3 Steps To Teach Your Kid To Shoot A Basketball Into A Hoop

Whether your kids are young children who just like to bounce or they're teens who love to shoot hoops, Vuly’s Basketball Set is the ultimate trampoline addition for any age. However, getting the perfect dunk every time is an acquired skill, and it can be a bit tricky for first-timers—whether five or fifteen!

Today, we want to explore how your kids can brush up on their skills with one of our classic accessories: the Basketball Set. We go through 3 steps that your kids need to slam dunk their way to Vuly basketball success.

1. Make Sure The Basketball Is The Right Size For Your Kid!

Not all basketballs are the same size. There is a standardized size of for basketballs. However, If you’re teaching a little one how to shoot hoops, then a regular-sized basketball might be creating an obstacle; for a small body and tiny hands, it can be quite heavy and cumbersome!

Providing your child with a smaller, lighter ball—that the one that comes with Vuly's Basketball Set—is ideal. They can focus on their technique, rather than simply trying to keep the basketball in their hands.

2. Have them shoot the basketball with one hand, then progress

Starting a child off with one-handed shooting can be far more effective than launching into the double-handed technique. Shooting one-handed develops their balance, hand-eye coordination and basic skills without overloading them with information.

To begin:

• Have your child stand in the shooting stance with their ‘shooting foot’ forward. Tell them to point their toe towards the hoop, with the heel of their other foot nestled inside their shooting foot’s arch.
• Direct them to balance the ball in their shooting hand, and arch it back, with their palm facing the sky. They should look like a waiter carrying a tray.
• Make sure that they hold the ball directly in front of them, rather than to the side. Check that their index finger is pointing towards their nose.

Tip: Once your child has mastered the one-handed stance, have them use their second hand to simply support the side of the basketball. Make sure that the power is still coming from their ‘shooting hand’.

3. Have them practice following through on their basketball shots 

When the ideal stance is second nature, it’s time to shoot! Have them focus their eyes on their target: the centre of the basketball hoop. As they go to shoot, instruct them to extend their elbow, release the ball, and ‘snap’ their hand to finish. Their shooting hand should be curled over to look like fish hooks.

Once they’ve achieved basic shooting, mix it up by asking them to shoot from various places on the trampoline, use the backboard to score and shoot while moving.

Did our 3 steps for success help with your child’s shooting practice? Let us know what fun times you've had with your Basketball Set!