Basketball Should Be Taken Seriously

Levi Kujawa-Seda

Mr. Hertz

English 2

14 January 2013

Basketball Should Be Taken Seriously  

Three seconds left on the clock, you're down by one, you get the ball passed to you to drive in for the winning basket, you go up for the shoot and then miss.  Luckily you got fouled so you get to shoot two free throws.  You shoot, and miss both of them and lose  the game for your team.  Basketball is a very serious and intense sport; therefore, it should be taken seriously.  

My question is why should this sport be taken so seriously?   I, myself, take this sport seriously.  I play just about every day so that I can get better.  There is always room for improvement, no matter who you are.  So the type of coach I like is the kind of coach that is hard on you and makes you try, try again until you get it right.  And I think that that is how you must practice.  Get at least five hours a week in practice: I say that that would be the appropriate amount to have your skills blossom.  But also there are two other things you should know about basketball if you want to be good: how to properly use the equipment and, of course, the rules.  Also, a good understanding of its history wouldn't hurt.  I believe that dedication and successful practice are the two key qualities to becoming a good player.  

Basketball originated rather differently than other sports.  Rather than evolving from a series of other sports (like baseball, for example), basketball was made by request.  This sport would solve the yearly problem of students’ lack of interest in the usual indoor, cold weather  activities such as marching, gymnastics, and calisthenics.  So Dr. Luther H. Gulick, head of the Physical Education Department at the International Training School of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts then asked James Naismith--a 30-year-old physical education instructor at the school (Fallen 8).  

At first he tried coordinating outdoor sports indoors; yet, alas, this ended in disaster.  So he had to think of a new game, not involving sticks or rackets, but a ball--just a ball--and some kind of goal: but what?  So while he was short on supplies, he went to work.  He took a pair of peach baskets and nailed them to the ends of the balcony in the gym.  He put each basket ten feet from the floor and prepared for his first PE class of the day.  Her quickly explained it to his class and said that a team would score when one of the team members would throw a ball into the basket (Fallen 12).  

Since then the rules of basketball have changed greatly, some of the original rules still apply in the game today.  Like the five second time limit for throwing the ball in-bounds.  And Naismith also decided that the best way to see who starts was to toss the ball in the air between two players... sounds familiar?  Well, it should!  That is what’s now called the center jump.  Naismith was also concerned about the roughness, so he thought that the ideal way to control it would be to have referees to call fouls.  Yet the biggest difference between today’s game from the original game is that initially you could not move with the ball, only pass it.  Later dribbling came into play, which came from a rule that you could throw the ball into the air and catch it yourself, like passing it to yourself.  Many other new rules were added to the game later in time and developed this new sport into the game we now know as basketball.  The sport would have been called Naismith-ball, yet Naismith, himself, protested; so the next most logical name for this sport, as it originated with a peach basket, was basketball.  And that’s what it’s been called now for over one-hundred years (Fallen 15).  

If you want become a great basketball player these are the qualities and skills that you will need.First thing you need to have, I say, is the passion for basketball.  If you don’t love the game, how will you get better?  And practice makes perfect, as everyone says: so practice!  I try to practice at least five days a week.  But I know that it can be hard with our wonderful Humboldt weather we have here.  But no matter what the weather, I still try to get my practice in.  Anytime someone wants to play... play!  Even if they’re a lot better than you and you know you will lose, we learn from our mistakes in losing.  In winning, not so much.  But the most important things you need are these: motivation, dedication, and perseverance.  You will never become great if you quit when it starts to become hard, and this applies to everything... especially basketball (Basketball Drills and Plays).  

As for my own involvement in basketball, I will try to play throughout high school and college and we shall see from there.  I wish also to coach basketball teams.  Already I’ve been helping out with my little sister’s team for two years now.  I think that coaching a young group of kids that are just starting their adventure into the world of basketball is important, because I think that when you start you need to be coached well so that you don’t begin with bad habits that you will need to break out of later.  And it’s easier to fix bad habits when they first start, rather than waiting for the person to get comfortable with their imperfections.   And that's what I plan to do.  

Practice. Practice is key.  Without practice, you would not be very good.  But rather than just telling you how to practice, I will teach you a few things that are key when it comes to practicing.  You can break it down into five essentials.  The five essentials are: ball handling, rebounding, shooting, jumping, and lastly, conditioning.  The following are some ways that you can practice these essentials on your own without the help of another person.  

We’ll start with ball handling.  This drill works with ball control with both hands and also with lay-up skills.  This drill is called “Dribble X-out.”  This is how it works.  You start by driving in from the right lane of the hoop with your right hand and do a right-handed lay-up and then rebound it.  You then take it out to the left side with your right hand.  Then drive in the left lane with your left hand and shoot a left-handed lay-up, rebound it and then dribble out the right side with your left hand.  Repeat this for one minute.  

Rebounding is hard to practice by yourself.  The best thing you can do is to practice with a friend or teammate taking turns shooting while the other person boxes them out and gets the ball before the shooter.  A good way to practice making good strong passes is this; through the ball from your core against a wall so you can easily grab it and put it into the triple threat position.  Keep doing this for a few minutes.  The  longer you work on a drill and the longer you practice the better you’ll become.  

The last essential which is shooting.  This is a very easy skill to practice on your own.  Except often time it is not practiced properly.  What you should do is start close to the basket on the right side and shoot the ball at that spot until you have made ten shots.  Then rotate so you are centered facing the basket.  Make ten shots there then rotate to the left side and do the same.  After doing this take a step back and this time start on the left side and do the same thing but make your way to the right.  Repeat this process several times.  

Next every player wants to be able to jump high but not everyone knows how they can do this.  To increase your vertical jump you must exercise your calves and quadriceps.  And the easiest way to do this that involves no equipment are wall sits.  This is where you lean up against a wall with your legs at a 90 degree angle as if you were sitting on an invisible chair.  Hold that position until your calves burn and you can't hold it any longer and then take a break and do it again.  Lastly conditioning, the more you are conditioned the longer you are physically able to play in a game.  The best way to condition is by doing a series of sets of liners (also known as suicides).  Do these in sets of 5-10.  Remember to stay hydrated while doing any of these drills and exercises (Basketball Drills and Plays).

In conclusion, basketball is a sport that requires dedication practice and persistence on side from skill.  This sport can not be taken lightly or you will be trampled over.  The question I asked in the beginning was why should this sport be taken so seriously?  And the answer is no.  It doesn't have to taken seriously.  Anyone can play it and have fun.  But if you want to become a great player, yes if you want to become a great player then you have to take this sport seriously, very seriously.  This is a choice today you make the decision i have already made mine.

Bibliography

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Falla, Jack. NCAA, the Voice of College Sports: A Diamond Anniversary History, 1906-1981. Mission, Kan.: National Collegiate Athletic Association, 1981. Print.

"History of Basketball." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 May 2013.

"History of Basketball." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 May 2013.

Stern, Robert. They Were Number One: A History of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. New York: Leisure, 1983. Print.