How to coach basketball for 6 year olds

Coaching Youth Basketball -- Tips, Drills, Plays, Philosophy, Tactics

You'll be teaching habits that will stick with these kids for the rest of their lives. And whether you like it or not, you'll be setting an example and teaching kid's lessons about life (good and bad). Kids are impressionable. They pick up on things.

You have an obligation and responsibility to teach them the right things - in both basketball and life.

When you think about it, teachers would do anything to get the enthusiasm that you get from your players. Kids actually like and want to play basketball.

Your players look up to you. They listen to you. And you have an amazing opportunity to make a POSITIVE impact on their lives!

You have a very important and rewarding job!

In this section of our website, we'll provide you with links to a variety of youth coaching tactics, plays, drills, and tips that will help you become a better youth basketball coach.

The articles discuss very important concepts to help you succeed. So read through each article, starting with the first one at the top.

If you don't have our free eBook yet, the first thing you should check out is our FREE Basketball Drills ebook. It includes 72 of some of our favorite basketball drills and it includes youth section so you can easily find the drills that apply to you.

We also offer videos with 60+ Youth Basketball Drills and Tips For Coaching Youth Basketball.

When working with young kids and running basketball drills, there are three very important concepts you need to consider:

1 - Kids need to be highly active!

Just by using fast paced drills and keeping things moving, your players will have more fun and get in better condition. Your kids should be breathing hard and their hearts should be pumping. It's good for them!

Avoid standing in lines as much as possible and keep the ball in their hands as much as possible.

2 - Kids want to feel successful!

With very youngs kids, competition doesn't always serve as a motivator. You should always provide activities that help them build their skills and confidence. Strive to focus on the learning process instead of measuring up to those around you.

You'll want to avoid adding pressure and competition until the players have developed their skills, confidence, and become proficient with the basics.

Put them in situations where they can succeed.

3 - Kids want to have lots of fun!

This is an important stage for young players and your actions could determine whether they enjoy sports or not.

It's important to make things fun so they can improve and become confident.

Youth basketball drills don't have to be boring. Almost any drill can be modified to provide high activity, high success, and high enjoyment.

Youth Basketball Offenses

I believe that using a very simple motion offense is the way to go for youth teams because it teaches them how to move and the players will begin to learn how to get open and play the game.

Motion offense also allows you to spend more time teaching fundamentals and skills (which is very important for young players).

The challenging part about motion offenses is that there are SO many options that it's hard for players to know what to do. But you can easily solve that problem by making simple rules and starting with the basics.

For example, you might want to just with just a couple simple options for your motion offense. You could start by teaching the players proper spacing, away screens, and v-cuts. Once they master those skills and get VERY proficient at cutting properly and setting good away screens, then you can start adding more options and building on your foundation.

You can add ball screens, rolling, and so on. Just don't go too fast! Make sure they have good fundamentals before you start adding stuff.

You can learn about developing motion offenses by looking at these resources: Offensive Theory & Introduction to Basketball Offense

Teaching Basketball Motion Offense

5 Out Cutters Offense - Easy to teach and it is a great building block for the motion offense.

You can also try this very simple patterned offense that you can use as a play or your entire offense:
Youth Offense - Michigan

Press Breaker Offense - Breaking the Press in Youth Basketball

3 Critical Player Development Tips For Your Offense

Youth Basketball Plays

When it comes to teaching plays to youth basketball players, it is typically better to teach them concepts on how to play the game of basketball.

• Triple Threat - How to get in triple threat position every time a player catches the ball.
• Footwork - Quick stops & pivoting
• Cutting - Basket cuts & back cuts
• Screens - Off the ball & On-ball
• Eventually, reading screens.

To read more on this topic, please read:

Youth Coaches: Destroy Your Playbook and Do This Instead

Should Youth Coaches AVOID Plays and Patterned Offenses?

Here are some very basic plays:

1-3-1 Cutters

Rolling

Swing Variation

Zone Shallow

Zone Overload

Quick Hitter Vs. 1-3-1 Zone

Best Overall Advice for Youth Basketball Coaches

1) Keep things fun!
Did you know that the #1 reason kids quit sports is because it's not fun anymore?!? It's very important to play plenty of games and keep a positive attitude.

