Skills Training

TRAINING PHILOSOPHY:   *Where the Best Get Better!*
Making sure you reach your goals requires extraordinary attention to detail. With hard work, motivation, & dedication, there is no limit to developing your game. Utilizing proven methods to develop skills, we will help you become the best player you can be and accomplish your goals; whether it’s becoming a leader (on and off the court), making your school’s team, obtaining a scholarship to play in college, or to reach the professional level. To reach your goals, you must not only work hard, but smart. There will be obstacles along the way. Your desire and motivation, along with our dedication and passion, will lead us to overcome those obstacles and take your game to the next level. 
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Your trainer can be chosen according to your wants and needs (skills you would like to develop). A training regimen will be developed jointly between you and the training staff involved. It will be overseen throughout by your selected trainer and the boy’s or girl’s program director accordingly. It may be refined and adjusted based on progress and needs as seen fit by the player and training staff involved. 

BALL HANDLING:
Do you have difficulty catching and putting the ball on the floor? Are you only confident dribbling with your dominant hand? Develop the skills and confidence needed to dribble the ball with either hand, in either direction, and beat defenders with regularity. Multiple ball handling moves are needed to keep defenders off balance and guessing, get teammates open, and to get to where you want to on the court. Develop your arsenal of ball handling moves to help achieve your goals on the basketball court!

PASSING:
Do you struggle getting open teammates the ball? Is your team missing out on easy points? Improve passing, so that even the tightest pressure won’t keep you from finding that open teammate. Develop passes beyond the common chest pass that can make their way to an open teammate in any situation. Learn to look off defenders and prevent telegraphing your passes. Understand the importance of delivering a crisp pocket pass for a quick catch and shoot, as well as nuances in delivering the ball down into the post.
Having trouble making shots from outside the key? Want to extend defenses and make them pay for leaving you open? Develop your shot and extend your range from the basket to beyond the three point line. Once you develop the correct form, repetitions are important to make that form muscle memory, so that every time you shoot the ball, it is consistent and effective. As we develop your shot, with more repetitions, we can begin to extend our range, and incorporate other shot type variations (i.e. fade away, step back, turn around, etc.) in order to ensure you are able to get your shot off in any situation with confidence.

REBOUNDING:
Are you rarely in position to grab missed shots? Tired of watching opponents get easy baskets off second chances? Rebounding is a very important aspect of winning basketball games. Successful teams rebound the ball effectively, limiting second chances for the opponent and earning themselves extra shot attempts. More often than not, the team that wins the rebounding battle, wins the game. Improve your understanding of rebounding positions & principles as well as your footwork on both, the offensive & defensive ends of the court. Rebounding is about determination and will, you must want the ball more than your opponent, and outwork them to get it!

DEFENSE:
“Defense wins championships.” We’ve all heard this cliché countless times. Without good defense it becomes very difficult to create separation from your opponent, turning the game into a shootout – first team to “x” amount of points wins scenario. You must be a capable defender individually while also understanding team defensive concepts. Footwork, position, seeing the ball and your man, as well as recognizing situations in game are all important aspects to becoming a great defender. Playing good defense is an easy way to make the roster of your desired team!

CONDITIONING:
​Do you have trouble playing extended minutes? Are other players staying in the game longer, making plays to help their team win the game? Improve your conditioning and open the possibilities that come with the ability to sustain a high level of play for longer periods of time. Well-conditioned teams can compete and defeat more talented teams using an increased pace of play, tiring out teams and players. Play longer, harder, and more effectively with increased conditioning!

POST PLAY:
Post play is crucial for competitive play; when your team needs a basket, can they throw the ball into you down low and rely on you to get it for them? You must have a variety of moves in order to keep defenders off balance; these moves work off one another – setting up double moves, fakes, and more. To be a versatile post player, you not only need a variety of moves, you must be comfortable making these moves from various spots on the floor (low post, short corner, & high post). Different defenses may require that you post up in a different spot on the floor than the low block. Proficient post players must be able to work these areas of the floor, whether they are attacking, or drawing the defense to set up a teammate.

GUARD PLAY:
Your teammate is running off a screen for three – can you get him the ball cleanly? As primary ball handlers & initiators of the offense, guards must be able to set-up and run the offense. Usually coaches see their guards, surely point guards, as an extension of themselves on the floor. You are the “quarterback” of the offense. It is your responsibility to get teammates in position and initiate the offense, possibly even choosing which offensive sets to run. Guards should understand offensive philosophies, what the defense is doing to interrupt their offense, and how to beat it – whether it be changing the play to attack a specific defense, shooting the ball, or using screens. With the ball in your hands so often you must be a capable ball handler, passer, and shooter.

SPEED & AGILITY:
Have you ever witnessed a move or play and wondered how it was possible? How it was done? Basketball is a game made up of many different aspects, yet all of these aspects require footwork, agility, and speed. Developing your footwork allows you to efficiently and effectively execute your moves and get into the correct position. Wasted movement means slower execution, which you don’t have time for. The difference may leave your shot flying into the stands instead of going through the basket. Speed, agility, and quick feet are paramount to accomplish your on-the-court goals.