top of page
Search

Is Basketball the right sport for my 5 year old?

Updated: Apr 4

Basketball is one among the sports like Football, Tennis, Badminton and Hockey where young kids can develop both their Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills. In the study conducted by Karen E Adolph and Justine E Hoch, titled ‘The Importance of Motor Skills for Development ’[1], it is stated that,


“...all behavior is motor behavior, and thus motor skill acquisition is synonymous with behavioral development…”



In other words, Motor Skills are essential for a holistic development of a child. Outdoor play, and sports in particular, is an important, if not the best way, to build Motor Skills in kids (unfortunately Cricket is not among the sports that feature prominently on this list; in a country that adores the sport of Cricket our kids tend to lose out on a lot of necessary skills)




While activities like running, jumping and throwing can help build Gross Motor Skills, activities like dribbling, shooting, passing help develop Fine Motor Skills. A well designed coaching program for Basketball can help develop not only physical skills but also cognitive, social, and emotional skills.


Basketball is a sport that requires quick decision making and good execution. Basketball trains a young player to think on their feet.

But being quick and skilled is not sufficient for a sport like Basketball. They must also be able to communicate well with their teammates either through verbal cues, body language or eye contact. Such is the nature of this challenging sport that it requires and trains kids to communicate and bond with their teammates.


Basketball being a relatively new sport in India is heavily challenged with lack of popularity, but steps taken in the right direction are enabling the sport to find a foothold.




FOOTNOTE -

[1] ‘The Importance of Motor Skills for Development’,

Authors - Karen E Adolph and Justine E Hoch


Comments

bottom of page