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Basketball · Basic · b4

Shoot close

Park or court 8 min 1 to 4 players One room, park, ground or field

Ready when: Ball play without bouncing (b1) done.

Start a session

What you are learning

The shot, remembered as BEEF: Balance, Eyes on the front of the rim, Elbow under the ball, Follow through with the fingers pointing down. Shoot from close enough to score, and step back only after scoring.

Words on this card Rim, BEEF
Rim
The metal hoop of the basket.
BEEF
A way to remember the shot: Balance, Eyes on the rim, Elbow under the ball, Follow through.

Set up

A hoop (lowered if possible) or a bin on a table; a mark 1.5 m away. No hoop? A bucket on a bench.

Weather: dry ground

The base setup for basketball

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Balance: feet a shoulder-width apart, knees bent.
  2. Eyes on the front of the rim.
  3. Elbow under the ball, the other hand on its side.
  4. Push up with the legs and the arm, and follow through: the wrist bends and the fingers point down into the basket.

Your part while they practise

Retrieve and pass back the ball. Count the baskets.

Step by step

  1. Stand on the mark.
  2. Shoot with BEEF.
  3. After 3 baskets, take one step back.
  4. 10 shots a round.

How much: 10 shots, 3 rounds 8 min a session 3 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Around the world

Six spots round the basket; move on after a basket; three tries at each spot.

Who plays: 1 to 4, taking turns.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Mark 6 spots in an arc round the basket at the shooting distance
  2. Start at the first spot. A basket moves you to the next spot
  3. You have 3 tries at a spot; if all three miss, your turn ends there
  4. Next turn, start from where you stopped. 3 turns each
Fair play
A younger player's spots are closer to the basket.
Points
1 point for each spot you score from.
Fouls
The shot does not count
  • Stepping in front of the spot
  • Hanging on the ring (and you sit out the next turn)
Winning
The first to go all round the world, or the most spots after 3 turns each.
Stars
  1. 2 spots for 1 star
  2. 4 spots for 2 stars
  3. 6 spots for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

A lower target, a closer mark.

Harder

A smaller target, one step further out.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the ball flies sideways Elbow under the ballThe elbow points at the basket, not out to the side.
  • it falls short Use your legsBend the knees and push up through the whole body.

Self-check

5of 10

5 of 10 close shots go in or touch the rim.

Stop and get a coach when

Pain in the wrist or elbow.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains shooting form, aim.

awiseathlete.com/sports/basketball/basketball-b4