Safety

Children can start learning the very basics of basketball from kindergarten to third grade. However, 5-6 year olds still are not ready to play on a team. During this time period parents and teachers can teach them to throw, bounce, and catch the ball. Parents can buy a kiddie hoop so that they can practice throwing the ball into the net; at this age, they are too small to actually dribble the ball and have more fun throwing it anyway.

According to a study of high school basketball players by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA):
Twenty-two percent of all male basketball players sustained at least one time-loss injury each year.

Each year, more than 1.6 million basketball-related injuries are treated in hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms. Here are tips to help prevent basketball injuries.

Twenty-three percent of all female basketball players sustained at least one time-loss injury each year...

Twenty-two percent of all male basketball players sustained at least one time-loss injury each year...

To help your child avoid sports injuries, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, and other sports and health organizations offer the following safety tips...