Everyone looks forward to basketball in March. Other than letters from Santa, there’s nothing so thrilling and exciting as basketball. Well, admittedly, baseball and football are good sports too but basketball games can be very exciting. It’s not surprising that many kids all over the country enjoy playing basketball. Not only is basketball fun, it is also a great way to build exercise into playtime.
Although basketball is a fast-paced game that requires skill and stamina, kids can start playing basketball at an early age. There is an assortment of ways you can introduce the game to them. Almost everyone enjoys bouncing balls around, passing balls back and forth, and shooting them into a container or basket. So, it shouldn’t be too hard getting kids to hold a basketball and start playing with it. They can learn the basics of basketball while having fun and playing in a natural way.
Dribbling
To get started, kids can practice bouncing the ball, or as it’s referred to in basketball jargon, dribbling the ball. Learning to dribble is vital to the game. You can’t hold on to the ball. You have to dribble the basketball around the court. There is a technique to dribbling.
They have to use their fingertips to dribble the ball. You should never use your palm in dribbling. You can hold dribbling contests on how long they can dribble using either hand while standing still and while going around the court. There is a graceful art in dribbling that comes with practice.
Passing the Ball
Children can have lots of fun passing the ball back and forth. You can’t dribble the ball forever. The ball has to be passed to your team mates eventually. There are two techniques in passing the ball. There’s the chest pass and the bounce pass.
In the chest pass, the ball is thrown directly to the team mate, while in the bounce pass, the ball is bounced off the floor when passing the ball to the team mate. You can add interest to mastering this technique by holding contests on passing. The contests can involve the manner of passing and whether the pass can be easily caught by the team mate.
Shooting
Hands down, the most fun in basketball is shooting. Most contests and games are focused on shooting and the points scored. There are several ways of shooting the ball into the basket, such as jump shots, set shots, lay ups and the famous dunk shots.
Get the kids into the fun of things. Set up your own basketball court in the driveway. Get a basketball and get them involved in the game that March Madness is based on – encourage your kids to play basketball.
