Activities & Education

Seven Things Basketball Does for a Child

Happy Kamper Team·September 10, 2024

Five basic techniques worth knowing, and seven ways basketball supports how a child grows.

Seven Things Basketball Does for a Child

Basketball has a following across every age group, children included. For a child specifically, playing it supports how they grow, which is why plenty of parents now enrol them in a basketball class.

The game comes down to scoring as many points as possible by putting the ball through the hoop. There are basic techniques worth knowing though before taking it seriously.

Here are the fundamentals that help a child learn the sport properly.

Dribbling

The first fundamental is dribbling, and it matters that a child masters it. Dribbling is bouncing the ball while running or walking, using one hand.

It's used to move the ball and get past an opponent, so a child can pass to a teammate or shoot directly. Dribbling also controls the tempo of the game.

Shooting

Shooting is the fundamental that decides matches, and it's simply throwing the ball towards the opposing hoop. Accuracy is the key skill, and it demands real concentration to practise.

Shooting usually takes up a large share of training. That's because it's the deciding strength of any player who wants to win.

Catching and Passing

The next two are catching and passing. For a sport played with the hands these are crucial, and you can practise both at home by throwing and catching a ball or another object.

Catching is receiving a pass from a teammate, and passing is sending the ball to one. Accuracy matters in both.

Pivot

The pivot is turning the body on one foot while holding the ball and protecting it from an opponent. It needs care in practice, since shifting the planted foot is a foul.

So make sure the planted foot stays put during a pivot, and keep an eye on the opponent so the ball isn't taken.

Rebound

The last fundamental is the rebound, which is collecting the ball after a shot misses. Body position and jumping both matter here, so both are worth training if a player is going to win a rebound.

Those are the five fundamentals worth knowing. Next it's worth understanding what the sport actually does for a child.

Here are seven things basketball builds.

1. Motor Skills

The first is motor development, gross and fine alike. A sport built on physical movement develops gross motor skills considerably.

Fine motor control gets trained through the hand-eye coordination involved in shooting, catching and passing.

2. Stronger Bones and Muscles

Basketball also strengthens a child's bones and muscles, since it demands movement, agility and strength. All the jumping involved is particularly good for bone strength.

3. Stamina

Basketball trains stamina and general resilience. Through training a child learns to manage their energy across a session, and their resilience improves alongside.

It also works well as physical activity that protects against obesity or simply too little movement.

4. Coordination and Concentration

The techniques in basketball demand good coordination between the senses. Playing, a child coordinates their hands, eyes and feet while holding their balance and concentration against an opponent.

Shooting in particular demands real concentration. Practised regularly, that focus carries into other parts of a child's life.

5. Teamwork

Basketball teaches a child to work within a team. They learn to set their own ego aside and compromise with teammates, and to think about the team's result rather than their own.

6. Confidence

Playing basketball also builds confidence. A team sport tends to have players motivating each other towards their best, which lifts a child's confidence with it.

7. A Winning Mentality

Finally, basketball teaches a winning mentality. That isn't only accepting a win, it's accepting a loss with some grace when a match goes the other way.

A basketball class is generally where that happens. Most run practice matches or enter competitions, which is where the lesson lands.

Those are seven things basketball does for a child. Taken together they make a strong case for finding a class.

The Happy Kamper app lists basketball classes with locations and current prices shown. It is worth comparing a few before deciding.

Finding a Basketball Class

Happy Kamper makes finding a basketball class straightforward, with a range of providers listed in one place. Here are two worth looking at, though it's worth confirming current programmes and fees with each directly.