SKILL AND ACTIVITY PROGRESSION
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GRADE

SKILLS	5	6	7	8	ACTIVITY PROGRESSION
Jump shot	I	R	R	R	Partner Shooting / Partner Around The World / Continuous Action Knock Out
Lay up	I	R	R	M	Team Lay Ups
Passing	I	R	M	A	Partner Passing and Receiving
Receiving	I	R	M	A
Dribbling	I	R	M	A	Dribble Keep Away
Pivoting	I	R	M	A	Monkey in the Middle
Faking	I	R	M	A
Rebounding	I	R	R	M	Wall Drill
Individual defense	I	R	R	M	One on One Defending
Individual offense	I	R	R	R	Give and Go
Transition offense to defense	I	R	R	M	Ultimate Basketball / Modified Possession Half Court Basketball / Half Court Basketball

I = INTRODUCE / R = REVIEW / M = MASTER / A = APPLY / O = 0PTIONAL

ACTIVITIES FOR PRACTICING THE JUMP SHOT, LAY UP, PASSING, RECEIVING, DRIBBLING, PIVOTING, FAKING AND REBOUNDING:

PARTNER SHOOTING: Players A and B are partners. Player A takes 5 jump shots from 5 different spots around the key (lane). Player B rebounds and passes to Player A at each new spot. Player B then switches with Player A and the activity continues in the same manner.

PARTNER AROUND THE WORLD: This activity is similar to Partner Shooting. Instead of taking 5 shots Player A shoots until he/she misses. Player A takes 1 shot from the first spot. If A makes a basket, A moves to the next spot. If A misses, he/she gives the ball to Player B. Player B shoots in the same manner until he/she misses. The activity continues in the same manner. All players are challenged to see how many consecutive baskets they can make. They are always trying for their best score. Any player making 5 baskets in a row can be challenged to shoot from spots further away.

CONTINUOUS ACTION KNOCK OUT: There are 4-10 players in each group. The object of the game is for one player to "knock out" (eliminate) all the other players in his/her group. The game begins with all players lined up behind the foul line. The first two players in line each have a ball. The first player in line (A1) takes a shot from the foul line. If A1 makes the shot he/she stays in the game. A1 passes the ball to the next player in line and goes to the end of the line. If A1 misses his/her shot, A1 must rebound the shot and continue to shoot jump shots or lay-ups until he/she makes a basket. To avoid being "knocked out" A1 must make a basket before the next player in line (A2) makes a basket. The second player in line is always trying to "knock out" the player in front of him/her. The second player in line can take a shot from the foul line right after the player in front takes his/her first shot. If the second player makes a basket before the first player, the first player is "knocked out". The first player then passes the ball to the next player in line and goes to the ball rack. The second player who made the basket remains in the game, passes the ball to the next player in line and goes to the end of the line. When a player is "knocked out" he/she can get back into the game by going over to the ball rack and doing 10 "figure eights". "Figure eights" can be done by rolling, passing or dribbling a ball between the legs in a figure eight motion. When the player finishes 10 "figure eights" he/she places his/her ball back on the ball rack and goes back to the end of the line to continue in the game. The game continues in the same manner for the time allotted. If one player "knocks out" all other players, a new game is started in the same manner.

TEAM LAY UPS: The object of the game is for each team to work together to make as many lay ups as possible in a given time. Each team is assigned a basket. Each player has a ball. All players line up for a right-handed lay up. A1 is chosen to count the number of baskets made for Team A. The first player in line (A1) drives (dribbles) under control and attempts to make a lay up. If A1 is left-handed he/she may choose to go to the left side for a left-handed lay up. If A1 makes a lay up one point is recorded for Team A. A1 dribbles to the back of the line. If A1 misses the lay up, A1 rebounds and dribbles to the back of the line. The next player in line (A2) can drive to the basket as soon as A1 has taken the ball out of the way. All players are responsible for keeping the activity fair and safe at all times. The activity continues in the same manner for the allotted time.

PARTNER PASSING AND RECEIVING: A1 and A2 face each other 10-12’ apart. A1 passes an accurate chest pass to A2. A2 receives the ball and passes in the same manner to A1. The activity continues for an allotted period of time. The same activity is then repeated for the bounce pass. Players are then instructed to move 15’-20’ apart. The same activity is repeated for the overhead (outlet) pass. Players are then instructed to move 20’-30’ apart. The same activity is repeated for the baseball pass. All players are then instructed to execute the proper pass on command.

