Too funny not to share.

[Addicting]

My son is an aspiring basketball player. He is currently on a travel team for 5th graders. He was fortunate enough to skip Kindergarten and is one year ahead in school. So all the boys he plays with are turning 12 and he just turned 10.

Developmentally his coordination hasn’t caught up with his teammates, that extra two years has him on the bottom end of the team.

Tonight, as us Dads were taking a break from yelling, aka coaching from the sidelines, I saw the coach tell him a specific message.

“If you get the ball Shoot it” and then proceeded to put him in off the bench.

My boy isn’t a shooter yet and needs to get opportunities to have that light bulb moment.

First play out the other team did a full court press and he got the inbound pass. He dribbled and spun then got a great look at the basket. Shot, missed got his own rebound and when to shoot again. All the dads were yelling at him. The opponent were not even trying to block him and he was full of energy.

It was the opponents basket he was shooting at. He finally heard us and much to his embarrassment realizing he hadn’t taken the ball down the court yet. Lol

Between the blood pressure spikes and extra tension, I am sure team sports takes years off our lives.

 

[perma]

My son is an aspiring basketball player. He is currently on a travel team for 5th graders. He was fortunate enough to skip Kindergarten and is one year ahead in school. So all the boys he plays with are turning 12 and he just turned 10.

Developmentally his coordination hasn’t caught up with his teammates, that extra two years has him on the bottom end of the team.

Tonight, as us Dads were taking a break from yelling, aka coaching from the sidelines, I saw the coach tell him a specific message.

“If you get the ball Shoot it” and then proceeded to put him in off the bench.

My boy isn’t a shooter yet and needs to get opportunities to have that light bulb moment.

First play out the other team did a full court press and he got the inbound pass. He dribbled and spun then got a great look at the basket. Shot, missed got his own rebound and when to shoot again. All the dads were yelling at him. The opponent were not even trying to block him and he was full of energy.

It was the opponents basket he was shooting at. He finally heard us and much to his embarrassment realizing he hadn’t taken the ball down the court yet. Lol

Between the blood pressure spikes and extra tension, I am sure team sports takes years off our lives.

You know, at least he did what he was told.

When I was his age, when I got the ball, I dribbled and froze and waited for someone to come along that I can pass it to. I turned out to be pretty good by my senior year, so I’d say the kid is in better company.

 

[Nick87]

Happens to everyone, much better in basketball Than with a buck or bull in the crosshairs.

 

[Dave N]

I can only imagine the ribbing he's getting. Shit happens. Now he has those jitters out of the way. He'll learn from it and move on.

 

[44hunter45]

Good times.
My boys were giants in their age group. But absolutely too big to be coordinated.

My middle son was camped on the third base pillow in little league and the dad sitting next to me in the stands - having no clue I was the dad in question - leans over and says "WTF did they get that kid? He's gotta be 15 years old."

Stephen was a thinker not a doer so much. He figured out pretty early that the pitcher could not throw strikes. He always walked.

 

[longbow51]

My granddaughter is in the same place, a year younger than her colleagues, so less coordinated, but very tall, and strong. She plays great defense, but can't get shooting yet. My wife's personal trainer (auto accident re-hab) saw a game, and said, you know I could teach her to shoot; easier than teaching defense. We'll see.

 

[Addicting]

My granddaughter is in the same place, a year younger than her colleagues, so less coordinated, but very tall, and strong. She plays great defense, but can't get shooting yet. My wife's personal trainer (auto accident re-hab) saw a game, and said, you know I could teach her to shoot; easier than teaching defense. We'll see.

He plays great defense too, he plays like Rodman did. So much so that we had to tell him to scale it back a bit. He kept trying to cause a jump ball with his teammates. Lol

 

[Addicting]

All ribbing aside he plays or has practice 5 days a week and is as good or better than kids his age. Being forced to play almost 2 years behind he is getting great experience.

 

[noharleyyet]

All ribbing aside he plays or has practice 5 days a week and is as good or better than kids his age. Being forced to play almost 2 years behind he is getting great experience.

Absolutely...good stuff.

 

[kansasdad]

He can say he was just padding his rebound stats and thus he intentionally missed the shot.

 

[Addicting]

He can say he was just padding his rebound stats and thus he intentionally missed the shot.

Unfortunately, his brain goes haywire when it’s his turn. In practice doing layups he is decent. From the bottom of the paint he is good. Form is OK and he focused. Put him in a game and he goes to flinging the ball. So excited he finally gets the ball he forgets it all.

Tomorrow he is going to a new coaching session on personal skills. I hear the coach is tough and look forward to see if he helps. Some of the kids that coach has produced have been phenomenal.

 

[D_Walt]

Don’t forget…it’s also just 5th grade basketball. People get crazy about kids sports and start thinking their pre-pubescent kids are the next 5 star recruits. Sounds like a good learning experience with no harm done…which is exactly what kids sports are supposed to be imho.

 

[Addicting]

Don’t forget…it’s also just 5th grade basketball. People get crazy about kids sports and start thinking their pre-pubescent kids are the next 5 star recruits. Sounds like a good learning experience with no harm done…which is exactly what kids sports are supposed to be imho.

This is difficult, We are well aware he is a B team player. The team started as a skills team. Last year they all started and it was pretty even. This year it has shifted/changed with different coaches. The OG coach and I have talked and it is still a skills team. But it’s changing, it’s becoming more of an actual travel team and tournament play.

So I’m caught in a tough spot if we paid for him to play and get skills verses winning games and tournaments that the new coaches working on.

I don’t blame them as the team has players with the skill to win some games. Other games they are still getting killed. I feel I have to remind them that it’s a skills team and if kids aren’t playing they aren’t learning. My kid is in a spot where he knows it but needs game time to work it out. As a parent waking that line is tough and I am as good if not better than Rosanne with my people skills.

So even with the best of intentions and coaching from my wife I still seem to foul it up when talking with the coaches.

This is tougher than I ever thought it would be.