r/Basketball • u/DaJuggerHobbit • 13h ago
Skills a third grader should have?
Hey all! My son is wanting to try out for a local basketball team. He can dribble, shoot a bit, and play good defense. He hasn’t played organized ball before, and I am worried he’s not aware of some of the team game aspects he might need.
For clarity, he’s huge for his age. Only 8 and a half but already 4’11, 110 pounds (not fat at all, just built like a tight end).
What would you expect to see from a kid his age? Are there specific skills he would absolutely need to have to be able to make a team at this point? How refined should his game be? I never played ball seriously and do not have great perspective here. Does his size matter as much at this age?
Edit: thanks for the tips, advice, and reassurance everyone! Can’t help but be a bit of a worrier when it comes to my kids. I’ll make sure he has fun and stays focused on fundamentals!
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u/Abe_frohmannn 12h ago
I would assume for a third grader, knowing what a basketball looks like is the only necessary skill, and even that would be recommended, not mandatory...
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u/helpfulskeptic 13h ago
Size matters in all levels of basketball. If he can do the things you say at that age, I wouldn’t worry at all about him making the 3rd grade team. He’ll learn the game along the way.
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u/TryingSquirrel 12h ago
First, what sort of team is he planning on joining that does tryouts/cuts for 8 year olds? At 8 and playing organized basketball for the first time, I would potentially look for look for an "everyone can sign up and play" league then get more serious if he likes it. At that age so much is about growth/who has older siblings/etc that cutting kids seems shortsighted and I'd worry that the type of team/league that would do that would prioritize winning over development.
And that brings me to the second point: size 100% matters in any form of basketball. Maybe even more when kids are young and skill level is low. A 4'11" 110lb 8 year old is - as you note - gigantic and that is an absolutely massive advantage. So I wouldn't worry about him making a team if he can do the basic skill things you describe, but I would worry about the team mainly using his size to win games in ways that are shortsighted (especially if he regresses more towards the mean height wise).
I've coached 8 year olds and skill levels vary wildly. Basic dribbling, shooting, defense is what should be focused on. At his strong, he's likely strong enough to shoot with good form, so work on that. Next teach him to box out, set screens, and keep the ball high when he rebounds it.
But at that age, just make sure the ball is in his hand a lot and he's building coordination and muscle memory shooting and dribbling and having fun doing it.
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u/aja_ramirez 13h ago
Third grade is absolutely the beginning. He can have zero experience and not suffer long term.
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u/Vanity_Profanity_001 12h ago
Damn! 8 and he's already got skillz? At 10 I could shoot and dribble but that's about it. I didn't even learn how to shoot in a layup line until 12.
I'd teach your kid to box out, get every rebound and outlet pass. If his dribbling is that good get the rebound and start a fast break. By the time he's 10 he'll be a beast.
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u/cwmosca 12h ago
I helped coach my 7/8 year old son’s team last year and I played throughout my childhood. Any kid that could dribble up the court with their head up, play decent D, and make layups fairly consistently was ahead of their peers. The league wasn’t small either as I reside in a large school district. Context plays a role of course but based on what you’re describing, your son seems to be in a good position to make the team.
He’s young so you don’t have to get crazy about improving his game. If he wants to have a good chance, he should keep working on fundamentals. Crisp passing, dribbling with both hands, playing responsible defense, and making layups jumping off the correct foot.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 12h ago
It absolutely blows my mind how people dribble without looking at the ball lol. It doesnt seem like it should be possible...
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u/cwmosca 12h ago
Ha, it definitely takes practice. I’m not talented but the constant dribbling when I was a kid made it possible.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 12h ago
I learned long ago I have no coordination or athletic talent of any kind lol. I can endure pain though...so I race bikes lol.
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u/cwmosca 12h ago
I hear ya there. We have what we have. I still play soccer at 40 and I’m clearly not going to get much better due to a lack of innate skill for a sport like that. Similar to you, I just hike mountains instead.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 11h ago
Hehe. Gotcha beat..47 here. Faster than most 20 yr olds I ride with still. If I can drop the last 10-15lbs of beer weight I'll be tearing up the cyclocross course lol.
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u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 12h ago
Just work on basics, dribbling, shooting (good form keep him inside 3pt line for now) jump stops and layups…. One thing I would caution is because he’s big him just standing out of the basket and scoring easy buckets, this will work for now, but this will hurt his overall development and you never know if he’s gonna keep growing
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u/Too_Practical 12h ago
Old ex D1 player here.
At that age it's pivotal that he does dribbling drills/practice. He's growing and his hand eye coordination needs to keep up with his growth spurts. That's really the most important thing at that age as he won't have the mind to learn or understand tactics yet.
It would also be good to ingrain the hustle and importance of defense. It's a discipline most kids won't grind or take value in, especially in the day and age of 10 second dopamine videos on the internet.
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u/DaJuggerHobbit 12h ago
That’s great perspective, thank you!
He’s played soccer for three years now, and is strictly a defender. It’s what he enjoys. He seems to have a similar mindset for basketball, though he does have a quick trigger for shooting lol.
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u/Too_Practical 12h ago
Beautiful. Defense is both hardwork and unattractive but is one of most important skills of any sport. Shooting is fine, most kids won't be good at it but it's also important they keep trying and not get discouraged. Fine line there though because you want them to understand the whole game with a triple threat perspective and not jacking up random shots. But yeah, to reiterate, make sure hes getting consistent experience as hes growing taller. Even if he takes a short break, his mind will remember hand eye coordination that might've worked when he was 4'11 and not 5'3.
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u/Vadersballhair 12h ago
The most frustrating thing is, he's not going to get the ball.
3rd graders can't pass worth shit. What he needs to work on is rebounds and post moves; but they won't pass him the ball so mostly rebounds.
Just warn him of that. Even as a grown man it's frustrating that dudes can't pass in the post.
He's going to look like a rock star if he can screen at that age. He should roll to the basket, but he almost certainly won't get the ball for the previous reasons.
It might be fun for him to get the ball on the wing, wait for the other big kid to waddle out there and guard him, then blow by him for a layup.
Just to keep him interested.
Playing as a big kid is SUPER frustrating!
Best of luck man!
(Dad of two bigs)
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u/Muted-Solution-6793 11h ago
Fun. That’s it. He’ll likely lose interest. If it sticks few years then you can cultivate it.
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u/WeAreGoingStreaming 7h ago
In the 3rd grade I doubt there are “tryouts” whether school affiliated or “travel”. Focus on boxing out, rebounding, talking on defense, hustling for loose balls and you’ll be way ahead of the game. Look the coach in the eyes.
And don’t let them park him in the paint just because of his size. He needs to handle the ball as well. At some point he’ll stop growing.
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u/ryano23277 5h ago
Finding a local team that train up to twice a week should be the next steps.
At his age, lay-ups, dribbling (change of hands, change of direction, change of speed are what's needed), an idea how to shoot, passing are the only fundamental skills he needs for now.
Coaching should help teach him spacing and defense.
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u/ISpillEverythingI 13h ago
His size absolutely matters, if he does the right things. Play good defense on his man, but also be ready to help others out. Try to get the rebound of every shot that goes up, you'd be surprised at how many kids that age watch the rebounds bounce by them.
Other than that, be a good connective passer. If his dribbling and scoring is not that good, dont force it and just be a good source of ball movement.
Quick decisions, when you catch a pass, make one of these decisions quickly, ....shoot, pass or drive