On May 10, 2022

Basketball’s Benefits to Kids: Development, Activity, Cardio Health

Kids need regular activity to help keep them healthy and improve their development, and sports are a common pursuit used to fill these needs. While there are a number of sports that may be beneficial to your child’s health and well-being, one of the most common and popular — for several reasons — is basketball.

At Courts Unlimited, we’re here to provide a wide range of commercial and residential basketball courts for our Utah clients, many of whom are installing said courts in at least some part for kids to utilize. What are some of the main reasons basketball is such a beneficial pursuit to kids of all ages? This two-part blog will go over several basics.

Hand-Eye Coordination and Development

While many sports involve hand-eye coordination to some extent, basketball is unique in its need for repeated and consistent attention in this area. Dribbling a ball up and down a court requires intense hand-eye coordination, as does shooting baskets and passing the ball around.

This focus on hand-eye coordination can sharpen these skills in young children, helping them better succeed not only in basketball but in other areas of their lives, including math and reading.

Staying Active

Kids can easily get caught up in the entertainment that modern technology provides, making it easy to become inactive or at least less active than is ideal for them. Fortunately, basketball can provide a needed break from electronics as well as keep kids moving.

Cardiovascular Health

It’s never too early to start thinking about cardiovascular health, and basketball can be a great way to get kids’ hearts pumping. Running up and down the court, dribbling, jumping — all of these activities require significant cardiovascular exertion, which can help kids stay healthy now and into adulthood.

Great Cross Training

Much of a child’s youth is about developing various physical skills and abilities, and basketball can help with this in a few different ways. First, as we’ve already mentioned, it can help with hand-eye coordination. Second, it requires split-second decisions and reactions, which can help kids develop their speed and agility. Third, jumping and other movements associated with basketball can help kids improve their strength and power.

Boosting Agility

Some mistakenly think that agility is only a genetic trait, one we inherit from our parents and can’t truly cultivate on our own. But agility — the ability to change direction quickly and jump over, around or through obstacles — is actually a skill that can be improved with practice. While some kids may naturally be more agile than others, basketball provides an excellent way for all children to learn and improve their agility in this way.

In part two of our series, we’ll go over some other major reasons why basketball is such a great pursuit for kids. For more on this, or to learn about our basketball courts, tennis courts or other options, speak to the pros at Courts Unlimited today.