Be positive and make things fun. Even if the kids get cut from the team or decide not play basketball at an older age, they'll still have a positive image of basketball and may continue to play it recreationally when they get older.

If you act like a drill sergeant when coaching a bunch of 10 year olds, the kid will get a negative image of basketball and have negative emotional feelings when thinking of basketball. Kids will also get sick of basketball if they play TOO many games each year. As a result, they will not likely play basketball when they get older. It can even affect their feelings towards fitness in general. If a person dislikes fitness and becomes inactive, they are more likely to be unhealthy!

60+ Youth Basketball Drills and Games

2) Be Positive & Do NOT Correct Every Mistake!
Don't be too critical and stop them to make a correction on every mistake. Let them play and learn themselves. If you stop or correct them on every mistake, you'll get a basketball player with low confidence that is always unsure of what to do, instead of a confident player that reacts to the defense.

Now, if they continue to make the same mistake over and over and over, show the player a better way to do a certain thing. For example, if you see one of your players stand straight up every time they touch the ball and a defender crowds them and causes the offensive player to travel. Say to the player, "Way to hustle, Johnny! Let me show you something that will help you when the defender crowds you. When catching the ball in this position, keep your hips back with your knees bent, and pivot. Be ready to attack. Then if the defender comes to crowd you, it will be easy for you to dribble right by him!" Notice, I did NOT focus on the negative and say "Stop bringing the ball up!"

Don't focus on the negative. Focus on the way to help them. Let's be positive as coaches!

3) Allow your players to be successful!
Sometimes competition is not a motivator for young kids. However ALL kids need to taste success (and hopefully lots of it). Now this doesn't mean winning. It means getting better and succeeding in practice. Allow your players to run drills that they can succeed at and feel good about. Celebrate small accomplishments and successes with your players.

4) Teach life lessons in your practices!
Read this article about teaching life lessons and improving team bonding.

5) Don't worry about winning!
You don't have time to worry about winning. There's only time to do the right thing... If you do things "right", winning will eventually be a by-product of your actions. Be patient. True success takes time to do things right. It doesn't happen overnight.

You must first build a SOLID foundation for these kids to build on. Taking the time to build that foundation will cause you to sacrifice winning some games. Trust us. This is better for your players in the long run.

6) Avoid year-round basketball and play other sports!
There is a reason that NBA GM's don't like their ELITE, PROFESSIONAL basketball players competing in the summer World Championships and Olympics. It's been scientifically proven that playing a sport year-round leads to tired muscles and a tired muscle has a much HIGHER chance of injury. Now, if these PROFESSIONAL athletes with proper nutrition and training are supposed to avoid year-round basketball, don't you think that a DEVELOPING, young athlete (most likely without proper nutrition and training) should be avoiding it as well?!?

If you force your child to play, it can also lead to burnout, injury, and resentment of the sport or fitness altogether. People are much more driven when they choose to do something they enjoy, rather than being forced to do it. If you want your child to enjoy basketball, play GAMES with him when they want to, and watch basketball-related activities with them. 9 times out of 10, kids enjoy sports that their parents enjoy if approached the right way.

At this age, it is best to improve overall athletic ability which is done by playing multiple sports, such as gymnastics, baseball, soccer, martial arts, football, track, volleyball, softball, swimming, and so on. Keep in mind, that you want to have seasons for these sports. Avoid playing 2 or 3 sports at once and multiple practices on the same day. If you want to focus on one sport at age 16 or 17, GREAT. Not at age 10 or 11. And who knows what your child will take an interest in or show talent in at age 10? Most of the time, things change a lot in the next 6 or 7 years!

7) Don't press or play zone defense!
You can read why and get advice here.

8) Use small basketballs and lower rims!
Using rims that are too high and basketballs that are too big will RUIN your players shooting form. They are NOT strong enough yet.

Do we send 6 year olds to Yankee stadium and start throwing from the big mound? No, we start with tee-ball, then parent pitch, then little league (close bases), and move up.

It's ridiculous to throw 5-10 year olds on a full size court with 10 foot rims and youth basketballs that are way too big! It's no wonder so many kids have horrible shooting form when they get to high school!

