Montevallo Middle SchoolPhysical Education

BASKETBALL

Basketball is one of the few sports that can be played in a team, dual, or individual format.

Whether you play on a school or league team, or if you play at home or “pick-up” games, it can serve as a great source of cardiovascular exercise and recreational fun.

BASKETBALL

Use the “B.E.E.F.” technique when shooting the basketball. Whether it’s comfortable to you now or not, practicing this technique and form will give you the best chance to be successful when shooting.

“B”- Balance. Get your feet set shoulder width apart and evenly aligned. Square your feet and shoulders toward the goal.

“E”- Eyes on the Goal. Focus your eyes on the rim or backboard, whichever is your target for the shot.

“E”- Elbow Up. Keep the elbow on your shooting arm elevated, bent at a 90 degree angle, and directly under the basketball.

“F”- Follow Through. As you extend your arm up and out toward the goal, snap your wrist and fingers down, and leave that arm and hand in that position. “Reaching into the cookie jar.”

SHOOTING

BalanceEyesElbowFollow Through

B.E.E.F.

A shot closer to the basket is usually considered a “high percentage” shot because if the shooter tries several attempts from that distance/location they would likely hit more shots than they would miss, resulting in a high percentage of makes.

Layups are the most common type of high percentage shot taken in games.

When playing team basketball it’s always a good idea to try to find a teammate who has a chance at a “high percentage” shot and pass them the ball.

An open three-point attempt is not a bad shot… unless someone is open closer to the basket.

WHICH SHOT IS A GOOD SHOT?

One way the offensive player can move the ball up the court is to dribble.

When we dribble we want to focus on only contacting the basketball with our fingertips. Avoid hitting the ball with your palms because you will lose the ability to control the direction of the ball.

It’s also a good idea to keep your eyes forward so you can see: a.) where you’re going, b.) the defense, and c.) your teammates and the basket.

Travelling = taking more than 2 steps with the basketball, without dribbling.

DRIBBLING

Control Dribble- This is the safest type of dribble to protect the basketball from a defender.The control dribble is performed by turning slightly to place your body between the ball and the defender, dribbling the ball near or behind your back foot, and raising your off-hand and arm to protect the ball from the defender’s hands.

TYPES OF DRIBBLES

Hand-Transfer Dribble- This could be used in order to protect the ball while moving, change direction under defensive pressure, or change hands without picking up your dribble.

We practiced 4 types of “hand-transfer” dribbles in class:CrossoverBetween the LegBehind the BackSpinWe also worked on some Ball-Handling Drills that could help improve your dribbling ability.

TYPES OF DRIBBLES

Popcorn- tapping the ball back and forth off the fingertips

Around the World- passing the ball from one hand to the other around, in front, and behind your body

The Blur- releasing and catching the ball under your legs while moving your hands around, in front, and behind your legs

Figure 8- passing the ball from one hand to the other around and between your legs

V Dribble- dribbling from one hand to the other low to the ground in a “V” pattern

Low Dribble- dribbling with one hand while kneeling or sitting and keeping the ball low to the ground

BALL-HANDLING DRILLS

The other option for the offensive player to advance the ball is to pass it to a teammate.

Passing is the fastest way to advance the basketball down the court when done correctly.

There are three main types of passes:Chest PassBounce PassOverhead Pass

PASSING

The chest pass involves using two hands to pass the ball to a teammate, at chest height, without allowing the ball to hit the floor.

We want to step towards our target when passing, and be sure to press the thumbs down and out to complete the follow through of the pass.

CHEST PASS

The bounce pass is very similar to the chest pass in how it is performed. The major difference is that it is intended to bounce to your target.

We use the bounce pass because it slows the trajectory of the ball, and makes it easier for a teammate to catch.This is especially true when the intended teammate is on the move.

BOUNCE PASS

The overhead pass is typically used to pass the ball over the defense in some way.

The overhead pass differs from the chest and bounce pass in that it is more of a throwing motion. We start with the ball in both hands, held over our head, and then bring the ball forward and slightly up to elevate the pass over any defender that might be in the passing lane.

This pass is intended to cover a longer distance, without allowing the defenders to easily interfere.

OVERHEAD PASS

When we catch the basketball we need to protect it from the defender at all times.

The “triple-threat position” allows us to not only protect the ball, but also be able to dribble, pass, or shoot quickly, hence the name triple-threat.

In order to protect the ball in this position we place the ball close to our hip, lean our opposite shoulder and elbow in between the ball and the defender, and keep both hands on the ball securely.

TRIPLE-THREAT POSITION

PurposeStancePositioningStrategy

DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

Why do we play defense when offense is so much more fun?

The purpose of defense in basketball, like any other sport, is to stop the offense from scoring.

Defenders are allowed to steal a pass or dribble, block a shot, rebound a missed shot, or cause an offensive violation or mistake, as long as they don’t foul the offensive player in the process.

PURPOSE OF DEFENSE

Proper defensive stance includes:

Feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apartKnees bent and a slight bend at the waist

Staying low with a wide base helps increase your balance and agility to stay in front of the person you’re guarding

Chest and eyes upActive hands, out away from the body

When playing defense on the ball handler it is especially important to have active hands to prevent an open pass or shot

DEFENSIVE STANCE

If our main objective on defense is to stop the offense from scoring, we need to position ourselves between the player we’re guarding and the basket.

We covered person-to-person defense in class as the main style of defense used in basketball.

Within this style of defense there were two basic defenders:On-ball defense- when you’re defending the player who currently has the ball

Off-ball defense- when you’re defending a player who does not have the ball

DEFENSIVE POSITIONING

On-BallIf you’re defending the

player with the ball you should stay at least an arm’s length away to avoid “overplaying” them and possibly allowing them to drive past you to the basket.

Off-BallIf you’re defending off

the ball you should be aware of playing “help side” defense and move and rotate closer to the basket to assist your teammates who are defending the ball.

DEFENSIVE STRATEGY

There are offensive and defensive rules in the game of basketball.

Fouls- the offensive and defensive teams are subject to committing a foul.Any contact deemed unnecessary or intentional by the official can by called a foul.

If a defensive player makes contact with an offensive player in the act of shooting it is a foul.

If an offensive player makes contact with a defensive player who has established their position it is a foul.

RULES

The most common mistake an offensive player makes while learning the game of basketball is often a moving violation. This is also known as “travelling.”

Travelling is called when an offensive player takes more than two steps without dribbling the basketball.

Another moving violation is a double-dribble.This occurs any time a player dribbles the ball with both hands; or picks the ball up with both hands while dribbling, and then returns to their dribble.

RULES

One of the major focuses of this unit on basketball was that everyone demonstrate good sportsmanship throughout each day.

Characteristics of someone who displays good sportsmanship:Treats teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, and spectators with respect.

Maintains a good attitude no matter what the circumstances are.

Shows humility in victory and grace in defeat.Encourages teammates and accepts responsibility for their own mistakes.

Is honest at all times, even if it is to their disadvantage.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Be COACHABLE!When learning or practicing any skill, sport, game, lesson, subject, job, or task always be COACHABLE.

Not only will others respect you and appreciate your efforts, but you’ll learn amazing things about yourself and your potential to improve.

Compete with yourself, not your opponent.

“Hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else expects of you.”

- Henry Ward Beecher

AND FINALLY