Basketball Fundamentals

Question
Hello,

Thank you for your reply.  He loves basketball and thinks it's a lot of fun.  He is doing great in the camp, the only thing that I would like for him to improve on is his dribbling.  He does not control the ball very well.  He tends to dribble more with the palm of his hands rather than the fingers.  He passes the ball from over his head rather than the chest area.  These are the only two issues I have with him.


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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
My 7 year old son just enrolled in a basketball fundamentals camp.  He's been attending this camp for the past 3 weeks (one day a week).  He just learned how to do a lay up.  What are some of the things we can do at home to help him since the practice is only once a week.  

Thanks
-----Answer-----
Hi Tina,

Sorry for the delay in answering your question.

My first thought would be to make sure you keep it fun and enjoyable. I have a fellow coach that has two children, a daughter who is 9 and a son who is 7. They both take after there father who is tall and has great basketball skills. I asked him about there future in the sport and he said I don't want to push to much right now as my main goal is for them to enjoy it. He said there is plenty of time to teach and work with them later. He also said if they don't like it or don't think it is fun anymore then all the work and practice won't matter.

I would say attend the camp and see what they are teaching and help him perfect each skill they are teaching. Make it fun, fun, and more fun so he wants to work on is game. Below is an address to a great basketball site that is free. It provides great instruction and short video clips on the fundamentals of basketball. Just copy and paste in your address bar. Good luck and have fun!

http://www.coachesclipboard.net/CoachingYouthBasketball.html  

Answer
Hi Tina,

Concerning the passing; Teach him to get in the triple threat position when he has the ball. Lots of coaches teach players to put the ball in the "pocket" This way you are ready to pass from the chest area and there is no need to bring the ball over your head. copy and paste this link and go to fundamentals, then click on triple threat a video will pop up on the right side with instructions of a triple threat. Here is the link.
http://www.coachesclipboard.net/VideoClips.html


There is also a section for dribbling but it sounds like he does what most youngsters do when trying to dribble. Just keep working with him and he will get it eventually, especially if he is going to a camp and you are working with him a couple times a week.

Good luck and remember keep it fun!