Why Kids Should Learn Every Basketball Position

Why Kids Should LearnEvery Basketball Position

Some coaches of kids argue that you

need to start dividing the players into

positions ASAP when they start. In my

experience, it’s better to wait on

pigeon-holing kids so early in their

careers. This is for a couple of reasons.

Kids grow quickly.

You never know what’s going to happen toa kid’s body. Boys are especially prone tolate and dramatic growth spurts. If you onlyteach them how to play as a guard, butthen over the course of six months theyshoot up an extra six inches, they’re going

to have to start from ground zero.

On the flip side...if a kid is relatively tall but doesn’t hit muchof a growth spurt, all the other kids will

become posts instead of the kid who’s nowconsidered short. They’ll also have to start

over.

Teaching kids all the positionsgives them lots of options, nomatter what their bodies do ordon’t do throughout thecourse of puberty.

Learning every position helpsyour kids once they find one.How to pass, how to tell if a post is open,and other aspects of the post position canonly come from playing it. The same goesthe other way. Posts will only learn how toposition their bodies and get open if theysee themselves how guards see them.

All in all, some skills inbasketball are universal.

Everyone needs to know how to dribble.Everyone needs to know how to box out.Everyone should be able to pass and

receive a pass. Those skills don’t belong toposts or guards. They’re skills everyone whowants to play basketball needs to know.