NBA Skills Academy and Recess

In yesterdays New York Times “David Stern, the commissioner of the N.B.A., says the system for developing young players in the United States is severely flawed. He says it exploits promising athletes and has fallen behind some European systems of developing players. Stern says he wants the N.B.A. to begin a youth academy to help nurture athletes on the court and in the classroom. His concept would borrow elements of what works in Europe.”

In Sunday Sarasota Herald Tribune this past weekend there was an article about the elementary schools looking to find increased minutes for “learning” during the day. The solution, you got it they cut twenty minutes from recess. I was really upset because in elementary school my best class was recess. I was thinking where would I be now if it were not for recess? Have you ever been in a classroom of fourth graders who don’t have recess? Not only do you not have learning you have chaos. You have a breeding ground for ADHD.

What does this have to with the decline of basketball in the NBA? In some ways not too much, in other ways a whole bunch, free play is the basis for learning! Wow that is a big statement - my opinion but substantiated by research. Move to learn and learn to move. My experience with high level basketball players is that their range of movement skills is very narrow and very specific. They just played basketball and never broadened their athletic base. That is the message that Mr. Stern and these others are not getting. Putting them in an academy and having them shoot more will not necessarily make them better shooters. Learning that they have a left hand will. European kids grow up doing other sports as well. They play soccer which improves their footwork. They usually have some foundation in Track & Field.

Give kids recess, real physical education, music and art. ADHD will decline! Teachers will be happier and maybe even test scores will go up. I do not know if NBA players will become better shooters or really learn how to play defense – we need to talk to the shoe companies about that.