Managing playing time rules in first-year rec-league basketball

[Anonymous]

I coach a third-grade rec league basketball team (8-foot rims). My son and one other kid will be playing travel league when they're eligible in fifth-grade; maybe two other kids are usable for setting picks, grabbing a rebound, staying somewhat near their man on defense, etc. The remaining five have two left feet and are all thumbs when they try to dribble, pass or shoot.

The rule in our league is that each kid has to play one full, uninterrupted quarter in the first half. Each kid has to sit at least one full, uninterrupted quarter sometime during the game. During the second half, you can sub in and out but each kid must play at least half the game total.

Of course I play my kid and the other good kid three quarters each, but that still leaves fourteen quarters of play ((5*4) - (3*2)) across seven players. Only two of those kids have a clue at that but with fourteen quarters remaining I can only play them the same two quarters as everyone else. Nobody seems willing to quit the team to free up playing time so that's off the table.

Other rules are that the kids play man-to-man on defense, with no double-teaming (even on rebounds). Otherwise it's legit basketball: no traveling, no double-dribbling, no back-and-forth across midcourt.

I feel like I need to split my two good kids to compensate for the others, but that means they don't get to learn teamwork with each other. I'd also like to put the two OK kids out there with them so our two good kids can learn how to use a pick, ICE a pick the other way, and whatnot. But leaving our five "try hards" out there together at once would be a disaster.

How do people handle it, so that players can be ready for fourth-grade rec and then hit the next level (5th-grade travel) ready to go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I coach a third-grade rec league basketball team (8-foot rims). My son and one other kid will be playing travel league when they're eligible in fifth-grade; maybe two other kids are usable for setting picks, grabbing a rebound, staying somewhat near their man on defense, etc. The remaining five have two left feet and are all thumbs when they try to dribble, pass or shoot.

The rule in our league is that each kid has to play one full, uninterrupted quarter in the first half. Each kid has to sit at least one full, uninterrupted quarter sometime during the game. During the second half, you can sub in and out but each kid must play at least half the game total.

Of course I play my kid and the other good kid three quarters each, but that still leaves fourteen quarters of play ((5*4) - (3*2)) across seven players. Only two of those kids have a clue at that but with fourteen quarters remaining I can only play them the same two quarters as everyone else. Nobody seems willing to quit the team to free up playing time so that's off the table.

Other rules are that the kids play man-to-man on defense, with no double-teaming (even on rebounds). Otherwise it's legit basketball: no traveling, no double-dribbling, no back-and-forth across midcourt.

I feel like I need to split my two good kids to compensate for the others, but that means they don't get to learn teamwork with each other. I'd also like to put the two OK kids out there with them so our two good kids can learn how to use a pick, ICE a pick the other way, and whatnot. But leaving our five "try hards" out there together at once would be a disaster.

How do people handle it, so that players can be ready for fourth-grade rec and then hit the next level (5th-grade travel) ready to go?

It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:maybe two other kids are usable for setting picks, grabbing a rebound, staying somewhat near their man on defense, etc. The remaining five have two left feet and are all thumbs when they try to dribble, pass or shoot.

Guess you have some work to do, coach!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

+1,000,000,000. Focus on teaching ALL of these kids good fundamentals and good sportsmanship. That's what a coach does. It's not about getting your own kid playing time, it's about being committed to all the children on your team.

[Anonymous]

I call troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

That's naïve. Kids at ages 8 and 9 know full well who wins and loses. Some are even veterans of travel baseball and soccer, so they get it.

What you really need to do is figure out how to get your good kids time as a unit so they know how to play in travel, while not completely hosing yourself otherwise.

So play the last quarter with your four good kids plus one other one--maybe the fastest of the remaining kids so he can get in the way on defense.

Go with your two good kids together in the third quarter as well, so they can run pick-and-rolls, give and go's, and other two-man games.

That means in the first half you'll split your two good players, so each sits the required quarter.

[Anonymous]

I know we have become a participation trophy nation that we like to mock but there is sound reason for it. Elementary kids should be exposed to as many activities as possible.

With sports, keeping it fun while teaching the necessary skills is what lays a foundation to future success. Sure winning is fun but who really cares, they are 2nd or 3rd graders. Reward the nice pass, the attempt at a skill move etc. THOSE are the "victories", not the score. If your kid does a cool move reward that, not the win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I call troll.

Hope you're right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

That's naïve. Kids at ages 8 and 9 know full well who wins and loses. Some are even veterans of travel baseball and soccer, so they get it.

What you really need to do is figure out how to get your good kids time as a unit so they know how to play in travel, while not completely hosing yourself otherwise.

So play the last quarter with your four good kids plus one other one--maybe the fastest of the remaining kids so he can get in the way on defense.

Go with your two good kids together in the third quarter as well, so they can run pick-and-rolls, give and go's, and other two-man games.

That means in the first half you'll split your two good players, so each sits the required quarter.

