Summer Basketball

We signed Luke up for basketball this summer and I am so glad we did.  He needed a good boost after his baseball experience and this did the trick.  He hadn't really played basketball before this summer, but it wasn't long before he was improving and, best of all, having a lot of fun.  A basketball standard and a flat driveway are on the list as a must for our next home!

 

I wish I could have recorded more video, but my lame phone at the time had no more memory (even after deleting everything I possibly could).  This is the only clip I got of him before the phone maxed out.  He is playing around the world.

 

 

David took Luke and Caden to play basketball at our church this spring, and it was a disaster.  Funny (to us parents), but a disaster.  Theses kids were so frustrated that they couldn't make many baskets that it ended with Caden throwing a monster 6-year old tantrum on the floor, complete with kicking and screaming.  Luke wasn't much better.  He may not have rolled around on the floor crying, but his attitude was a sight to see.  David has it all on video and I am sure he will keep it to hold against these kids in their teenage years.  I imagine we can motivate them to move mountains with the threat of leaking that footage!  I almost posted it here, but, seriously, I just couldn't embarrass them that badly.

This trip to the church with dad was the first time these boys had tried to play basketball with a real hoop (as opposed the little over-the-door kind we have at our house) and somehow they expected to be great at it right off the bat.  This is a trend at our house.  If these boys are not good at something right from the start, they don't want to practice.  They prefer to quit.  It doesn't seem to matter what we say about how becoming good at something takes practice.  That's the way it works.

Luke is finally starting to get it.  After 3 basketball sessions this summer, Luke became a totally different person.  I would take all the boys to the church during the week to practice and since Luke had developed some confidence he was calm and completely in control.  He quickly identified what areas of the court he had trouble making baskets from and he would shoot, and shoot, and shoot from the same spot.  Over and over and over again.  When he felt good enough to move on, he would find another weak spot and begin the marathon shooting process again.  No matter how many shots he missed, he remained cool and collect and kept on trying.  Trying, I tell you!!  I love it!  We have been doing our best to instill this, but maybe you can't.  Maybe these kids have to figure it out on their own.  I am grateful that Luke is figuring it out and having fun in the process.

I got a new phone just in time for his last practice and game and have a few seconds of that footage.