The American Athletic Union, based in the United States, has become a quite popular way for youth athletes to display their talents, participate in a lot of basketball games, learn new things, and grow as a skilled athlete and successful person. It is a not-for-profit organization that works for the development and advancement in respect of young athletes. In spite of the fact that AAU targets the young basketball athletes does not refer to it specifically, but it alludes to the rest of the competitive basketball clubs in the same manner as the brand “Kleenex” set off as an all-around expression for tissues.
Having said that, it would be pertinent to highlight that whenever we discuss and employ the expression AAU in this write-up, it would refer to the competitive clubs of basketball. Furthermore, a large number of coaches, parents, and athletes contemplate and regard the AAU as a substantial source to expand and evolve new skills, and it also needs to be observed by the college coaches. It provides the young players of basketball ample opportunities to play enough basketball. There is a common question with regards to the AUU as to whether it helps improve basketball players’ skills?
Inside the World of AAU
Once Kobe Bryant, the five-time champion of the NBA professional league, talked about the AAU using a few words like terrible and horrible having an impact on the young players of basketball. He thinks that the basic teaching to the European players is more effective than the American players taking part in the AAU setup. Seeing his credential in the basketball field, every comment he made carries weight.
However, the organizers of the AAU strongly believe in plenty of basketball activities; therefore, they prepare their program comprising two scheduled practices in a week, and subsequently, games are arranged every next weekend. Moreover, the AAU facilitates young players to perform in a large number of games comparatively more than school ball. Because of the significant number of games, Bryant perceives that the basics are being overlooked. However, this write-up would help players, coaches, and parents to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of AAU Basketball.
Pros & Cons of AAU:
Pros:
- Play Against Great Competition: AAU arranges a lot of basketball games; thereby, players develop their skills, especially during workouts and practices. Moreover, the skill learned by the players can be employed playing against the big competition.
- Learn to Earn: Owing to the competitive nature of AAU, players as well as teams got to gain and earn the playing time, wins, points, eventually the trophies. This helps players learn the efficacious lesson to apply later on in their careers.
- Learn to deal with Adversity: AAU basketball’s environment and games are quite competitive, whereby players meet other players much more aggressive and driven than them. Thus, this ensures challenging content. This means all players will have to handle a difficult situation. Indeed, this also helps players learn effective lessons for their practical and professional lives.
- Learn How to be a part of a team: Players learn a lot about team sports while participating in competitive games. They develop a sense of teamwork and coordination when playing against tough opponents with high intensity.
- AAU is Fun: Inter alia, players get amused and enjoy a lot playing AAU games. They take with them unforgettable memories from AAU basketball.
List of AAU Cons: Following are a few drawbacks:
- Winning is the centre of attention
- There is no collective team idea, but only the star-driven
- Inexperienced coaches
- Less concentration on basketball rudiments
Read more: Importance of Basketball
How do you Pick the Right AAU Team for your child?
Following are a few things that need to be considered to pick the appropriate team for your child:
- Check the history of coaches
- Peruse the reviews given by other parents
- Consult the ex-players for feedback
- To understand the ideologies of teams, the AAU program
- Must know your kid’s objectives
AAU Advice for Parents and Coaches:
At the outset, parents should meet the concerned coach preferably prior to the season. This helps you know about the coach. Ask the coach as regards the schedule concerning practice and kinds thereof.
The coaches must discuss with parents about children’s attitude and punctuality, especially in practice sessions. They need to comprehend playing time instructions. Moreover, the coaches should make the parents understand their dealings on the game days.
Conclusion: Hopefully, this writes up is going to give you a thorough insight in respect of AAU basketball. Admittedly, it has upsides and downsides like other entities. However, AAU basketball has played a significant role in developing professional skills in youth basketball.
