His First Basketball

Silas was in a basketball clinic through our local Rec Center.  It was his first organized basketball experience.  He has played some with us in our driveway.  He can dribble alright and has worked on passing and shooting with Eric and I at home.  The goal in our driveway is still a little high for him but as his upper body strength increases he will have a good shot.

Practice One - Nov. 21st

On his first night of practice he was very excited.  Each participant was given a small sized child's basketball to practice with there and at home.

All of the children worked on dribbling while staying in a standing position.  Then they all worked on dribbling while they were walking down the court and back.

They practiced listening to their coaches and running fast by playing a red light/green light type of game.

Next they worked on bounce passes with a Coach.

Lastly they each got a couple chances to dribble up to the goal and shoot.  Silas seemed to suddenly forget how to shoot.  I think he was over thinking all of the things...bend your knees, push the ball up, look at the goal, aim for the square.... He was determined to make a shot and kept shooting until he did make one basket.

Silas did an excellent job of listening to his Coaches, Frank and Rob, tonight.  He followed directions and was eager to try all of the things that he was asked to do.

Practice Two - Dec. 5th

Silas was ready again for basketball practice tonight.  Popee and Nanee came to watch him practice.  The children all lined up on the line and started with a running drill/game.  Next they practiced dribbling.

Then a parent was asked to come out on the court and partner up with their child for practice bounce passing and chest passing.  Eric went out to be Silas's partner.

Lastly the children all lined up and took turns dribbling up to the basket and shooting before practice ended for the evening.

Practice Three - Dec. 12th

Popee and Nanee came to watch Silas at practice two and three.  He was glad to have them visit us and watch him play basketball.  He really wanted them to see him make some baskets.

He started out with dribbling practice again.  He is getting good at walking and dribbling the basketball.

Next was the running and listening to the coaches game....

Then bounce and chest passing with a Coach...

And then some practice playing defense.  Silas has watched many basketball games and played some drive-way basketball with us so he has an idea of how to play defense already.  He did good getting his hands up and moving his feet.

They each got a turn to play one on one defense while one tried to dribble in and make a basket and the other played defense.

Practice Four - Last Practice Dec. 19th

The last practice was a review on the skills they had learned and practiced at the previous practices.

Then it was time to split into teams and have a small scrimmage....

Everyone got a turn to pass, dribble, shoot, and play defense during the scrimmage.

Silas did a fantastic job of playing defense during the scrimmage.  He kept his eyes on the ball, hands up, and used his body to get in front of the players with the ball.

At the end of the practice each kid got a high-five from Coach Frank and Coach Rob and a cookie.  Thanks for a great first basketball experience for Silas, Coaches!  He had a good time and looked forward to his basketball time each week.