Basketball in Britain is governed by British Basketball with the British basketball league (BBL) being the highest league in Britain, consisting of 13 teams, 12 of those are from England the other team are Glasgow Rocks. However, it is the NBA (National Basketball Association) which is the biggest league in the world, boasting some of the biggest names in the sport, such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
The scoring system in basketball are 2 points scored for shooting inside of the three point line, and any scoring shots taken from outside of that line score 3 points. Free throws (or foul shots) are another way of scoring which are taken from the free throw line and each successful attempt is worth one point.
Many schools in England will have sports halls that will have the markings of a basketball course outlined and hoops and backboards attached to the walls. This means that basketball in many schools can be included in their curriculum of sports taught to the children. The topics which are covered in PE lessons are the different types of:
- Passing
- Shooting
- Dribbling
- Attacking
- Defending formations
There are four different types of passing used in basketball with varying degrees of success and accuracy. If coached well, all of the four passes can be used effectively in a game situation.
The four types of passes are:
- Chest
- Bounce
- Long
- Overarm
The main teaching points for dribbling in basketball are the rules, such as double dribble, and the technique. Many children may start kicking the ball due to the connotations of dribbling in football, so a demonstration in the first part of the lesson may be crucial for the children to understand this skill.
Basketball is one of the highest scoring games with both teams in games regularly scoring over 80 points each. Therefore the importance of shooting and being able to score points effectively through the three types of shots, free throws, jump shot and layup, is clear for all to see.
More advanced shots are the fade away jump shot, however, during a PE lesson the three main shots are the ones previously stated. An attacking tactic that can be taught to the more advanced groups is the three-man weave.
Another topic that can be covered when teaching the more advanced classes in a school can be the formations used in attacking and defending side of the game. By covering these topics repeatedly and building on the work done in previous lessons, basketball can be a lesson taught to all years and abilities.
