My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers.
- Youth Basketball Resources
- Coaching Books: A list of useful coach books with reviews.
- Youth Basketball by Grade
- Youth Basketball Year: Click on this link to find ideas for each month.
- Basketball Jokes: Why did the basketball player go to jail?… Because he shot the ball!
Youth Basketball Playing Time Spectrum
With a 10-man team, there are many different ways to substitute the players. The following is one idea for travel teams that have a 25% minimum playing time requirement. The substitution rotation allocates playing time based on skill level.
All teams, have players who possess average, above average, and below average talent. Players are divided into these categories and ranked from 1 – 10. It is also best if the “paired” players are similar positions. The players will ALWAYS substitute for each other. The coach will determine the amount of playing time.
The following is the breakdown of playing time. Coaches can adjust the time based on talent level. Pair the players based on talent. Here is one option of pairing players to divide playing time.
#1 Player #10 Player
#2 Player #9 Player
#3 Player #8 Player
#4 Player #7 Player
#5 Player #6 Player
The coach can determines the playing time breakdown for an 8:00 quarter. The smaller the talent gap, the closer the playing time. This is based on a league with a minimum requirement of 25% (2 minutes per quarter).
Once a game is decide a coach may decide to divide the team into 2 even groups. (Players on the bench).
8:00
#1 Player (#10 Player)
#2 Player (#9 Player)
#3 Player (#7 Player)
#4 Player (#4 Player)
#5 Player (#6 Player)
4:30
#10 Player (sub for #1 Player)
#9 Player (sub for #2 Player)
#3 Player (#8 Player)
#4 Player (#7 Player)
#5 Player (#6 Player)
4:00
#10 Player (#1 Player)
#9 Player (#2 Player)
#3 Player (#8 Player)
#4 Player (#7 Player)
#6 Player (sub #5 Player )
3:00
#10 Player (#1 Player)
#9 Player (#2 Player)
#8 Player (sub for #3 Player)
#7 Player (sub for #4 Player)
#6 Player (#5 Player)
2:00
#1 Player (sub for #10 Player)
#2 Player (sub for #9 Player)
#8 Player (#3 Player)
#7 Player (#4 Player)
#6 Player (#5 Player)
Player Rank Playing time %
Players 1 & 2 5:30 68.75%
Players 3 & 4 5:00 62.5%
Players 5 & 6 4:00 50%
Players 7 & 8 3:00 37.5%
Players 9 & 10 2:30 31.25%