Helping your Hooper Develop Game before Middle School

Dear Parents,

First, thank you. Thank you for supporting our basketball skills clinics! Thank you for your trust with your child and thank you for your confidence in us.

We are here help them build confidence, joy, and character that will serve them for life.

Before middle school, the scoreboard doesn’t matter. What matters is creating a strong foundation: skills, confidence, and love for the game. creating a love for play...play.

Here are some practical ways you can help your hooper right now:

1. Keep Basketball Fun

• Let them play outside with friends.

• Encourage creativity- make up games, try all/any moves they find on youtube

• Train fun it builds passion, and passion builds skill.

2. Focus on the Basics

• Dribbling with both hands.

• Learning proper shooting form (not how far they can shoot yet- forget about the 3 for now)

• Footwork -simple pivots, jump stops, balance.

These basics are like the ABCs of basketball.

If your child knows them well, everything else will come easier later.

3. Build Confidence Every Day

• Praise effort, not just results.

• Say: “I love watching you play” after games ...it’s the best feedback a child can hear.

• Celebrate small wins, like a good pass or hustling back on defense.

4. Support the Long Game

• Understand that growth before middle school is about preparation, not perfection.

• Trust that steady development now pays off later.

4th Quarter Thoughts

Parents, you are your child’s biggest fan and first coach. Your encouragement, patience, and love matter more than any drill I can run.

Bottom line- before middle school, “developing game” is about skills + confidence + a love for play...play.

more on play in the next blog ...