Basketball

My two oldest boys are now playing basketball!  They are in a Christian league called Upward (link here).  We have been so impressed by this ministry.  They run it so efficiently.  The boys practice every Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 and have games on Saturday mornings.  For the 1st and 2nd graders neither scores nor standings are kept.  This really gives freedom for the coaches to teach the skills of basketball and allow all children equal playing time. 

After 4 practices, the boys had their first game.  They really didn’t know what they were doing!  It’s funny to hear the referees telling the players, "shoot the ball!", "pass it!".  My 8 yo even told me that they had new coaches for the games–the men wearing the black and white stripes!

Another neat thing they do is that the coaches rate the kids on the basis of their skill level and size.  Then, they are matched up to kids on the other team.  The kids are given a colored cloth to wear on their shoulder to let them know who they are to guard on the other team.  It’s such a great way to teach basketball!

Today my 6 yo made a basket!  Unfortunately, it was for the other team!