Skip & Slide
Warm-up
Warm up hips and lateral movement.
5 min any Full court
FootworkU8U10U12U14U16
Press play
OffenseDefenseBall / cone Move Pass
What this drill teaches
All four game movements — skip, slide, backpedal, sprint — chained in one lap, so the body learns to switch between them smoothly. Games never let you run one way for long.
In games: Transition defence is built on changing movement mid-stride — the player who flips from sprint to slide without stumbling doesn't get beaten back down the floor.
What good looks like
- Low slides with feet never crossing
- Smooth switches between movements, no stopping to reset
- Arms driving on the skips and sprints
U8–U10: halve the distance and expect crossed feet on slides. U14–U16: expect low, quick slides and add the carioca and sprint-to-slide reaction.
Setup
Players on the baseline facing up court.
Steps
- 1Skip to the free-throw line, arms driving.
- 2Defensive slide to half court, staying low.
- 3Backpedal to the next line.
- 4Sprint the rest and jog back.
Coaching points
- Stay low on the slides.
- Don't cross your feet.
- Smooth transitions between movements.
Why kids love it
Covers all the movement patterns kids need in a game, in one quick lap.
Variations
Harder
Add a carioca and a sprint-to-slide reaction.
Easier
Halve the distance — do the whole sequence from baseline to half court.