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PostPosted: 11 Mar 2015, 12:29 

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My daughter is 12 years old. She is very athletic and has good ball handling skills. Her shot still needs some work but she is getting better. She has no fear when it comes to shooting, but right now she misses a greater percentage than she makes. Sometimes I think she shoots too much. Should I discuss this with her? I am glad that she has confidence because I have noticed that a lot of kids she plays with are scared to shoot the ball, and I don't want her to become one of those players.

My second question is about defense. My daughter is quick and aggressive and I think she has the skills to be a good defender. Right now she lacks the ambition to do so. She reaches to much on defense to try and steal the ball, and she also kind of floats on defense, just standing around watching. I have tried to emphasize defense to her by telling her that if she can play good defense, she will be able to play on just about any team, but the message hasn't quite sunk in yet. Any suggestions on how to coax her into being more into defense? Thank you.


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PostPosted: 12 Mar 2015, 06:18 
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For shooting, as long as she's open, is one balance, under control, in her range, and the coach gives the green light.... she should shoot. I think the key is just making good decisions in context of the game. If you have an open lane, you drive. If a teammate is wide open, you pass.

For defense, that is tough for a parent. You can maybe play some 1on1 for fun. Don't worry about the coaching at first. Then next time give some defensive pointers. If she pays good defense on you, give lots of positive reinforcement. Beyond that I think it's mostly on the coach to teach and demand good defense.

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PostPosted: 12 Mar 2015, 12:39 

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Good points by Jeff. On the shooting, if you're able to get out with her, try playing some H-O-R-S-E but add a twist. All shots must be a swish. When my son was younger he'd constantly bug me to play H-O-R-S-E and it usually ended up with crazy shots which was fun, but didn't really improve his shooting. I'd play a few goofy games and change it to swish only. Food for thought.

Defense is a tough one. The crowd isn't cheering when a kid plays good defense, but they sure make noise when someone makes a shot. Kids get conditioned by that reinforcement from the stands at an early age. Not sure there's an easy way for a parent to "talk a kid into" playing good defense. Coaches are usually the ones that teach and get that point across. You could look for some short teaching videos to show your daughter.

For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px7JTbxBfZY

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PostPosted: 18 Mar 2015, 19:04 

Posts: 176
What do you think a good shot percentage would be for a 12 yo girl? As Jeff said as long as all the fundamentals where in place -- ie; she took a good shot, If it goes in, great. If it doesn't, no big deal. Eventually as she gets better, bigger, and stronger they'll go in.

NEVER tell a kid not to shoot. We had coaches doing this and it completely killed us. Shooting is about confidence and rhythm. If they hesitate because coach said not to shoot, they will not make it.


As for defense, just keep pushing it. Especially on nights when the shooting isn't on.


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PostPosted: 20 Mar 2015, 15:57 

Posts: 157
While I agree in principle that you never want to tell a kid not to shoot, I think there is a way to actually get the player to assess better if they have taken a good shot or not. After a shot in a scrimmage, stop the scrimmage and simply ask:

"Who liked that shot?"

When only a few kids raise their hands, ask the next question:

"What could have made that shot better?"

The answers you get can range from anywhere from the number of passes into a possession, where the player took the shot from relative to the skill level, if the player caught the ball ready to shoot.

I agree you never want to tell a player not to shoot. But you do want them to start thinking critically about what a good shot is.

What is a good shot for the player?
What is a good shot for the team?

These kind of questions can help a player understand the game at a deeper level, and also help grasp their role.


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PostPosted: 16 May 2016, 10:02 

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Briansass, I like your approach. Its best to have input from the other teammates. Group discussion helps them all and lets the whole team critique the play looking at different angles at the same time.


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