Sapwell - keep it fun

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010

Advice for parents on keeping the game fun with bball.com.au's Rupert Sapwell

Basketball has provided me with so much in my life. Yes, I've been lucky enough to earn college scholarships and play professionally for a number of years. There are some great memories. But the enduring things are the friendships, health and life skills that basketball has provided, and they're available to everyone. With two young basketballers of my own, I'm very careful to make sure they enjoy the journey, wherever it takes them, and not be so focused on the outcome. If they enjoy the day-to-day stuff, the goals will come naturally. So in a nutshell . . . make sure they have fun. Provide things that inspire them, like internet highlight clips, trips to see the pros play, or perhaps most importantly your unconditional support and enthusiasm, and the occasional driveway challenge! In the end, though, you can't make them want it. The only motivation worth having is the internal type. I'll talk more about motivation next month - it's a tricky one.