9) Teach the right things!
Just keep in mind that if you can teach your young players the following skills, then you should feel good that about what you accomplished and know that you're teaching your player the right things (that they need to be successful)!

Your young players should be able to:

• Dribble with their left and right hands equally well.
• Make lay ups with their left and right hands equally well -- and jump off the proper foot (left foot when shooting with right hand, and vice-versa)
• Perform a jump stop without traveling.
• Pivot on their left and right foot without traveling.
• Perform accurate chest, bounce, and overhead passes.
• Perform a defensive slide (feet wide, good balance, staying between the offensive player and the basket).
• Shoot a basketball with proper form.

These simple skills should be your number priority and your goal should be to help your players master these skills. Once they have truly mastered these skills, you can start building from there.

Breakthrough Bonus: Download this "Youth Basketball" article as a FREE PDF! (Download Now!)

Questions & Answers

If you have any questions about coaching youth basketball, post your questions on our forum.

A group of very experienced and knowledgeable coaches monitor the forum and answer questions.

Recommended Youth Coaching eBooks, Books, and DVDs

Here are the books and DVDs that we recommend to youth coaches:

The Youth Coaching System (By Jim Huber)

60 Fun Youth Basketball Drills

Motion Offense

Basketball Shooting Tips & Drills

M2M Basketball Defense Tips & Drills

Simplified Post Player Development

Basketball Drills for 6-Year Olds

If you’re introducing basketball to your six-year-old kid for the first time, or you’re just getting your feet wet in coaching by teaching kids basketball, kudos to you! It’s not easy for the kids this age to concentrate, listen, and do drills as they are being told. They will quickly get bored and complain about doing the same routine over and over again. Well, hopefully, that would change as we introduce you to several appropriate basketball drills for 6-year olds to spice up your practices.

For some who are just starting basketball, doing drills on basketball fundamentals is imperative. The fundamentals, or the basics, is the foundation for every basketball play, whether that’s shooting, dribbling, individual and team defense, and so on. Basketball’s best players have virtually perfected the fundamentals, opening up the game for them and making it much easier.

So what do the fundamentals include? Basketball fundamentals are consist of all those seemingly trivial things that make you better, at least in the long run. For instance, practicing the fundamentals of shooting will help an individual get better, no matter what play his team runs. The fundamentals of shooting include follow-through, arm angle, hand positioning, foot alignment, and so on.

In other words, basketball drills for 6-year olds and kids, in general, should focus on the fundamentals. This is critical for individual development, which, in turn, directly leads to team success.

Besides improving their basketball skills, doing basketball (including drills) significantly contributes to physical health and well-being.

At this age, their interest in basketball is only starting. The first goal of basic basketball drills for 6-year olds is to improve and elevate the kids’ desire and enthusiasm for the game. That means there is no point practicing three-man weaves at this stage. It’s not going to work. The more challenging and the more difficult the drills you run, the child could probably lose interest.

Here’s an interesting statistic: 7 of 10 kids quit organized sports by the time they are 13. Want to take a stab at why that’s the case? It’s because it’s no longer fun. The reason why they play in the first place, according to a study, is because the sport they choose it’s fun. If the fun is no longer there, then why play? It has to be fun for the kids to develop their love and interest in basketball.

Here are some basic basketball drills for 6-year olds to make practices fun:

1. Ball Around the Body

This is a warmup drill to develop the kids’ ball control and coordination. You may run this drill for five minutes, occasionally reminding the kids to raise their hands and head and not focus on the ball.

2. Spin the ball, catch, jump stop and pivot.

This is another basic warmup drill that teaches the kids proper footwork. Have you ever noticed how younger basketball players travel all the time? The “spin the ball, catch, jump stop and pivot” drill will remind them how they should position and move their feet while catching the ball.

3. The no-ball layup drill

The “no-ball layup” drill is straightforward yet teaches one of the most critical skills in basketball– coordination. The kids simply line up, jog, and jump on one foot while raising the opposite hand, mimicking a layup. It looks funny if you’re an adult, but make no mistake about it, this drill will greatly help kids’ motor skills.

4. One-hand wall pass

This drill works exactly as it sounds. Let the kids face a wall and flick short one-handed passes off of it. This mimics the passing motion and teaches the kids the proper passing technique using the wrist.

5. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Tag

We told you it should be fun, right? What could be more fun than integrating two of the timeless games that kids play? The kids pair up with their partners, do the rock, paper, scissors, and the loser will tag the winner. As simple as that sounds, it’s good as a warmup for the kids. It’s a terrific way to start things while burning off some energy.

Coaching needs a lot of patience, but when it comes to teaching basketball to 6-year olds, you’ll need boatloads of it. At this stage, you need to let your ego take a hit and switch your mindset. Your happiness and satisfaction do not hinge on winning but on seeing the kids develop their character and build their confidence.

Now, that does not mean you go into practice and let them run amok. To keep them engaged, you need to plan and prepare your practices. As the legendary coach John Wooden would say, he spends as much time planning practice as conducting it. That gives you an idea of how to run a basketball practice.

Planning the practices allows you to deal with unforeseen occurrences. What if the kids are having difficulty with one drill? What if your assistant is not around? Knowing exactly how to go about in practice shifts the focus on encouraging your young players instead of worrying about what you’re going to do next.

Here is another key in coaching 6-year olds: Be aware of their limitations. Drills should not be very long because kids have short attention spans. You also need to limit teaching points to just one or two (emphasizing passing). You also need to accept the fact that kids at this age are not strong enough to shoot. As long as you’re teaching them the motor skills so they can eventually shoot as soon as they can, that’s fine.

1. In basketball, it is important to dribble the ball hard. It is called “pounding the ball,” and kids may learn that too with the drill called Two-ball Together. How do you do it? It’s precisely the way it sounds. Dribble the ball with two hands going from the middle of the basket and the charity line up until the free-throw line arc.

2. Another dribbling drill that prepares the kids for more advanced moves like the “in and out” and the “crossover” is called Two Ball Side to Side. Again, this is not rocket science. The child simply needs to dribble with two balls with a slight shift or sway from side to side instead of the ball’s usual up and down motion.

3. A very useful and simple dribbling drill that directly translates into a real game is Protect the Dribble. Teach the kids to pound the ball with one hand, put one foot forward, and then raise their arms across to defend the ball. The foot and a little bit of arm extension serve as a separation between the ballhandler and the defender.

For 6-year-olds, they need to learn the principles of stationary shooting first. There are nine things to watch out for about stationary shooting fundamentals. These are:

• Eyes locked on the target
• Proper stance and balance
• Line up from the shot pocket
• Proper grip
• Attention to the balance hand (non-shooting hand)
• Release
• Proper use of the legs to generate an upward force
• The gooseneck, or as basketball people call as “follow-through. ”

That seems a lot, but all nine of these can be practiced in one smooth motion. The key here is repetition, and the goal is not perfection. It’s essential to follow the basic principles, but then again, it’s also critical to let their natural shooting form take over so they can be comfortable.

One shooting drill that could help develop basketball fundamentals is called the “one-hand shooting drill.” It is probably the most basic of all shooting drills and, thus, also the easiest. Simply make an L with your shooting hand and thrust the ball upward. The elbows should end up right over the eyes. Teach the kids to push with your fingers to develop a backspin on the shot.

The one-hand shooting drill has two variations. You can do a one-hand shooting drill against the wall and a one-hand shooting drill to the basket. All of these drills help develop the proper technique for shooting.

The best basketball team functions as one, and there is one excellent way to accomplish this– passing. Still, passing is probably the most undertaught skill in basketball, and it’s probably because nobody emphasized its importance when the kids began playing basketball.

Here are some tips for basketball passing:

1. Teach a passing mentality. Reiterate that passing is not just something you do when you’re not open. Passing is all about getting a rhythm and making everyone happy and engaged.

2. Be patient. The kids’ recognition skills will only be honed through time and experience. It’s impossible to acquire it overnight.

3. Passing is fun. That’s one teaching point to repeat to the kids. We want them to have fun, and in basketball, the best way to have fun is to get everybody involved.

Two passing basketball drills for 6-year olds are the “one hand wall pass” and the “square passing.” The concept of the one hand wall pass is similar to the one-hand shooting drill, only that the kids repeatedly bounce the ball on the wall and back to their hand. Square passing requires more instruction and is probably best taught after being already comfortable in the one-hand wall pass.

