Red Light, Green Light

Warm-up

Teach control and stopping under control while dribbling.

6 min 4–12 Full court · dual
Ball-handlingU8U10
Press play
OffenseDefenseBall / cone Move Pass
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Setup

Players line up on the baseline, each with a ball. Coach stands at half court facing away.

Steps

  1. 1'Green light' — players dribble forward toward the coach.
  2. 2'Red light' — players must stop on a jump stop and freeze their dribble (hold the ball).
  3. 3Anyone still moving on red goes back a few steps.
  4. 4First to reach the coach under control wins and becomes the caller.

Coaching points

  • Jump stop = land on two feet, balanced.
  • Stay low, ball protected.
  • Control beats speed — you can't win by being wild.

Why kids love it

A playground classic they already know. The 'freeze' moment gets giggles and teaches a real skill (the jump stop) without a lecture.

Variations

Harder

Add 'yellow light' = crossover in place, 'purple light' = spin move.