Consider enrolling your child in one of the various CAL Sports Academy Basketball training offerings. Your youth athlete will learn to work cohesively with others and listen to coaching directions to help win the game! Basketball is an active sport that engages participants in working together as a team to meet a mutual goal of gaining points by shooting the basketball into the opponent’s basket. This sport will help your youth athlete gain stronger communication skills, physical abilities and learn the importance of working with others in a cohesive manner to meet a mutual goal. Your youth athlete will also learn about the importance of following game rules and regulations.
Learn More about Basketball
Has your youth athlete considered playing basketball in a league? Do they want to learn more about basketball for basketball games with friends or a school sport? Have they played in local parks or driveways and now interested in learning more about this active sport? Would they like to know more about the various positions they could play during a basketball game? Here are some key aspects to share with your youth athlete so they can decide if they would like to learn more about basketball and consider registering for a program at CAL Sports Academy.
Basketball Positions
Each player on a basketball team plays an important role. Five players make-up a team on the court.3 These players encompass the 5 positions in basketball during a game.3 When deciding on a basketball position, it would be smart to keep in mind the skillset needed for each position. Your youth athlete can improve their passing, dribbling, or shooting skills by engaging in a formal training program that can help them reach a higher level of success when playing that position during a competition game.2
Guard: Shortest players are usually in Guard positions since they are fast at dribbling and good at knowing who to pass the ball in order to have another team member shoot the ball to get a basket.1
- Shooting Guard: The person who plays this position is normally the team’s best shooter. They are good at dribbling and at taking shots at the basket from long-distance ranges.1,3
- Point Guard: This player is the team’s best dribbler and a key part of the offense for the team.1,3
Center: Tallest players are usually in Center positions.3
The person who plays this position is typically the tallest player on the team. They play in a location that is close to the basket.1,3
- Offense Center: This occurs when center players are a part of the offense. They usually attempt to score close range shots at the basket and get the basketball when it rebounds from the net.1
- Defense Center: When the center is defending their net, the center players focus on blocking the ability for their opponent to shoot a basket.1
Forward: The next-tallest players after the center positions are usually placed into the forward positions where they play under the basket as well as in the wings or corners of the court.1,3
- Small Forward: This person plays against small and large players.3 They utilize the whole court.3 This position person takes a variety of basket shots from close to long range.3
- Power Forward: This position is similar to the center however they take shots at the net from further away.3
Violations
It’s important for your youth athlete to learn about the various types of violations so that they can avoid performing them and subsequently encountering associated consequences during a game. Below are some main violations that occur in basketball games.
- Carrying or palming – This is when a player holds either under the ball or too far onto the sides of the ball.1
- Double dribbling – This happens when a player dribbles the ball with both hands simultaneously.1 It also includes picking up a dribble, then stopping and dribbling again.1
- Traveling – This occurs when a player takes more than a step and a half while holding the basketball without dribbling.1
- Backcourt violation – Once the ball crosses the midline of the court, they cannot go backwards across the mid-court line again while they have possession of the ball.1
CAL Sports Academy: Basketball Programs
When your youth athlete attends CAL Sports, our coaches will run drills and teach them how to avoid these violations. The more time they spend at CAL Sports programs, the greater knowledge the youth athletes will gain in the sport of basketball. Our programs range from beginner to advanced skill level for youth from 5 to 17 years of age.2 The basketball programs include group trainings, leagues, clinics, and private trainings. Please review the CAL Sports Academy website to see which basketball program will best meet your youth athlete’s needs.2
References:
- Breakthrough Basketball, n.d. (website): Retrieved from https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/basics/basics.html
- CAL Sports Academy. (2021). Youth basketball programs. Retrieved from: https://calsportsacademy.com/youth-sports-programs-basketball-programs/#1594048301803-c8567842-215a
- Jr. NBA (website): Retrieved from https://jr.nba.com/basketball-positions/#:~:text=A%20basketball%20team%20can%20have,point%20guard%2C%20and%20shooting%20guard.&text=The%20center%20is%20the%20tallest,team%2C%20playing%20near%20the%20basket.