There’s rarely anything better than a group of friends getting together on the court to enjoy the fun and physical challenge of a great game of basketball. Boys and girls dream early about growing up to be a professional basketball player. They cut their teeth on youth leagues and tirelessly practice jump shots in the family driveway long after the other kids have gone home for the evening.

The story of basketball is an amazing one to tell, actually. Dating back to 1891, the game was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian American physical education teacher. He crudely created the game with a soccer ball, a couple of discarded peach baskets and a list of 13 rules.

As the game evolved and gained popularity, the peach baskets were replaced by an iron hoops and a hammock-style basket, which led to physically removing the ball to start over when a player landed a shot. A decade later, someone had the idea to actually open the basket at the bottom so the ball would freely enter and exit the basket.

Within the family of  Goalrilla Basketball goals, families can get the technology and goals sized for the professionals. Not only for professionals, the standards for safety make it one of the highest quality home basketball systems available. We are proud to offer them at the Basketball Goal Store.

Basketball is a universal game played by both sexes and all ages of basketball lovers. We enjoy the physicality of running and dribbling from one end of the court to the other. We appreciate the strategy of the game and the cheers from the spectators. But we sometimes forget all the life lessons we teach our kids the moment we place a basketball into their eager hands.

• We teach them to listen and process as we explain the game rules.
• We help them develop gross motor skills as they learn to dribble, duck and go in for the lay-up, guard the opposing team and keep the ball within bounds.
• At the same time those gross motor skills are hard at work, we are helping kids to be alert and aware, to anticipate the actions of others and to re-adjust to life when there’s an unexpected play on the court.
• When the score is not in their favor, we show them how to try harder, persevere, push themselves physically and mentally.
• Lastly, we teach them that no matter how hard your work at something, you will not always win.

That’s how life goes. There are disappointments and moments that don’t feel fair. But there are also those crazy wonderful times when victory is theirs, and gracefully coping with a win is equally as important as knowing how to lose with a good attitude.

We have certainly come a long way from the soccer ball and peach basket beginning. Playing a game of basketball is never a waste of time – and a grand cornerstone for the lessons of life!

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team