Defense is one of the last things to teach 6-year olds, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start instilling defensive principles early. You can also make it fun and engaging! Here are some tips to make that possible:

• Drop verbal hints. How do you make the kids take on a defensive stance? Don’t confuse them with transitions. Instead, use verbal cues, such as “Scarecrow Arms,” to signal that they are meant to raise their hands and play defense.
• Do not force kids to multi-task. Kids are generally singular thinkers, and they’ll get confused if asked to do multiple things at once. So in teaching defense, keep your instructions simple. For example, if you ask them to hold a defensive posture, do not make them focus on other things, such as the player they’re supposed to be guarding.
• As much as possible, do not use the word “no.” A more encouraging way to say it is, “That’s alright, but you can do better.” If the kid does improve, do not hesitate to praise him or her.

1. Allow the kids as many repetitions as they would like.

2. Don’t make them watch; make them active participants.

3. Always come up with new drills to spice things up. If needed, discard the old, boring ones.

4. When coaching kids, avoid the dreaded three Ls– laps, lecture, and lines.

5. Make them compete against each other in contests.

6. Incorporate traditional games into the drills. You can integrate games such as “rock, paper, scissors” and tag as a warmup exercise. Another classic game that you can use is “Simon Says” or “hand signals.” All of these are a great way to introduce fun elements to basketball drills and practice.

7. Appreciate and commend them sincerely for jobs well done.

1. What this video offers is simplicity while emphasizing fundamentals. Also included are drills that do not require a basket, which should help kids hone their craft anywhere they go.

2. The best part about this video is there is an actual kid in there. If that’s not going to inspire our little guys out there, we don’t know what will.

3. What we like about this video is there are a lot of defensive drills included here. That may not be appropriate for 6-year olds that are just starting, but for the more advanced first-graders, this is a terrific video to learn how to slide the feet and more defensive stances.

If a kid as young as six years old shows an interest in basketball, that is very commendable. As a parent or coach, your goal is to develop their interest more while improving their skills. One way to do that is by making sure that the basketball drills you do are always fun.

Well, to be honest, that’s not easy to do. You have to work doubly hard and be thrice as patient when coaching kids. Even so, when you focus on their development and character-building, the win-loss record is not as important anymore.

Included here in this article are some of the most simplistic and fun basketball drills for 6-year olds. Some drills focus on fundamentals, while some are a cross of traditional games and basketball drills. To keep the kids engaged, you have to get creative. Who knows? You may have a future professional basketball player in your hands. As long as you know how to run practice and emphasize fun basketball drills for beginners, their improvement is only a matter of time.

Did you find this post helpful? Then you may also like our basketball drills for 5-year olds post here.

We also answer other frequently answered questions on basketball here.

> What are the 5 Basic Skills of Basketball?

> What are the Basic Rules of Basketball?

"Basketball for children aged 5-6 is the most emotional thing I've ever seen in my life!" - Basketball among preschoolers - BK Stremlenie on vc.ru

For some reason, it is so established in our country that even according to the official training manuals of the Ministry of Sports, children can be accepted into basketball from 8-9 years old. This is, as it were, officially considered the age when a child can already play basketball.

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Who came up with these rules and what is it based on, I do not know, but all over the world all sports are now getting younger, and basketball even more so.

Basketball can be seen from two sides, as a professional sport and as an amateur one.

Let's start with amateur.

In my humble opinion, basketball should be only an amateur sport in childhood. First of all, it should bring pleasure to children and joy from every workout. It's like doing engineering or math. If a child is not interested in mathematics, he will not study it, so the main thing is to arouse in children an interest in a particular discipline and maintain it throughout the time.

There shouldn't be any boring stuff. Children, interesting training, fun!

Well, that's it. Speaking in terms of pleasure, why did everyone suddenly decide that basketball cannot be fun at a small, preschool age?

There are so many opportunities in today's world… Small balls, small rings, a bunch of other modern equipment, even the uniform of professional basketball teams can be bought for a child of 3-4 years old, not to mention sneakers!!!

But even without equipment, a dedicated coach can make basketball fun for preschoolers.

