MOTIVATION OF BASKETBALL FUNDAMENTALS

FOR YOUNGER BOYS

Forrest C. Allen, Basketball Coach
University of Kansas

As an ideal class program the mimetics of basketball furnish all the
“motivation necessary for teaching basic fundamentals around which all types
of plays evolve.

Por example, a group of children in the gymnasium classes could be more
easily led to strive for better stances in both offensive and defensive
positions if they were told and shown that John Doe, the high school star
athlete, executed his fundamentals thus.

In this type of motivation, no one should handle the ball except the
Gelerioter who demonstrates the play. One of the class members should work
with him in the demonstration. In order to hold a large class in floor for-
mation it will be necessary to alter follow-throughs somewhat, but the nature
of the alteration should serve to increase the value of the exercises as a form
of calisthenics, and should not seriously affect the value of the exercise as
a floor assignment, Changing the class positions is thus avoided.

The exercises should be performed and the followethrough made with an
avoidance of tensing the muscles. The smooth and seemingly effortless baskete
ball player is the imaginative model to follow. As a cat stretches itself to
health, sm should the versatile basketball player of the future unlimber his
shooting muscles.

A class of 40 to 50 can be handled in this manner without difficulty.
All members of the class should execute the same fundamentals witil every type
of play on both offense and defense has been fairly well mastered. Every coach

will differ somewhat in methods of teaching, and no two coaches will stress the