Little Dribblers basketball has several things happening at once. Kids are being told to look, pass, shoot, dribble, jump, grab and steal. It’s a tall order for these short humans.
When you do have someone who actually can run and dribble and shoot, the issue then becomes one of ball management. Does that little go-getter get free range and drive to the basket or shoot when open? Or, should he or she work on passing the ball and getting teammates involved? At this point in the Little Dribbler experience, the bleachers become the focal point as a chorus of suggestions erupts.
“Shoot it!” “Pass it to [child’s name]—he’s open!”
“Don’t pick up your dribble!” (As if a six-year-old really knows what THAT means.)
God bless the children who get up early on Saturday mornings just to run up and down the gym floor for 40 minutes. May they figure things out about taking chances (driving in the lane to shoot), sharing (a bounce pass to a teammate who would like to touch the ball), and having fun (high fiving a player on either side who makes a rare basket).
May we parents and grandparents celebrate the images of healthy, happy children playing. Just playing for now, not competing. My wise old eyes are now on the lookout to see who has their jersey on inside out, who extends a helping hand to someone who trips and falls (happens often at this age), who is listening to coach (happens less at this age) or waving to Nanna in the stands.
Basketball at these young ages is more of a track meet with a basket at both ends of an eightyfour- foot court. For now, enjoy the races. Practice and coordination, which comes with age, will help them improve. Guide them to figure out when to shoot and when to pass, and then take them out to eat pizza. Listen to them talk about the game, and then come home and take a good nap.
You’ll wake up soon enoughandrealizethatthese short seasons will be gone. As trite as it sounds, you will want to know not how many points were scored but how positive the experience was for your child.
P.S. Remember how literal children are. Be sure to clarify that “stealing” in basketball does not break one of the Ten Commandments. Otherwise, someday they may be running from the court of law as byproducts of Little Dribbler miscommunication.
Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thought-provoking commentary appears occasionally in several West Texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.
