Basketball Mom's Survival Guide: How You and Your Basketball Player Can Come out on Top

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Introduction

Our basketball journey began at different times with each of our three kids. And we certainly had no clue when they began playing just how much basketball would invade our lives over the next fourteen years.

Our oldest only played basketball for three years in middle school and did well; although it was pretty evident that basketball was not going to be her forte. It later became very clear she would shine in softball, and she did all the way through high school and college.

Our son began playing basketball in first grade at the YMCA and played all the way through high school. He toyed with the idea of playing in college, but settled on college football instead.

Our youngest daughter started playing at the YMCA in third grade and also played all the way through high school, although she chose volleyball for her college sport.

The emphasis in the YMCA league was on fun and learning the simple fundamentals of the game; I’m pretty sure we didn’t even keep score in those first years. But it became apparent very early on that my kids loved the game and I, in turn, became a real fan of it as well. The emotion, the fast pace, and the quick turn-arounds often kept my husband and me on the edge of our seats. Well, maybe just me. My husband was the calm, cool, collected dad.

Two of our kids played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), often during the same season, and when they were both in high school and playing, basketball season in our house often meant four nights a week at games.

I had no choice, really, but to become a dedicated basketball mom. And despite the many trips, tense moments, money spent, and crazy schedules, coupled with the usual frustrations of being a sports parent—you know them: playing time, team drama, coaching issues—I can honestly say that I loved being a basketball mom.

I truly hope if you are just beginning your basketball journey, or are well into it, that you will experience as much joy from seeing your kids play as I did. That’s why I’ve written this book. I want to help you get the most out of your kid’s basketball playing experience. And by doing that, I know that I am also helping your child get the most out of his basketball experience. It’s funny how those two are so closely tied together.

The tips and suggestions in this book vary from the practical—safety, nutrition, sports equipment—to the emotional—team drama, mental toughness, dealing with Dad. It’s a survival guide written with the single purpose in mind: to help both you and your child come out on top in the game of basketball.

Just one note: This book is based on my first three ebooks: Softball Mom’s Survival Guide, Football Mom’s Survival Guide, and Volleyball Mom’s Survival Guide. Although there are some issues that cross over both sports, I’ve covered several that are unique to the sport of basketball.

I’d love to hear from you after you’ve read the book. Please feel free to email me at Sportsparents@jbmthinks.com.

Chapter 1

Safety First

There is nothing more gut wrenching than to see your child go down on the court with an injury. I’ve seen broken bones, twisted ankles, even heads banging on the floor. Yes, you can get concussions even in basketball. Basketball may not appear to be as violent as football, but it is a very physical sport.

Common Basketball Injuries

Basketball is a game of short, intermittent bursts of activity, quick stops and starts, and physical contact. The most common injuries in basketball are to the ankle, knee, Achilles tendons, and fingers, as well as the dreaded shin splints.

Ankle Sprains

I can’t begin to tell you how many ankle sprains we had among our three kids through thirteen years of basketball. They were always inconvenient and the recovery was never as fast as my kids wished for. Yet, we were always grateful it wasn’t worse than a sprain.

Ankle sprains often happen when a player lands on another player’s foot or the ankle rolls too far outward. When this happens, ligaments connecting bones and supporting the ankle are overstretched or torn.

The symptoms are pain, swelling, bruising, and the injured area being warm to the touch. The treatment is R.I.C.E: rest, ice, compression, and elevation for the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Depending on the severity and location of the pain, a physician will determine if your child needs to have the ankle x-rayed. Pain and swelling over the bone may require further evaluation. This is especially important if the injury is to a child who is still growing. If there’s any suspicion that a growth plate has been injured, a physician’s care is imperative.

After a period of immobilization, your child can begin exercises to strengthen the muscles that help hold the ankle in place.

After our first couple of basketball ankle sprains, our kids started wearing ankle braces on the recommendation of the physical trainer. There are pros and cons to wearing them, but I know for a fact that they saved my kids from a few broken bones. Do your research; talk to your doctor and sports physician before buying them for your child.

Knee injuries

Basketball requires a lot of stop and go cutting maneuvers, which put the ligaments and menisci of the knee at risk. The injury can be anything from a sprain to an ACL tear.

Like the ankle, a knee sprain is a small tear in the ligaments or joint capsule that is not severe enough to cause the knee to give way.

