Half of them can't tie their own shoe laces, and you want them to be aware of a shot clock lol, god give them chance to actually learn the game, kids adapt quickly enough when it's introduced at un14s which is a far better age for them to understand, remember at un10s and un12s they are exactly that 7, 8 and 9 yr olds, still babies , next you'll want them dunking at under 14s

Dont agree sorry, kids at that age need to be focusing on fundamentals and correct form etc not worrying about a shot clock imho...

wow Mexican...you need to Coach this age group before you comment

Cat perhaps you need to be a parent of that age group before you comment I agree with baller6 , let these kids learn good solid basics, when they are mature enough to think about a shot clock it comes easily, let them be kids

Oops just re read that sorry cat thought you were agreeing with using it my apologies

I cant coach Under 10/12 I'm not that good a coach. But I see the games and maybe I'm just spoiled with smart kids at my club but I think they shoot more often then 24 seconds anyway.

Tell you what, I am going to a Under 10's game this weekend I will report how many 24 second violations there would be in that game.

Oh and I get why we shouldn't have it but why does BSA put out directions that they don't plan to enforce (or maybe even endorse?)
why not then remove the direction... maybe a different topic for a different day?

such game technicalities have no place at this age group...I even believe crossback rule should be abolished for U10's

it's purely about retention of kids and helping them love the game first...worry about the semantics later

not many u10/u12 teams would be able to hold the ball for 24 secs.


I see the no zone rule as a big waste of time. Too hard to police. They all fall back into a zone of sorts.

Yes but the no zone rule at least incourages players to learn the man to man skills and footwork needed for the higher levels, if not we would have a lot of kids coming up and being blown away when put on an island 1on1 with an offensive player. (Not saying that they shouldn't learn to play zone as well but man is very important imho) The shot clock rule at a young age would just incourage young players to take bad rushed shots when good coaches should be preaching for kids to take good shots instead, my 2 cents anyway...

baller6, it is the coaches responsibility to teach skills to u12 players. changing the rules, does not hide a coaches limitations.

do you really think all u12 teams do not play a zone?

I can dunk and im in u14

Whilst we are discussing directives and policies from BA.

Does BA have a generic coaching pack for parents at the U10/12 who are just filling in or learning the game at the same time as the kids?

I see a lot of parents who coach teams and don't have a grasp of the "fundamentals" which the children need to learn at the U10/12 level.

I am not trying to start a argument about coaching, but I know that the club I coach at they have a "Coaching Folder" which lays out what skills and concepts should be understood and used at what junior level.

My point is could BA look at offering a generic "Coach the coaches" for these age groups to ensure we have players who are learning the skills they will need to be component at higher age groups?

"Interested" what "Whitey" above posted is exactly my thoughts, most coaches at that level are parents that may have never played the game and cannot be expected to know basic fundamentas that most of us on here take for granted. But Interested yes you are right it "should" be up to the coaches....and yes I have seen some u12's matches here and there and tbh half the time I cant tell myself if they are in zone or man.

Oh and for the record I preach a Packline style of Defence to my junior teams and have to battle other less informed coaches/refs on a weekly basis that scream we are playing zone....so yes I more than most hate the rule, but I do understand the thought behind it.

Whitey. It is called a NCAS "level 0" coaching course. Yes they do exist and most domestic coaches would have been given the opportunity to attend one either through their club/association/state body. BA also has a very good intro program that is well structured called Aussie Hoops.

Level 1 courses are usually run regularly in each stat and level 2 more infrequently.

No offense to those putting forth a legitimate affirmative case, but I think the idea of a shot clock for U10/12s is moronic. The benefits are dubious, and the drawbacks are obvious. Provide some research on child's learning and cognition to support your idea and I'll reconsider my position.

interested, a lack of ball movement and ball-watching defenders (which is often the case with 10-11 year olds) will tend to look like a zone. Some coaches circumvent the system by running zone presses and flooding the back court (e.g. 2-2-1 from inbound), but I believe the vast majority respect the rules and teach (at the least) a loose man-to-man defense.