Teach Your Kid Basketball
The How, What, and Why of Basketball
Basketball is one of the most popular sports worldwide, played in over 200 countries. Known for its fast pace and exciting, continuous action, it appeals to children and adults alike. Easy to learn and inexpensive to get started, basketball is a great sport to teach your child at home or in the park.
Before we look at Skills, Drills, or Finding Your Local Basketball Club, let’s find out a bit more about the sport.
how to Play Basketball
The goal of basketball is straightforward: you have to throw the ball into your opponent’s hoop (or basket) to score points. This is called shooting. The whole point of the game is to try and score points if you are on the offense, or stop your opponent from scoring them if you are on the defense.
However, players cannot just run with the ball. To move anywhere on a court with the ball, a player must be bouncing it with one hand. This is known as dribbling. If the player is on a team, they can pass it to their teammate by throwing it to them.
Through passing and dribbling, they will try and create the space to shoot and score.
While one team is on offense, the other is on defense. The team on defense will try to retrieve the ball by ‘stealing’ it or ‘guarding’. Players steal the ball when they intercept a pass or knock the ball away while their opponent is dribbling it. All the while, players are guarding one another. Think of them as shadows; the defense sticks to the offense, making it difficult to pass, dribble, or shoot.
Like every sport, there is variety and depth when it comes to offense and defense. However, if you are keen to introduce your child to the sport there are some simple skills that will help them to play the game.
What is Basketball
Basketball is a team sport where two teams of up to five players each on the court at one time compete to score points by shooting a ball through a hoop. The height of the hoop can vary, but in parks and official courts it is 10 feet (3.05 meters). For younger children, youth leagues and adjustable hoops often use lower heights, such as 8 or 9 feet, to make shooting more manageable.
The game is played on a rectangular court with a hoop at each end, and players move the ball by dribbling (bouncing it while walking or running) or passing to teammates. A standard professional game is divided into four quarters, and the team with the most points at the end wins.
In professional basketball, each of the five players on the team has a specific role or position. Today’s game is fast, and players can often function in more than one role, the traditional positions on a basketball team are:
Why Get your child into Basketball?
Not only is Basketball a great (and fun) game to play at home, but it also offers a wide range of benefits for children, making it an excellent sport fo physical and personal development.
Skills Your Child Will Learn Playing Basketball
Coordination and Balance
Agility, strength, and endurance
Teamwork and Communication
Strategic Thinking
Responsibility
Fun Facts about Basketball:
🏀 In 1891, Dr. James Naismith invented basketball using a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed to a gym balcony. Players had to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball after every score!
🏀 Basketball is played in over 200 countries, and the NBA broadcasts games in more than 40 languages. It’s truly a global sport, with players from all over the world making it to the professional level.
🏀 In 1987, 7’7″ (231 cm) Manute Bol and 5’3″ (160cm) Muggsy Bogues played in the same NBA game—marking the biggest height difference between two players in league history.
