Basketball Goals: How to Make Sure Kids and Teens Are Safe

Kids love basketball. Whether kids are short or tall, old or young, have experience or no experience, they love to pick up the ball and give it a try. The goal may seem miles away, but they will try to make a basket and dribble around the court. Just as important as teaching kids the rules of the game, is teaching them how to be safe. When purchasing a basketball goal for your home, school, or community keep these safety tips in mind.

For basketball goals with a pole, purchase pole padding. Pole padding is a simple foam padding with a vinyl cover. The padding can be wrapped around the pole and closed with the attached velcro strip. Most padding fits poles up to 66″ tall, but check your pole height to get the right fit. Typically padding is 1 ½” thick.

Padded poles protect kids from injury. It is easy to run into the pole when playing a game or chasing the ball. Injuries from colliding with a pole that isn’t padded can range from bumps and bruises to concussions or broken bones. Adding pole padding can greatly reduce the chance of these types of injuries.

In addition to padding the pole on your basketball goal, you can also add a gusset pad. These pads are pyramid shaped and cover the base plates and bolts on an adjustable crank system. Gusset pads will help prevent foot injuries that can occur when players bump into the base plates. It will also protect players from being scratched or injured on any bolts.

Another item that you can add to your basketball system to help kids be safe is a ball retention net. This net attaches to the back of your system and stretches to the ground. When baskets are made or attempted, the balls retract off of the net and can roll back towards the player. This is a great way to prevent kids from running into the street or other people’s yards after the ball. Adding something as simple as this gives kids a visual boundary.

For teenagers who are ready to start attempting slam dunks, the type of net you have on your basketball goal becomes a safety issue. Make sure you get an anti-whip net. Anti-whip nets are made of a specific type of nylon that won’t tangle around hands or fingers. This helps protect player’s hands from injuries that may occur when going in for a slam dunk.

Another safety issue for teenagers is the type of rim that you have. A flex rim gives when pressure is put on it. This spring loaded resistance protects both the player and the backboard. For teens who will be making more contact with the rim, a flex rim assures that the pressure they apply can be handled.

Teaching basketball to kids and teens is a fun and exciting experience, but safety is of the utmost importance. Keep kids and teens safe by adding some of this equipment to your basketball goal.