Basketball

Most injuries in youth basketball are minor and can be treated with simple first-aid. Finger sprains are common, but ankle and knee injuries, especially in Grades 1 through 6, are not. Here's some basic first aid advice from a longtime coach.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which has written and published playing rules for high school sports throughout its 91-year history, has released its first rules application for mobile devices for high school basketball. 

While basketball officials and coaches don't often see eye to eye, they can agree on one thing: that working together to achieve game flow is not only in  their mutual interest, but makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.

While millions of people worldwide focused this past two weeks on the NBA Finals and superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki playing the game of basketball with grace and fury for a championship at the highest level, area gyms around the nation will be filled with kids and weekend warriors hooping it up with the same intensity but for completely different reasons.  "We play basketball for the three ‘C's,'" explains Jamar Johnson, Chief Commissioner of the Community Basketball Leagues (CBL): competition, comradery and community.

With basketball season beginning around the country, now is the perfect time to consider whether small-sided or 3 on 3 basketball is a better way for elementary school players to play and learn the game.

Girls who play sports more than 8 hours per week are twice as likely as their less active peers to suffer a stress fracture, a new study finds. Most at risk were those engaged in three activities (running, basketball and cheerleading/gymnastics) which involve repeated jumping and landing which place particuarly high stress on bone, with the risk of injury increasing about 8 percent for each extra hour of activity over four per week.

At levels below high school, kids sign up for sports to play, not to watch other kids play or watch adults coach or referees ref.   The number one job of a coach - whether it be basketball or any other team sport -  is to make sure every child gets meaningful playing time in every game.

Finding ways to keep kids playing and making programs more fun are seen by coaches, administrators and volunteers as the best ways to improve the youth basketball experience in a survey conducted by youth basketball expert and reform advocate, Bob Bigelow.

Teaching basketball to younger kids (e.g. from kindergarten to 8th grade) can be a rewarding but challenging experience for any coach. Teaching coaches how to coach such youngsters is likewise a challenge, but the key is keep it fun, and keep them moving!

Concussion rates in thirteen high school sports from 1998 to 2008, as reported in three separate studies, vary widely by sport and, in some cases, by gender.