Why Our Training Works

The problem with youth basketball in America today is that many programs have the wrong focus; they emphasize playing games as the main method to improve players. While playing games is certainly the most fun for players, it is nowhere near an effective method for player improvement. The popular business-basketball model many programs have adopted today—minimal practices and dozens of games—is inept and unproductive in terms of developing players. This is because these programs spend so little time on skill development that players barely get to touch a basketball all season! To illustrate, most programs practice usually no more than 3 hours a week, if even that, and then have multiple games on the weekend. In those practices, coaches spend most of their time preparing for the games (usually with offensive and defensive sets and inbound plays) instead of working on drills that will actually help players get better (ball handling, passing, finishing, shooting, etc.). In the games, it’s even worse. Most youth basketball games are about 30 minutes of game time. Of those 30 minutes, let’s just say your son or daughter will play about 15 of those minutes. Of those 15 minutes, he/she probably has the ball in her hand for less than 5 minutes. How is any kid supposed to improve when they rarely get the chance to work with the basketball itself? 

Another issue with youth basketball is that there are a growing number of coaches and parents who care more about winning than helping their kids learn how to play basketball the right way. Because of that, these coaches spend nearly the entirety of their practices working on ridiculous set offenses and zone defenses, which does very little to help the kids improve their game. This is because when these young kids get older, the zone defenses don't work as well as they did back in 5th grade, when kids didn't have the strength to throw a skip pass or to shoot from the perimeter. As a result, these kids missed out on years of developing skills to attack man-to-man defenses, as well as how to defend man-to-man. These coaches focus on plays and sets in their practices in order to win essentially meaningless AAU/park district/feeder games. It seems like people have forgotten that the focus needs to be on improving the players, and not just winning.

That being said, I do believe that playing games are essential to player development. They give an opportunity to showcase talents and skills, and to take what they learned and apply it in a real situation. However, games should not be the foundation to player development, but rather a supplement. Skill work needs to be the foundation. 

I also do believe there is some value in learning different offenses and defenses; I won’t deny that it helps kids learn spacing and patience at an early age. It's important for kids to learn how to recognize a zone and how to be successful against it, and to learn how to run a offense. However, in many cases, this is ALL these kids are doing. Once again, it should be a supplement--an aspect of their development--it should NOT be the only aspect. It should not be prioritized over teaching kids important skills such as finishing a layup against a defender, or how to create space, or how to handle pressure, or a multitude of other skills. Those kind of 5-man drills should be another supplement to the foundation (skill work). 

Don’t get me wrong, I am one of the most competitive people you will ever meet, so I definitely like winning too, but I care and respect the game of basketball and my players more than I like winning, and that’s why I will always focus on making them the best they can be before even thinking about anything else. 

Something that I’ve seen personally far too many times are kids who were dominant in grade school but end up getting cut in high school. The reason this happens is because of a common misconception: “my kid is scoring a lot of points, and he’s one of the best player on his 4th grade team, so my kid is good at basketball.” To equate those two statements isn’t always true. Often times in youth basketball, the “best” players are the tallest, fastest, strongest kids, and not the most skilled with the ball. In other words, the “best” kids at the youth level are typically the kids who matured or grew the quickest. In high school though, where nearly everybody has physically caught up in height and weight, individual skill—the level his/her ball handling, layups, passing, and shooting are at—will ultimately determine if he/she makes the team, if he/she will get playing time, if he/she will be a starter, and if he/she will earn a college scholarship to play basketball. 

This is why my program is so different and so effective; my main focus is on skill work and giving players the tools they will forever need for their basketball careers. We still have games, competitions, and team related drills, but the primary concentration at my camp is making sure your child becomes skilled in all facets of the game. A focus on skill development leads to improvement and it leads to becoming a great basketball player. Every single drill we do at my camp will help take your child’s game to the next level. They will learn how to: dribble the ball with either hand, create space and get past defenders, finish around the basket with either hand on either side of the floor, shoot with correct form, and much, much more. Beyond the game of basketball though, my program teaches the value of a high work ethic, and it builds character while motivating players to work hard at everything they do. Impressively, my camp encourages kids to turn into leaders. I remind the kids daily of the importance of sportsmanship, teamwork, respect, and hard work, and they take it all to heart. On top of all this, the kids all have a ton of fun and enjoy every minute of camp. If you don’t want to take my word on any of this, look at these quotes from the dozens of parents who signed their kids up for my program. (Click on "Testimonials").