No one now says that after a couple of months of classes, the children will play basketball like professionals and score three in small rings! But certain skills can definitely be mastered!

As everyone knows, in early childhood, any skill falls on a child much more correctly and faster than in an adult. With very young children, this is an even more enhanced effect!

Incredibly cute and cool to watch their first steps! How they hold this big ball, how they try to throw it into the ring or drive it around the court!

Any psychologist will tell you that working with a ball is extremely important for the development of coordination abilities in young children, no matter with which ball. There are special courses for babies where the ball is used. Yes, even in kindergartens in physical education classes, the ball is the main subject.

Basketball is generally one of the most developing games on our planet. A person during a game of basketball makes a huge number of movements, movements, his body must quickly respond to changing situations in short periods of time. Running, jumping, wrestling and all combined with ball work. The head starts to work in a completely different way when you plunge into the world of basketball.

Little 3-4 year olds are incredibly good at taking in information. They really like to work with the ball. They are fascinated by the opportunity to throw this ball into the ring and every hit is a holiday! At this age, interest in the game itself, dexterity and lack of fear of working with the ball are laid!

In one or two years of training, children can already confidently drive the ball and throw it into the ring. Many can already take part in mini-games!

We have experienced this many times. The games of children aged 5-6 are the most emotional thing I have seen in my life! Children at this age dribble with resistance, give passes, score in the ring, defend themselves.

In other countries, it has long been adopted that it is necessary and extremely important to work with a kindergarten! That it is at this age that there is a chance to captivate them with our game and to prepare a good base for more serious development by the age of 7-8.

And now a few words about the professional!

When a child goes through a good ball school in kindergarten, it is much easier for him to adapt to the requirements of sports schools.

If parents set themselves and their child the task of playing basketball professionally, then in my opinion it is necessary to start from kindergarten. By the age of 7-8, you will have a fanatically loving child, accustomed to regular training, able to withstand heavy loads and having experience of competition behind him!

Moreover, the child will be coordinated, the correct technique will be incorporated into him, which will greatly simplify the work with him in training for coaches and open up great opportunities for growth for the child and the coach.

Of course, even at the age of 7-8 it is too early to talk about some kind of professional sport, not to mention 3-4 year old children. However, it is in our hands how to properly and competently prepare children for the period when certain skills are required from them. And you and I will be proud that for several years in a row we took his little one to training and did everything so that he was interested.

Basketball for children - what is useful, at what age to play

Basketball is one of the most popular sports games. Basketball for children is considered one of the early sports, because kids can be enrolled in the first lessons from the age of 3. But the most important advantage of basketball is its accessibility.

Sections for children are available in schools and neighborhood clubs, and classes are often free. And if you are not ready to give the child to the section, just buy him a ring and a ball and hang it on your site and the kid will already be busy in sports, which means he will get the maximum benefit for development.

Benefits of basketball for children, what qualities it develops

Before sending a child to a section, parents should know how basketball is useful for children and what qualities it develops.

First of all, like any team sport, basketball develops social skills. Working in a team, children learn to help each other, care about common interests and work for the good of the team.

Moreover, this basketball is an excellent emotional release. It helps the guys throw out negative energy and get positive emotions. Along with this, character is tempered during classes, and the child learns to go towards the goal, sacrificing his own desires and needs.

Basketball also helps to get rid of complexes. This is especially true for tall girls who are noticeably taller than their peers. In a team where all players are taller than average, the girls no longer feel like a black sheep, but gain self-confidence and begin to be proud of their height.

The influence of playing basketball on the physical development of a child

The influence of playing basketball on the physical development of a child is also strong. First of all, the guys involved in this sport develop endurance, and all muscle groups are strengthened. Basketball practice - these are jumping, running, swinging arms, tilts and squats, which allow you to develop all muscle groups and strengthen the heart and blood vessels.

In addition to the general health benefits, basketball will also help prevent the development of certain diseases that result from an inactive lifestyle.

Moreover, basketball develops:

• Review of vision. Due to the fact that the player must constantly keep an eye on the ball and other players, the field of view is improved. Children learn to manage peripheral vision and train their eyes;
• Reaction speed. Often during a match, an athlete must make lightning-fast decisions on which the outcome of the game depends. This helps children learn to respond quickly to emergency situations;
• Mindfulness. Through intense play, attention and memory develop, which not only has a beneficial effect on the playground, but also in studies and everyday life.

