Basketball ‘Playworks’

To develop concentration skills, eye-hand coordination, and depth perception.

Give each student a number (for example: #1 thru #8 if there are eight players)
Explain that each student will be shooting on their own and no one will be playing defense on the shooters.
- #2 player will rebound #1’s shot, #3 will rebound #2’s shot and so on. #1 will rebound the last #’s shot.

Have all players line up on the free throw line or sideline to start.

#1 will take a shot from the free throw line. #2 will then have to rebound that shot, whether it goes in or not, before the ball bounces two times on the court. If the ball bounces more than once, that rebounding student (#2) gets the first letter “P” of PLAYWORKS (each sequential time the ball bounces more than once, the rebounding student gets the next letter of PLAYWORKS).
#2 freezes wherever s/he is able to rebound the ball (even if s/he is off the court – there are no line boundaries).
#2 can take up to three steps from where s/he rebounds the ball, and then takes a shot.
#3 then goes for the rebound through the same process.
The first person to spell out all the letters of PLAYWORKS is out and has to do a task (like 20 jumping jacks, 2 laps around the yard, etc.) before getting back in the game.
In between shots, the rebounder waits wherever s/he took his/her last shot (if standing/waiting students need to move a little to get out of the way of a rebounder that’s okay)
The ball must hit a part of the backboard or rim (not just the net) for the shot to count. If the ball does not hit part of the backboard or rim, the shooter shoots again.

For younger students, allow the ball to bounce two times before getting a letter
Shorten the word to “PLAY” for a shorter game
If a student rebounds the ball before it bounces at all, s/he can erase the last letter that s/he got
If a player makes a shot, s/he can erase the last letter that s/he got