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Basketball

For the grown-up beside a child who loves basketball.

The child's own door is Basketball on Spark & Anvil.

The sideline card

Three numbers to notice

  1. What each basket is worth: 1 for a free throw, 2 from inside the arc, 3 from beyond it.
  2. The gap in the score, and how it changes with each basket.
  3. Where the shots are taken from. The corners of the arc are a little closer to the basket than the top.

On the way home, ask: “Where on the court do you like to shoot from, and why?”

Ask because you are curious, and let any answer stand. Print this page for a half-page card.

Understand it

A short course for you

Where it came from

A little history, and what nobody knows

The line

The American Basketball League first used a three-point line in 1961, the ABA from 1967, and the NBA from the 1979–80 season. It made a long shot worth half again as much as a close one.

Whether it changed the game for the better is argued, and not settled.

Source: Three-point field goal (Wikipedia)

Your child's ladder · on Spark & Anvil

The same idea at every age

  1. Ages 3–5Not made yet
  2. Ages 6–8Every Way to Make 10
  3. Ages 9–14Points per Shot
  4. Ages 15–18The Hot-Hand Benchmark

Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.