To help the tear heal, your child must protect his knee for a short time by immobilizing it. After the tear heals, the doctor will prescribe stretching and strengthening exercises for the muscles that help hold the knee in place.

A more serious injury is a torn meniscus, which can require arthroscopic surgery. And even more serious than that is an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear. This is a tear of one or more ligaments that support the knee and is usually a season-ending injury. If your child damages an ACL, his knee will probably hurt and give way persistently. ACL injuries often require surgery and months of recovery.

Patellar tendonitis is another common overuse injury in basketball that affects the tendon connecting the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone. The patellar tendon helps provide the strength for straightening out the knee.

Patellar tendonitis occurs when repeated stress is placed on the patellar tendon. The stress results in tiny tears in the tendon, which the body attempts to repair. But, as the tears in the tendon increase, inflammation in the tendon worsens.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is common in basketball, due to the force placed on the tendon from jumping and landing. The Achilles tendon is the fibrous structure that attaches the calf muscle to the heel of your foot. It allows the calf muscle to pull your heel off the ground and push forward while walking, jogging, or running.

Achilles tendonitis occurs when you don’t stretch your calf muscles properly. Treatment includes rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, rehabilitation, and taping to prevent further injury.

Stress Fractures

Stress fractures can occur from a rapid increase in activity level or training or from overtraining. Stress fractures in basketball occur most commonly in the foot and lower leg (tibia). After the diagnosis, a period of immobilization and refraining from putting weight on the leg is recommended. Return to play is permitted once the fracture has completely healed and the athlete is pain free.

Finger Injuries

Finger injuries range from simple cuts to bone, tendon, or ligament damage. X-rays may be taken to confirm a fracture. If not properly treated, finger injuries can lead to deformity and permanent loss of function. Even though you may not think an injured finger is a big deal, those little digits play a bigger role than you realize and not being able to fully use them could affect your child’s play as well as other activities.

For less serious injuries, fingers can be buddy taped (two fingers taped together) or splinted for everyday activities. Other finger injuries may require surgery to repair tendons.

Shin Splints

Shin splints refer to pain in the front or inner part of the lower leg. Shin splints are one of the most common sports injuries and basketball players often suffer from them. Shin splints can involve inflammation in muscles, tendons, or the thin layer of tissue that covers the bone. Although shin splints are painful enough to knock you to the bench for a while, most cases can be effectively treated conservatively with ice, rest, over-the-counter pain relievers and wearing shoes that provide protection for the feet, ankles and lower legs.

Help Prevent Injuries by Being AWARE

Let’s back up for a minute and look at injury prevention for all sports, not just basketball. I am going to make suggestions that may seem simple, but the problem is that, even though sports parents and athletes know these common-sense guidelines, they often still forget to practice them.

To make it easy, just remember to be AWARE:

Always warm up

Wear protective gear

Avoid playing when injured or in pain

Rest

Eat right and exercise

Always Warm Up. Warming up is never a waste of time. Muscles that have been stretched and warmed up are less likely to be injured. My kids tend to have tight muscles, and when they skip the pre-game or pre-practice stretching they often suffer for it.

Dr. Peggy Malone, a chiropractor and athlete who helps athletes overcome injury, explains, A five- to ten-minute warm-up gets blood pumping to your muscles and soft tissues and warms up your musculoskeletal system. As your body generates heat, your connective tissues soften and become more pliable and are then less likely to get injured.

She warns that the No. 1 reason athletes get injured is that they disobey the rule of the Terrible Toos.

TOO MUCH

TOO FAST

TOO SOON

Malone explains: If you push your training too much, too fast, too soon, you will end up injured. This rule is especially relevant for beginners, anyone who has just come back to a sport after months or years off, and anyone who has been injured in the last three to six months.

Your daughter or son’s coach should spend plenty of time with team warm-ups. If he or she doesn’t, be sure your kids warm up on their own before practices and games.

Wear and Use the Right Equipment. Your child is not a wimp for wearing protective gear. If he needs ankle or knee braces, or even knee pads (I’ve seen many basketball players over the years who wore knee pads; that gym floor can cause havoc on the knees!), be sure he is equipped with the proper protection.

Experts recommend that sports shoes be replaced every six months or every five hundred