How do I help my 11-12 year olds to focus?

How do I help my 11-12 year olds to focus?

during a game or training?

this is always a tough one for even at older levels, unless the players are hungry for the ball and understand that there is a need to watch the ball coming down the court to be able to learn to "read" and "anticipate" plays, then even an ant will be more interesting.

my advise during training, keep the drills short and relevent and age appropriate.  kids at that age are very goal focussed, so have a scoring system, or a system where if they drop the ball they must perform a certain exercise like running or burpees.  keep it simple and as much as you can fun.

as for during the game give them jobs to do.  your not to go any further than this point if you dont have the ball, or stay in this area or stick with your player.  anything for them to be able to focus on while they arent in active play.

the other option is to have a reward system for the person he is the most focussed during training or games. funny what kids will do for a kitkat.

To make them focus threaten them to go for a run or do some planks or sit ups or push ups. I know that works for my team. It also makes them fit and should make them listen. Hope this works.