Whether you’re a youth basketball coach or a parent of a player, a big part of being there for the kids involves being a positive influence as they learn to balance schoolwork with basketball practice. Sure, your child may enjoy playing basketball more than doing homework in the evenings, but it’s essential for you to teach your child about the importance of getting good grades at an early age.
From a young age, basketball should be about learning skills and not so much about winning. Of course, winning games is great, but it’s not everything. Youth basketball is more about learning and growing as a player and as a person. The necessity of teaching them to work hard at basketball can also translate into working hard at their schoolwork. As students get into high school, grades become even more important because of college scouts and possible scholarships. If your child ever needs some tutoring to help them excel, My Town Tutors would be great for them.
Show your players and your own children how working hard can pay off, both with on the court playing basketball and with their classes in school. Teach your youth basketball players about being educated in more ways – it’s important to know many basketball skills, just like it’s important to learn about math, science and other subjects in school.
Television can be a great way to keep your child interested in learning. Watch everything from educational TV shows about history or science, and share some pro basketball action with live games on TV, just don’t abuse how much time that spend in front of the television. DirectTVDeal even offers basketball-specific packages for both NBA and college hoops so your child can watch even more games each season. Kids develop a vision of how they want to play as they watch the pros and college players play.
Reward your child for their good grades and hard work with positive reinforcement. A trip to an NBA or college basketball game can be a fun way to celebrate a great report card. If you’re a coach, take the whole team to a game to show them how their practicing and studying can pay off.
Check out more resources to keep yourself learning as well. While education at school is important for youth basketball players, teaching yourself about being a great coach is equally important. Never stop learning and never let your youth basketball player stop learning, either. Growing up with this mentality helped me become a basketball high school star, play college basketball and earn a professional European contract. Grades were important to me and by having the right youth coaches in my life, helped me established a successful life and career.
Bio: Lamar Hull is a former Davidson College basketball player who spends most of his time coaching young kids and writing about youth sports. He loves to encourage kids in youth sports. Lamar is also a basketball sport’s blogger and writer. You can also follow Lamar at inspirationalbasketball.com“