
  2. Choose the age group: 5 to 7, 8 to 10 or 11 to 14.
  3. Type how many players you expect. Drills that need more players than you have are left out.
  4. Tap the skills you want to work on, such as ball handling, shooting or defense. Leave them all off for a mix.
  5. Optional: type the start time, for example 6:00 PM, and the clock times appear in the plan. Type your team name and the theme of the day for the sheet.
  6. Read the plan and the drill cards. Press Different drills if you want other drills with the same shape.
  7. Press Download PDF to save the one-page sheet, or Print to send it to your printer. The Copy link button saves your settings in a link.

The sheet has a time column, the minutes, the part of practice, the drill, the coaching points and an equipment line at the bottom, with empty rows so you can add notes by hand. Print it before you leave home and keep it on a clipboard, so you can tick the drills you finished and write what to repeat next week. If the gym time is cut short, drop the last skill block first and keep the warm-up and the scrimmage.

How long should a basketball practice be?

Match the length to the age of the players. Our default shape is an hour for most youth teams, 45 minutes or less for the youngest players and up to 90 minutes for teenagers. Short sessions with more variety work better than long ones for beginners, because young players lose focus when one drill goes on too long.

What goes into a basketball practice plan?

The plan this tool builds follows a simple coaching rule of thumb, not an official standard. About 15% of the time goes to a warm-up of easy movement and ball skills, then the skill blocks you picked, about 15% to a team part where you teach one play or one rule, and about 20 to 25% to a game-like scrimmage at the end. A two-minute water break is added about every 25 minutes. Keep the same shape from week to week and change only the drills, so players know what comes next.

What does a 60-minute plan look like?

For 10 players aged 8 to 10 the tool gives a shape like this: 10 minutes of warm-up, three skill blocks of about 10, 5 and 6 minutes on the skills you picked, a two-minute water break after about 20 minutes, a 10-minute team part with a play walk-through, a second water break, and a 15-minute scrimmage. The numbers change with the length and the age group, and the minutes always add up to the length you chose.

How many drills should one practice have?

Four to six. A drill should last long enough for every player to get many repetitions but not so long that the group gets bored. Repeat the drills that worked the week before, because players improve by doing the same skill again, and change one or two drills so that practice stays fresh.

How do you plan a practice for different ages?

Younger players need short drills, a ball for everyone and games that look like tag. From 8 to 10 years add passing in pairs, form shooting and simple defensive stance work. From 11 to 14 years add closeouts, box outs and a 4-on-4 shell drill. If you have fewer players, drills that need many players are dropped and smaller games such as 3-on-3, 2-on-2 and 1-on-1 take their place for the team part and the scrimmage.

Frequently asked questions

Is the practice plan template free and do I need an account?

Yes, it is free and needs no sign-up. Nothing you type is uploaded.

Can I print it or save it as a PDF?

Yes. Press Print for your printer or Download PDF to save the file. The sheet is one page on Letter or A4.

What equipment do I need?

A ball for every player or every pair is the most useful, plus cones for the dribbling and shooting drills. Most drills need nothing else, and the sheet has an equipment line where you can write what to bring.

How many drills are there?

There are 29 drills in the plan builder. Each has a setup, three steps and the coaching points.

Can I choose the drills myself?

Not yet. Pick the focus skills and press Different drills until you like the plan. Write changes on the printed sheet.

Does it work for a small group?

Yes. Enter the number of players you have and drills that need more players than that are left out.

Can I use what I make here commercially?

Yes. Sheets, cards, diagrams and PDFs you make with this tool are yours to print, hand out, sell or put in your own products, such as a coaching book on KDP or a printable on Etsy, with no credit needed. You may not copy the tool or the site itself; see the terms.