This semester in our basketball unit, we practiced and learned a variety of skills ranging from offensive to defensive skills, and learned how to implement them into basketball game play. One skill that I found especially useful was learning how to effectively play full court man-to-man defense. An aspect of this skill that I have developed is getting in front of my player. I have implemented this skill into my basketball games by defending the space in front of the player I’m defending to make them change direction, so that they don’t have a direct path to the basket, as opposed to running alongside the player when defending the ball. I have specifically chosen to implement this skill into my games because it slows down the defense, gives my more control over the pace of the game, and increases the chance of the offense making mistakes under pressure, causing turnovers.

I have been fortunate enough to participate in a range of informative and practical courses through the specialist basketball program this semester. One course that I found useful in particular was the strapping course we participated in towards the end of term 2. Throughout this course, we were taught how to appropriately strap wrists and ankles for optimum limb stability to prevent further injury. The course was hands-on, with us partnering up practicing strapping each other’s wrists and ankles with medical sports tape. It was crucial that we learned the correct technique, and how tight to make the tape, to prevent blood circulation loss and discomfort. But if the tape was too loose, it would be completely ineffective. Participating in this course has provided me with the sufficient knowledge to treat my own sprained limbs and sports injuries, if need be. Learning how to strap ankles was particularly useful for me, as I am quite prone to rolling my ankle during basketball games. This knowledge is easily transferrable into my future, as I can continue practicing and perfecting the technique to help myself and others when they are injured.

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