The Base Game

Good morning to everybody!

Today we talk about the "Base Game" the ideal starting point for a coach when teaching mini-basketball after having built up a strong multilateral motor base. 

There are different options to introduce the "Game": 1 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, 4 on 4, 5 on 5; but in this post we are going to describe only the 1 on 1. 

1 on 1 Base-Game. 

This drill may be used in a simple manner with children in the 8-9 age group. The coach must accpet that children cannot be expected to perform over-complicated gestures and movements, he/she must be patient and carefully observe players' behaviour on  court. 

The following indications can be provided to children for the 1 on 1situation:

• You cannot run while holding the ball;
• You cannot leave the court;
• You cannot dribble again after catching the ball;
• The player in possession of the ball must try to go where there is no opponent (explain how) and must decide immediately what to do, but must also change his/her plan if what he/she expected is not happening;
• the player in posession of the ball must seek to prevent his/her opponents from taking it away from him/her;
• offensive players not in possession of the ball must try to become unmarked;
• defensive players shouldn't be beaten and must stand in front of their offensive opponent, whether he/she has te ball or not. 

Pic 1. 1 on 1 situation by West Point (CC. BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The coach must carefully observe children's behaviour during the base-game, and from the different situations arising on court he/she must infer what children cannot do or cannot do well, proposing drills and games useful for solving the problem.

In the 1 on 1 situation the child must gradually understand that dribbling helps to:

• move from defense to offense;
• beat one's opponents;
• move nearer to the basket (enter, stop, pass and shoot, shoot);
• improve the passing angle (when playing with teammates).

Progressively players will must bea able to know or understand when they need to change hands, direction or speed, when it is better to pass rather than dribble, and when it is better to shoot and how. 

All of this is called "anticipation  and decision ability", which in the initial stages causes children to commit many mistakes when judging the situations and makin the subsequent decisions. 

It is possible to play 1 on 1 on full-court, half-court or close to the basket. 

The coach may function as a referee, running the game and stopping it in the event of rule violations, teaching the rules and being tolerant with younger children about their mistakes.

                                                  Kids Basketball Drills. 1 on 1 Competition.

"All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them" Magic Johnson

References

FIBA (2000). Mini Basketball.The Base Game. En M.Mondoni, Basketball for young players. (pp 152-155). Madrid: Dikynson S.L. [Consultado en 17 de Abril 2015 en:  http://www.fiba.com/downloads/v3_expe/coac/bask4YounPlay/english/06.pdf.