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Basketball

Basketball

young men playing basketball

Purpose

Learn about and play basketball to promote friendship and physical fitness. Develop teamwork and leadership skills to help you serve others throughout your life.

Description

Learn how to play, coach, and referee basketball. Consider organizing regular practices and games, depending on the skills and number of players. Practices help build skills and can provide opportunities for one-on-one teaching. Organize teams with enough players to have substitutions during each game. Have the teams play against each other with volunteers both officiating and coaching. Planning a big activity at the end, such as a tournament, can be a great way to build community spirit.

As you plan this activity, please follow the counsel given in chapter 13 of Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010) and review “Safety Recommendations for Church Activities.”

More Ideas

  • Learn a new sport—If basketball isn’t your game, learn how to play, coach, and referee another sport such as soccer, baseball, cricket, or any other sport you have an interest in.

  • Practice drills and contests—Practice drills that develop skills, like shooting or dribbling, while also providing a fun environment without being too competitive. Hold contests for activities such as free throws, three-point shooting, or dribbling.

  • Three-on-three play—If you have a small group, try playing with three players per team instead of five.

  • Learn to coach—Take turns coaching to develop your leadership skills. Be positive and encouraging with your words and actions. To prepare, you may want to search for videos online about ways to coach basketball.

  • Learn to officiate—Take a turn as the referee. This will help you better understand the rules of the game as well as develop respect for how hard it can be to make correct calls. You might ask a certified referee to run a clinic for you.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to play team sports?

  • When have you been lifted by participating in basketball or other team sports?

  • What feelings or impressions do you have about fitness and sportsmanship?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

Sabbath Day Lessons

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