The Aussie Hoops coaching philosophy is centred on providing a fun, structured and active experience for all participants. Aussie Hoops coaches will provide opportunities for participants to experience and enjoy Basketball as preparation for lifelong involvement in physical activity and sport.
Basketball’s fundamental skills are:
- Ball handling;
- Dribbling;
- Passing;
- Catching;
- Shooting;
- Body movement and footwork; and
- Defence.
Aussie Hoops is designed to address and develop these fundamental skills for 5 to 10 year old boys and girls. Aussie Hoops games and activities incorporate high participation with skill development to provide a safe and enjoyable learning environment.
When delivering Aussie Hoops sessions coaches should consider:
Discrete Coaching; With this approach coach instructions and demonstrations are kept to a minimum. Allow play to continue and support players to develop their skills on the side in an unobtrusive way during the course of the activity. This maximises player participation and allows players to receive one-on-one personalised coach support when required.
Role Modelling; Using participant role models during the coaching of skills and activities to demonstrate and emphasise good technique or strategies is a highly visual and often effective means of engagement. Be aware of cultural considerations when adopting this strategy.
Maximum Participation and Engagement; Children need to be active and crave movement. Minimising the amount of time participants ‘wait for turns’ or have to stand and listen to instructions establishes an active participating environment.
Implied Learning; Coaches don’t always have to create a new game or activity to teach a skill. Often an elementary change in a game or activity achieves the desired outcome.
Modification; There are a variety of rule changes depending on the skill and age range of participants. The key modified rules of Aussie Hoops are:
- Use a size 5 Spalding basketball;
- Where possible use an 8 foot (2.4 metre) high basket;
- All baskets are worth 2 points, except free throws which are worth 1 point;
- It is a violation to steal the ball from someone’s hands (the ’no grab’ rule);
- Participants may shuffle their feet on the spot when they have the ball (be lenient on the ‘travel’ rule);
- Participants may use two hands when dribbling to gain control (be lenient on the ‘double dribble’ rule); and
- Establish compulsory playing time during games (i.e. everyone must play at least 3 quarters) or have a set time for substitutions.