Given these facts, the question of what basketball gives a child can be answered that classes will strengthen physical, mental and mental health. That is why basketball is often recommended to children suffering from reduced attention and weak immunity. But not all children can benefit from basketball, you can find out what kind of sport is suitable for a child here.

Does playing basketball make children grow

We often hear that basketball makes children grow, but is it really so? Recent studies have shown that yes, indeed, he can help the baby grow up, but is not able to grow a giant out of him.

The increase in height is due to the straightening of the spine, which is stretched during jumps. Also, a slight increase in growth contributes to the strengthening of the muscles of the back and legs.

But to say that basketball can significantly affect the growth of an athlete is wrong, there is no scientific justification for this.

The fact that in the sections all children are really tall is explained simply - short children simply leave this sport, because they cannot compete with tall athletes, as a result they move on to other sports, for example, volleyball, where they need both tall and undersized athletes.

At what age can a child play basketball

For preschool children, basketball is available from 3 years of age. Often this game is played in physical education classes in kindergarten. Of course, such a crumb will not be taken to the section, but at this age the child can already be introduced to the ball and the net.

Professional basketball training for children starts at the age of 5-6 years. At this age, you can enroll in a section at the sports palace, both boys and girls are accepted. The first 4-5 years the guys work out together, and only at the age of 10 the coach forms the men's and women's teams.

Basketball for beginners is more about general physical training and familiarity with the ball. In the first years of training, the coach pays special attention to the development of endurance, so most of the training takes place in the fresh air.

In the gym, the guys learn different techniques and combinations, and also learn how to hit the basket. According to statistics, it is in their youth that children are more likely to encounter injuries in basketball. This is due to not yet developed coordination and lack of skills in programming movements.

That is why sports insurance for basketball at this age is a necessity, because it will reimburse the costs of treatment and provide the young athlete with high-quality rehabilitation, which will prevent the occurrence of fatigue injuries and chronic injuries in the future.

Age characteristics of children in basketball

Age characteristics of children in basketball are a fundamental factor in drawing up a schedule and training plan.

Consider how the load of basketball players changes with age:

• 3-5 years. At this age, kids still do not know how to memorize the rules of the game and listen to the coach. All classes are held in a playful way and are aimed at developing coordination of movements and mindfulness;
• 5-7 years old. During this period, special attention is paid to the physical development and increasing the flexibility of the child. The goal of the trainer is to maximize endurance and strengthen all muscle groups. Also at this stage, children begin to learn the rules of basketball and learn various tactical and dynamic techniques;
• 7-9 years old. This is the age at which real training starts. At the age of 8, children can already participate in competitions. Now all their work is aimed at the result of the whole team. During these years, the main task of the coach is to teach the guys to interact with each other;
• 10-12 years old. At this age, men's and women's teams are formed. Now the team is becoming a real family with common goals and objectives. Most often, it is at this age that the first victories occur;
• 12-14 years old. At this age, children learn to program their movements. This is a very important stage for every basketball player, because the final result of the maneuver depends on it. At this time, the main task of the coach is to hone the movements of each player to the ideal;
• 14-16 years old. This is the time to master tactical thinking. The brain of a teenager is already ready to solve tactical problems and make quick decisions. At this moment, the coach already sees which of the guys can become a real champion;
• 16-18 years old. This is the age when a teenager must show all the acquired skills. Strong players are formed into teams to participate in important competitions. At this time, the start in a sports career begins, because the guys already have sports categories and can participate in adult competitions.

If you want to grow a real champion out of a child, a section at a school or a sports palace is a good place to start. Later, by the age of 7, the basketball section for children should be focused specifically on professional activities. Such a section can be found in any city, because this sport is very popular. You can choose a section closer to home in our catalog of sports schools and sections.

Basketball is one of the sports for children, which has a minimum of contraindications and a maximum of benefits. Classes on the playground and in the gym can be the best hobby for a child, because during the game the guys learn true friendship. Moreover, basketball for children will also help parents in raising a teenager, because the child will grow up in a healthy company and he simply will not have time for nonsense.

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