Carroll
October Dusty 26, 2010
Basketball Modification
I decided to focus on the sport basketball and my opinion on the proper ages for
advancement. I believe a lot of kids get burnt out or grow up to be underdeveloped at this
particular sport because they lacked in the proper training at the younger ages. Now days you
here kids playing basketball in kindergarten and first grade which I believe is a little early for
kids to begin. I believe kids have there whole lives to grow up and play sports. They should be
able to adventure out and have fun with there friends without having the added stress of such a
sport as basketball. I also believe that the bones and muscles need time to develop so the natural
fundamentals of running and catching are there when they begin to play basketball.
A. Grade 2nd-3rd
a. Sports Modification:
a.i. Play with 7 ft. rims
a.ii. Play on elementary courts
a.iii. No 3 point line, all shots 2 pts.
a.iv. 12 foot free throw line
a.v. Smaller ball (28.5)
a.vi. Boys and girls may play together
b. Rule Modification:
b.i. Dont call every travel
b.ii. Dont call every foul
b.iii. Allow some of the rules to go un-noticed
b.iv. Defense cant guard anyone until half court
c. Focus:
c.i. Sampling more positions
c.ii. More fun games/ Not as competitive
c.iii. De-emphasize winning and emphasize fun and skill development
c.iv. Not a lot of practices, more games
c.v. Everyone equal playing time
In second and third grade I believe children are new to the sports world and are very
unfamiliar with the whole thing. Thats why this stage is very important and its our jobs as
parents and coaches to get the children interested. At this age the kids fundamental motor
skills are still developing and thats why I chose a smaller court and free throw line. I have
eliminated the three point line because at this age, the three point line shouldnt be part of the
focus. Also this has to due with the growth and maturations of the children, with them
having smaller bodies, shorter levers and lower strength. This is also why I dont see a
problem with boys and girls playing this sport together at this age. Its also a proven fact that
children have a better chance of learning the sport if it is modified to them.
During the development of second and third grade, most of the children are un-equipped
with the skills to not travel and follow every rule. If we did call every rule, the children
wouldnt have any fun and the games would take much longer. Thats why I believe we
shouldnt call every rule at this age, especially traveling and fouls. We need to focus on more
fun instead of winning because second and third graders attention control and cognitive
readiness isnt fully developed. The kids just want to have fun at this age and play with there
friends. If we put pressure on children at this age, it just leads to higher drop out rates and
un-proper development of the skills needed when the get older and mature.
B. Grade 4th-5th
a. Sports Modification:
a.i. Play with rims at 8 ft.
a.ii. Play on elementary courts
a.iii. No 3 point line, all shots 2 pts.
a.iv. 12 foot free throw line
a.v. Smaller ball (28.5)
b. Rule Modification:
b.i. Defense cant guard anyone until half court
b.ii. Start following more of the rules
c. Focus:
c.i. Everyone equal playing time
c.ii. Sampling more positions
c.iii. More fun games/ Not as competitive
c.iv. De-emphasize winning and emphasize fun and skill development
c.v. Same sex teams only
During fourth and fifth grade children start to develop the awareness of the sport and start to
understand the rules a little better. Also there bodys start to grow and everything starts
functioning as one. Thats why I chose to raise the rim to 8 feet and believe the refs should start
calling the game more closely and get the kids understanding the rules that they need to follow.
Also this at age I believe we should separate boys and girl because hopefully they have enough
youth participants to do so. By separating the boys and girls into their own teams and allow them
to play against other same sex teams allows them to be surrounded with the same competitive
level which will give them chances to display their development as an individual. Also as in the
previous age groups I believe kids should still be exploring all the position because there no way
of telling how that child will develop as he or she prospers into a young adult.
C. Grade 6th-8th
a. Sports Modification:
a.i. Play with rims at 10 ft.
a.ii. Play on middle school courts
a.iii. 3 point line
a.iv. Original free throw line
a.v. Smaller ball (28.5)
b. Rule Modification:
b.i. Defense can press and guard any where
b.ii. Enforce all rules by the refs
c. Focus:
c.i. Start specializing in one or two positions
c.ii. More competitive games/ less fun
c.iii. Emphasize winning while still focusing on skill development and fun
c.iv. Start playing the better athletes
c.v. More practices
During 6th through 8th grade is usually middle school for most students. Also at
these age groups some of the athletes start to experience changes in the body due to
puberty. The start to grow and development muscles, thats why I believe it is appropriate
to lengthen the court to middle school courts, raise the rims to 10 feet and start counting
the three point line as three. I think it is important for the youths to get the feeling of the
10 foot rim and how the three point line opens up the floor for more drive and creative
plays. Also by allowing the athletes to press and play defense everywhere changes the
pace that there used to, which usually speeds up the game.
Just as in school, middle school is supposed to prepare you for high school. I
believe its the same with sports especially basketball. Thats why I believe this is a big
transfer stage for most athletes, where they begin to understand the whole picture of the
game. Where more strategy becomes involved and quicker reflexes are required. Thats
why I believe all rules must be enforced by the rules and the game must shift from less
fun and more competitive. Athletes should also start specializing in certain positions that
fits them best. This is also where practices become on a regular basis usually after school
and become much longer and detailed.
D. Grade 9th-10th
a. Sports Modification:
a.i. Play with rims at 10 ft.
a.ii. Play on high school courts
a.iii. 3 point line
a.iv. Original free throw line
a.v. Play with full size ball
b. Rule Modification:
b.i. Defense can press and guard any where
b.ii. Enforce all rules by the refs
c. Focus:
c.i. Start specializing in one or two positions
c.ii. More competitive games/ less fun
c.iii. Emphasize winning
c.iv. Less fun games, focus on winning
c.v. Longer and harder practices (2 hours) 4-5 days a week
During the final stages is where kids start to develop into young adults and there
bodies are getting closer to full maturation. This is when the athletes need to be in full
swing with the sport. They need to understand all the rules and understand the complex
strategys for winning. This is where I believe you focus on nothing but winning and
getting better as a team game to game. This is also the time where many of the players
on the team may not play a whole lot or maybe none during the game. This is where you
see a wide variety of the skills of the athletes, also where the star athletes start to shine
and stand out. This is where the game gets a whole lot demanding, where players have to
be discipline to eat healthy and stay in shape year round. Also at these age groups you
will see many of the athletes playing the sport year round to help develop their skills and
gain as much experience as possible.