Essential Tips for Running Youth Sports Practices

Youth sports practices bring your team together once, twice, or even multiple times a week to learn and grow. Drills are practiced, bonds are formed, and essential physical & mental skills are developed—shaping strong and confident athletes.

Therefore, with each practice, you want to incorporate game-based learning, challenge your players, provide constructive feedback, and keep safety front & center. This balanced approach ensures your youth sports practices are both productive and enjoyable. Let’s look at the specifics below!

Add Game-based Learning

Incorporate a mix of game-based drills into your practices to boost engagement, enhance skill retention, and, most importantly, prevent burnout and stress. Remember, practices should be as fun as they are challenging—a balanced formula for developing youth athletes.

Below are a few examples of game-based drills that combine fun with skill development:

• “Coach says” – A coach will give a command, such as “Serve” (in volleyball), “Catch” (in baseball) or “Pass” (in hockey). Players will only follow instructions if “Coach says” is included in the command.
  
• Target smash (volleyball)- Use tape to set outline targets on one side of the court. Have your players take turns serving the ball into one of the targets. *For added challenge, each target can have different points. After a few turns, add up the scores of each player and crown the winner.
  
• King of the ring (soccer)- Outline a 20×20 grid with pylons. Have all players dribble inside the grid, while simultaneously trying to knock out their opponents’ balls. If a player gets knocked out of the grid, they will have to perform a conditioning drill (set by the coach) for 1 minute before re-entering.
  
• Captain and pirates (hockey)- Split your players into two teams. One team will be “captains” and the other team will be “pirates.” The “pirates” will skate around, trying to steal possession of the puck from the “captains”. If/when a captain has their puck stolen, they must sit out for the remainder of the drill. The last captain standing wins the game.
  
• Sharks & minnows (football)- Assign your players to two teams. 3-4 players will be “sharks,” and the rest of your players will be “minnows.” The “sharks” will try to pull flags off “minnows” while both teams run across the entire field. The tagged players will then become sharks.
  
• Points on the clock (basketball)- Split players into two teams, forming two lines on one end of the court. The first two players from each team will dribble to the net & attempt to shoot. The first player to shoot wins a “point” for their team.

Provide Constructive Feedback

“Johnny, you need to work on improving your dribbling.” This statement is often verbalized at practices—vague and lacking any actionable guidance. However, how can Johnny improve if he doesn’t know the specific aspects of dribbling he needs to work on?

Many coaches veer away from providing constructive feedback to youth players, as they believe it will be perceived negatively: athletes might think poorly of themselves, lose confidence, and eventually hit a mental block. However, when constructive feedback is provided effectively, it can actually be more beneficial for performance than positive feedback.

One effective way to provide constructive feedback is through SkillShark’s report cards. Let’s look at the steps below:

1. Set up an evaluation template with the skills you want to score your players on at any given practice.
2. Access your evaluation template with the SkillShark app, and evaluate players on your mobile phone or tablet.
   • Alongside scores, provide comments (if applicable) to help your athletes learn how they can further improve on a skill. I.e., “Johnny needs to focus on keeping the ball close when he is dribbling. This will help him maintain possession and effectively maneuver through tight spaces.” 
3. Send a personalized report card to each athlete after practice. This displays their score for each skill evaluated, along with any comments that were added.

What are the benefits of providing athletes with constructive feedback?

Running through drills, following instructions, and focusing on physical performance are enough tasks for youth athletes to juggle during any given practice. Incorporating written feedback helps reduce cognitive overload, as athletes can review and reference comments anytime in SkillShark—ideally when they’re more focused and relaxed. And, this calm setting reinforces the message while supporting long-term retention

Athlete report card in SkillShark

Incorporate Partner Drills

Dedicate part of each practice to pairing up players for a series of partner drills. Let’s walk through a few benefits of conducting partner drills below:

• Enhanced skill development- Due to its repetitive nature, partner drills help athletes improve their endurance, coordination, power, and technique.
• Immediate feedback- As a coach, you won’t always be able to provide feedback to every athlete on every drill. Partners can offer real-time corrections or observations to help out their peers.
• Improved communication- Partner drills create opportunities for each player to practice active listening, empathy, and problem solving—all key components of good communication.

Encourage Player Decision Making

Decision making involves an athlete deciding the best course of action in a given situation, often under time pressure. The best way to build their decision-making skills? Challenge your youth players with a “what-if” scenario as they are performing the drill.

For example, as one of your players is dribbling towards the basket, ask them, “What if defense were to suddenly cover you from the front and back, what would you do?” This “what-if” scenario encourages athletes to think on the spot, mentally work through the problem, and then communicate a quick solution.

It is never too early to help your players develop their critical thinking skills!

Prioritize Safety

Completing injury prevention training, leveraging age-appropriate drills, and incorporating a warm-up and cool-down are good starting points when it comes to prioritizing safety. However, what else could you be doing to help your athletes feel comfortable and safe throughout the season? Let’s look at a few examples:

1) Reduce emotional impact- When athletes are feeling their best, they will perform their best. To ensure athletes are in a healthy mindset, discuss tips to reduce anxiety, pressure, or “fear of failure” before and/or after practice. Some tips include:

• Encourage athletes to set realistic goals (following the SMART goals guideline).
• Teach relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or visualization exercises.
• List positive affirmations your athletes can repeat to themselves, such as “I am prepared,” or “I will perform my best.”

2) Reinforce respect and sportsmanship- Whether it’s a locker room talk or a cool-down speech, frequently discuss “why” and “how” players should care for their teammates. Additionally, have strict policies for respect and sportsmanship in your code of conduct. If any athlete(s) were to break the rules, they should immediately be suspended or expelled from the team.

3) Have an open-door communication policy- Make yourself approachable by hosting office hours after your practices. Even if it means staying an extra 10–20 minutes, let it be known that you’re always available to talk. Whether it’s about an injury, conflict with another athlete, or feelings of intense stress/pressure, making yourself open to chat will help athletes feel safe and welcomed.

Wrapping Up

Incorporating partner drills, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging player decision-making are just a few key strategies for running effective youth sports practices. These strategies not only help your athletes learn & grow, but they also foster confidence, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of the game.