Number Wars 1 vs 1 (X vs X) Full-Court Game Basketball Drill

This is one of my favorite one vs one games on the full court for kids. A simple basketball drill for kids and even the older ones can be fun and useful. It is very simple, split your team into 2 groups. Give each player a partner/adversary and both of them have the same number as shown in the picture. If you have an uneven number give a kid 2 numbers to play twice against the kid without a partner. The goal is when the coach who is in the middle calls out your number you rush to grab the ball and play 1v1 until someone scores or within the time limit depending on how much time you have on practice. All players are sitting while waiting or you can do other things to make sure they don’t start earlier (like with the back to the coach or something similar).

Coaching Points:

To make sure everyone knows their number makes them first only touch the ball when calling out their number before playing 1v1.
Make sure kids don’t stall and attack constantly.

Author Profile

Srdjan Solkotovic

I am an international basketball coach, working around the globe spreading the love of basketball one country at a time. So far I worked in Serbia, China, and Romania, working as a youth and senior coach, creating camps, working individually with players preparing them for senior teams or USA college, and trying to work my way to the top. Currently working on getting my FIBA coaching license, while I am in possession of a Serbian Blue Coaching License and a Romanian "A" Coaching license.