It isn't naive, I have kids in travel sports and they also play some rec sports. I know the difference between the two and what their purpose is. Rec is for teaching and exposure. And Travel is STILL for teaching, but is merely a AP class of sorts.

Yes, kids know if they won or lost, but they have forgotten it by the time they reach the car.

Bottom line is, a good coach would recognize that he needs to work on the fundamentals with the two left feet kids while finding a way to challenge his two "stars"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I coach a third-grade rec league basketball team (8-foot rims). My son and one other kid will be playing travel league when they're eligible in fifth-grade; maybe two other kids are usable for setting picks, grabbing a rebound, staying somewhat near their man on defense, etc. The remaining five have two left feet and are all thumbs when they try to dribble, pass or shoot.

The rule in our league is that each kid has to play one full, uninterrupted quarter in the first half. Each kid has to sit at least one full, uninterrupted quarter sometime during the game. During the second half, you can sub in and out but each kid must play at least half the game total.

Of course I play my kid and the other good kid three quarters each, but that still leaves fourteen quarters of play ((5*4) - (3*2)) across seven players. Only two of those kids have a clue at that but with fourteen quarters remaining I can only play them the same two quarters as everyone else. Nobody seems willing to quit the team to free up playing time so that's off the table.

Other rules are that the kids play man-to-man on defense, with no double-teaming (even on rebounds). Otherwise it's legit basketball: no traveling, no double-dribbling, no back-and-forth across midcourt.

I feel like I need to split my two good kids to compensate for the others, but that means they don't get to learn teamwork with each other. I'd also like to put the two OK kids out there with them so our two good kids can learn how to use a pick, ICE a pick the other way, and whatnot. But leaving our five "try hards" out there together at once would be a disaster.

How do people handle it, so that players can be ready for fourth-grade rec and then hit the next level (5th-grade travel) ready to go?

It is rec and they are 8. Your job is to teach basketball and make sure the kids want to continue to learn and play. Spend more time teaching the fundamentals of the skill aspect and worry less about tactics.

Worry less about winning.

In our league, travel players may not play more than two quarters. (Arlington).

Our coach tracks stats and awards players based on picks, steals, rebounds, etc. Not on point scored or winning/losing.

[Anonymous]

Did I read that double-teams are prohibited? If so, then that's your answer.

When you only have one good player on the floor in the first quarter, on defense you play your good player against their tallest player to start. At age 8, let the other kids shoot and be sure you have your good player in position to get rebounds. It's a make-miss league; if they sink their shots then tip your cap to the opposing coach.

But generally they'll miss, and at some point you'll rebound or the ball will fly out off them. So then you have your good player take the ball up the court. So long as he makes forward progress he can take the ten seconds to cross midcourt, and there should be no backcourt defense at this age level. Then he can cross midcourt against one defender with a head of steam, so have him continue all the way to the hole for layup after layup as one-on-one will be cake for him.

What about the other kids, you say? If it's a rebound you tell them to stay in the defensive half of midcourt. No double-teams, remember? Then as I note above, bet on your son to beat his opponent down the court to the hoop. Even if he misses he can follow his own miss with abandon, as his teammates are all back the other way and can get in the way until he catches up.

If you have to in-bound from midcourt so your players are supposed to all be in the offensive end, then just line them up along the left sideline bunched against the baseline. That will leave 8 kids effectively out of the way in the corner, while your son can go one-on-one with the sole defender. What's more, you probably won't have the absolute best defender on your kid in the first quarter since scouting isn't really done very much at the 8-year-old rec league level.

Look, it's not like your son and the other good kid are missing out on team play. The other poster mentioned clustering your good players in the fourth (all) and third (the two good ones) quarters. That's where they learn about using their teammates, passing, and whatnot. Plus the other team will come out of halftime thinking you're a one-on-one team, and all of a sudden they'll get rotated and pick-and-rolled to death.

I've coached all my boys to championships in rec league for ages 8 through 12; after that they were just too busy with travel basketball and travel lacrosse. Yes, I've had lawyer, doctor, lobbyist parents complain to me about how I run my program. I tell them look, I run a landscaping business so that I can be with my kids. You can't run away from your kids all day to work in your high-powered job, and then expect me to fix your relationship with your kid. If you're gonna impose a kid who can't play or just isn't getting better onto my team, and then push through fair time rules and stuff, then I'm gonna do what I need to do to build a program of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did I read that double-teams are prohibited? If so, then that's your answer.

When you only have one good player on the floor in the first quarter, on defense you play your good player against their tallest player to start. At age 8, let the other kids shoot and be sure you have your good player in position to get rebounds. It's a make-miss league; if they sink their shots then tip your cap to the opposing coach.