DRIBBLE KEEP AWAY: This activity is similar to regular keep away. Most of the rules for regular basketball apply. 3-6 students are chosen to be "it". The number chosen depends on the size of the group. All other players have a ball. The object of the activity is for the players who are "it" to safely "steal" a ball from any player with a ball. Players safely "steal" a ball by legally defending without fouling. Players with a ball must dribble and move safely in the space provided without contacting or interfering with any other player. If Player A is dribbling a ball and Player B is "it", Player B may legally "steal" Player A’s ball in any of the following ways:

1. Forcing A to stop dribbling.
2. Causing A to lose possession of the ball.
3. Gaining possession of A’s ball without fouling.

MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE: Players A,B, and C form a group. The object of the activity is for Player A and Player B to keep the ball away from Player C. All players must follow regular basketball rules. A and B face each other 10’-15’ apart. C is in the "middle" between them. A begins with possession of the ball. A may legally pivot, fake, dribble (a maximum of 3 dribbles) and pass the ball to B. Player C legally defends A in an attempt to "steal" the ball. If A completes a pass to B the activity continues in the same manner. C is now trying to steal the ball from B who tries to pass it back to A. The activity continues in the same manner until C legally steals the ball. The ball is considered "stolen" if A or B violates the rules, loses possession of the ball or fails to complete a pass. If Player C legally "steals" the ball, he/she switches roles with the player who committed the violation. The activity continues in the same manner.

WALL DRILL: Every player has a ball. Player A tosses the ball in the air and attempts to rebound (catch) the ball at the top of his/her jump. This activity continues for the allotted period of time. A is then given a space in front of a 2’ square placed on a wall at regulation basketball height (10’). A "shoots" the ball into the square and attempts to rebound the ball at the top of his/her jump. The activity continues in the same manner for the allotted time.

ACTIVITIES FOR PRACTICING ALL OF THE ABOVE SKILLS:

ONE ON ONE DEFENDING: A1 and A2 are partners. A1 starts with the ball. A2 is the defender. A1 provides "token" offense by faking, pivoting and dribbling in such a way as to force A2 to work on his/her one on one defending skills. A2 tries to play good one on one defense. Good defending includes containing, forcing A1 to stop the dribble, or creating a turnover without fouling. After an allotted period of time, A1 and A2 switch roles and the activity continues in the same manner.

GIVE AND GO: Players form 2 lay up lines facing a basket. Player A1 in line A "gives" (passes) the ball to Player B1 in line B. A1 then "goes" to the basket. B1 gives a lead pass to A1 and A1 tries to make a lay up. A1 and B1 "follow the shot" and A1 or B1 rebounds the ball. The ball is then passed to A2 (the next player in line A). A1 and B1 switch lines and go to the back of their new line. A2 then repeats the activity with B2. The activity continues in the same manner for the time allotted.

ULTIMATE BASKETBALL: The class is divided into two equal teams. The object of the game is for each team to work together to score as many points as possible and keep the other team from scoring. Play begins when the teacher throws an equal number of balls to each team. Players may go anywhere they choose on their half of the court. The game is essentially like basketball and follows regular basketball rules. Players may defend, rebound, retrieve, pass or dribble, following general procedures for regular basketball. Points may be scored in the following ways:

a) 1 point is awarded for a ball passed or thrown into the other team’s goal (25’ wide x 8’ high).

b) 1 point is awarded for a basket made at the basket at the mid-court line.

c) 3 points are awarded for a basket made at the basket on the other team’s goal line.

d) 1 point is awarded for blocking a ball thrown at the goal

e) 1 point is awarded for a rebound. (See Ultimate Basketball in the Activity Booklet.)

MODIFIED HALF COURT BASKETBALL: This game is essentially like half court basketball. One of the goals of the game is for a special needs child to have a greater amount of touch, possession and successful play regardless of his ability and skill level. All players are asked to play a non-competitive half court game following the general rules for half court basketball with the following modifications to help a special needs child (called John for this example):

1. John is allowed to in bound the ball for either team at every possession. It is a "free" in bound play and the correct team is allowed to maintain possession. This basic rule applies to every situation when John has possession of the ball.
2. John actually only plays for his team. When his team is on offense any player on his team can pass him the ball. All players encourage and allow John to receive and maintain possession of the ball to dribble, pass or shoot. Rule a) always applies so that John’s team maintains possession of the ball.
3. At every change of possession, any player with the ball can pass the ball to John. Rule a) continues to apply and the game continues in like manner. (See Modified Possession Half Court Basketball in the Activity Booklet).

1. The game is played using 1 basket.
(4) BASKETBALL  
2. With every change of possession the new team possessing the ball must dribble or pass the ball to bring it behind the foul line before they can score.
3. Players call their own fouls. There are no foul shots. If a player calls a foul the game is stopped. The player who is fouled restarts the game by in bounding the ball from the spot nearest the foul.