Thursday, December 9, 2010

Got Game?

Guess who's ornament this is.
I'm a big believer in sports being fun for kids at this age (seven- and eight-year-olds). That being said, I still think they should learn something, like maybe the basic skills of the game. Run some drills that focus on dribbling, passing, catching and guarding to name just a few.

I now understand why the Punk's team has looked so awful compared to the other kids they've played so far. They know the ball has to go in the hoop, but have no clue how to get close enough to actually put it there.

I've never played basketball — I might be tall, but I'm also lazy and that is way too much running for me. And yes, I played soccer, but I was the goalie. I didn't mind the occasional sprint to get the ball ... I only had to go about 20 feet!

Anyway, I think I'll buy a book on the rules and google some drills to run — it didn't look to me like the boys learned anything running around having a "scrimmage". Then next week I'll offer to help get the boys in a line to get some practice. Again.

The coach said he had it handled tonight. Don't get me started on what I thought about that.

5 comments:

  1. Maybe he got pushed into "volunteering"--or maybe he is just not a good coach. Sounds like they do need some help. They at least need to learn the basics, like you said. Some people think nobody has any right to complain if the position is volunteer. But--if he quits--you might end up their new coach. ;)

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  2. I speak from experience when I say that a LAME coach isn't anywhere near the worst you can do in the Bad Coach Hall of Fame. As they get older, your children will likely also bump into the TAKING SPORTS WAY TOO SERIOUSLY bad coach, the COULD MY FAVORITES BE ANY MORE OBVIOUS? bad coach and so on. Hopefully they never meet the I CAN TEACH YOUR KID HOW TO HATE THE SPORT S/HE HAS LOVED HER/HIS ENTIRE LIFE bad coach, but let me tell you -- that person is out there.

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  3. Rita ... I'm trying to be understanding because I know coaching isn't easy, especially at this age when some kids aren't as interested as others. It just bothered me that he shrugged me off when I offered to help and I wonder if my HUSBAND would have had the same result. That makes me sound cynical, doesn't it?

    Karen ... I played soccer for 11 years on youth, select and high school teams. I had those coaches and I think one in particular might have been all of them rolled into one. My experiences with select coaches are part of the reason why I haven't suggested my son try out for any, even though a couple coaches have encouraged it. So far, he's just having fun and I'm okay with that for now.

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  4. Maybe you and hubby could work with Punk at home--and then when he is in the free-for-all "scrimmages" maybe Punk would automatically be able to teach the other boys some new tricks? I didn't mean you didn't have a right to complain. I meant the people in the volunteer jobs can sometimes be very touchy about complaints. And frankly--some people don't try very hard at all if they aren't being paid for something. *sigh* And--sadly--there are still women being blown off when it comes to sports. *another sigh* Like you said, tho--the most important thing is if the kids are having fun. :)

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XOXO
Karen