But generally they'll miss, and at some point you'll rebound or the ball will fly out off them. So then you have your good player take the ball up the court. So long as he makes forward progress he can take the ten seconds to cross midcourt, and there should be no backcourt defense at this age level. Then he can cross midcourt against one defender with a head of steam, so have him continue all the way to the hole for layup after layup as one-on-one will be cake for him.

What about the other kids, you say? If it's a rebound you tell them to stay in the defensive half of midcourt. No double-teams, remember? Then as I note above, bet on your son to beat his opponent down the court to the hoop. Even if he misses he can follow his own miss with abandon, as his teammates are all back the other way and can get in the way until he catches up.

If you have to in-bound from midcourt so your players are supposed to all be in the offensive end, then just line them up along the left sideline bunched against the baseline. That will leave 8 kids effectively out of the way in the corner, while your son can go one-on-one with the sole defender. What's more, you probably won't have the absolute best defender on your kid in the first quarter since scouting isn't really done very much at the 8-year-old rec league level.

Look, it's not like your son and the other good kid are missing out on team play. The other poster mentioned clustering your good players in the fourth (all) and third (the two good ones) quarters. That's where they learn about using their teammates, passing, and whatnot. Plus the other team will come out of halftime thinking you're a one-on-one team, and all of a sudden they'll get rotated and pick-and-rolled to death.

I've coached all my boys to championships in rec league for ages 8 through 12; after that they were just too busy with travel basketball and travel lacrosse. Yes, I've had lawyer, doctor, lobbyist parents complain to me about how I run my program. I tell them look, I run a landscaping business so that I can be with my kids. You can't run away from your kids all day to work in your high-powered job, and then expect me to fix your relationship with your kid. If you're gonna impose a kid who can't play or just isn't getting better onto my team, and then push through fair time rules and stuff, then I'm gonna do what I need to do to build a program of success.

Bullshit you say this to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did I read that double-teams are prohibited? If so, then that's your answer.

When you only have one good player on the floor in the first quarter, on defense you play your good player against their tallest player to start. At age 8, let the other kids shoot and be sure you have your good player in position to get rebounds. It's a make-miss league; if they sink their shots then tip your cap to the opposing coach.

But generally they'll miss, and at some point you'll rebound or the ball will fly out off them. So then you have your good player take the ball up the court. So long as he makes forward progress he can take the ten seconds to cross midcourt, and there should be no backcourt defense at this age level. Then he can cross midcourt against one defender with a head of steam, so have him continue all the way to the hole for layup after layup as one-on-one will be cake for him.

What about the other kids, you say? If it's a rebound you tell them to stay in the defensive half of midcourt. No double-teams, remember? Then as I note above, bet on your son to beat his opponent down the court to the hoop. Even if he misses he can follow his own miss with abandon, as his teammates are all back the other way and can get in the way until he catches up.

If you have to in-bound from midcourt so your players are supposed to all be in the offensive end, then just line them up along the left sideline bunched against the baseline. That will leave 8 kids effectively out of the way in the corner, while your son can go one-on-one with the sole defender. What's more, you probably won't have the absolute best defender on your kid in the first quarter since scouting isn't really done very much at the 8-year-old rec league level.

Look, it's not like your son and the other good kid are missing out on team play. The other poster mentioned clustering your good players in the fourth (all) and third (the two good ones) quarters. That's where they learn about using their teammates, passing, and whatnot. Plus the other team will come out of halftime thinking you're a one-on-one team, and all of a sudden they'll get rotated and pick-and-rolled to death.

I've coached all my boys to championships in rec league for ages 8 through 12; after that they were just too busy with travel basketball and travel lacrosse. Yes, I've had lawyer, doctor, lobbyist parents complain to me about how I run my program. I tell them look, I run a landscaping business so that I can be with my kids. You can't run away from your kids all day to work in your high-powered job, and then expect me to fix your relationship with your kid. If you're gonna impose a kid who can't play or just isn't getting better onto my team, and then push through fair time rules and stuff, then I'm gonna do what I need to do to build a program of success.

Bullshit you say this to them.

Not to mention, it's irrelevant. My kid is lousy at sports not because of my job (I'm a SAHM, our bond is just fine) but because she's uncoordinated by nature. I sign her up for rec sports so that she can learn some basic skills and get some physical exercise and experience playing on a team. It's coaches like you who ruin her experience.

[Anonymous]

Okay coach, if this is real, I would just like to say, there is no better way for kids to get better than to be given an opportunity to play, even if it is a disaster.

On my third grade rec league, VYI, our coach puts two of his best players together every quarter (or so he thinks these 4 are the best--he has coached them before and does not give the other kids a chance!).

These two kids are complete ball hogs and do not understand teamwork; they just want to win and be the star.

So the other kids never get ball handling skills because these boys think they are Steph Curry out there.

Here is my advice: who cares if they lose. Encourage teamwork, understand the leagues are organized so that same level kids are playing each other, and let every kid handle the ball.

And it really does sound like you need more practice on 1.drill and 2. scrimmage at practice