Basketball Scholarships, A Parents Guide Part 1

To earn a Division One basketball scholarship a certain level of skill is required. With that said, there are many talented players who have tried and failed because their mental game could not complement their actual physical skills.

I was one of those players who had the skills, but could not put together a complete package to get myself to the next step. Most of my issue was self-confidence, and that low self-confidence led me to being a less aggressive player. I was very self-conscious about what others thought about me and my ability to play. I remember coaches telling me first hand that I was good and they wanted me to play up to my abilities. I shied away from playing alongside certain players because I did not like their attitude, especially if they had an overbearing personality.

As you can see, my mind kept me from reaching my full playing potential as a player. The mental game really held me back from any goals I may have set for myself. Most of my coaches had conflicting obligations outside of practice and I was the type of player that needed one on one attention. Certain players have a level of confidence in their own abilities that set them apart from the rest of the field. For all others that lack the mental fortitude at an early age need help from parents and coaches to take their game to the next level.

Basketball unlike football has a limited number of scholarship positions. College programs from around the country based on available funding can furnish around 13 - 15 full scholarships. With this in mind, players, coaches, and parents need to know early on if getting a basketball scholarship is going to be worth pursuing.

The player must first determine what avenue of approach he or she wants to take. Based on current skill and ability levels middle school or junior high school would be a good time to start training your عرضه اولیه player for the next level. A successful high school career with good to great statistics and strong Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) seasons will double and even triple your young player's chances to sign those scholarship papers.

The next thing you, as a parent, need to determine is does my child need training beyond the standard school practice schedule. To get optimal results the answer to this question is yes. Now as a former player and coach I know that I, as a parent, will provide that extra training for my children if they make the decision to pursue an athletic scholarship. For those parent that are not skilled in athletic training or coaching I recommend finding a local program that offers one on one training or educate yourself in the finer details of basketball training by ordering video programs online or at your local book store.

I recommend looking at your budget and testing out a few methods with your player and see what is going to work best. Basketball skill camps are a very good idea to help young players build skill and confidence as they learn and apply the new skills against better and older players.