Training
Training is very different from team practice and is one of the key building blocks for basketball skills. You can sign up for training with many different local organizations. See below to sign up with one of them, CTB basketball, and for our thoughts on training overall.
Sign Up for CTB Training
The Eastlake Select Program does not have its own training program. While there are a number of training programs in the area, we recommend utilizing high-quality training with many of the same Eastlake coaches you’ve come to know and love through training offered by CTB Basketball. CTB is a local Sammamish-based program open to all boys and girls from grades 3 through 12, regardless of whether they play for an Eastlake team or not. Click below to purchase training or see their training schedule. (Note that these links will direct you to CTB's system, as they are a separate organization.)
Thoughts and Recommendations Regarding Training
1) What Is Training & How Is It Different Than Practice?
Training is focused on developing individual skills in one-on-one or small-group sessions. It covers things like shot mechanics, footwork, ballhandling skills, attack strategies, and much more. Good trainers have an eye for detail and help players make little adjustments that make a big difference.
There is some overlap between training and team practices. We we pride ourselves on helping players build a solid foundation of basketball fundamentals and devote a portion of practice time to individual skills. However, we also spend significant time on group skills such as learning plays, scrimmaging, scouting opponents, etc., and the individual work we do isn’t as concentrated as it is in training because our teams are larger than the typical training group.
2) How Important Is Training?
The importance of training depends on your basketball goals. But in general, we consider it one of the four key building blocks to maximizing your potential on the court:
We believe all four components are critical to being the best basketball player one can be, and we believe each component builds on the others: Training helps players know what to work on when they do their daily individual skills practice on their own hoop, team practices help them understand how to fit their individual skills into team situations, and game play helps them execute it all under pressure.
3) Should My Player Train, and If So, How Much?
We understand that every player comes to the court with different goals, different off-court commitments, and different financial situations. We support everyone in their own personal decision on how to strike the balance that best suits their life. Training is 100% optional and will not impact a player's standing with us in and of itself. However, we strongly recommend consistent training for every player who wants to maximize their potential, and especially those who aspire to play at the high school level. Top high school and AAU-level players often have been training once or twice a week since elementary school or early middle school.
4) With Whom Should My Player Train?
We believe that the best trainer is the one a player clicks with - the one they relate to and from whom they will take constructive criticism and direction. There are many training options in the greater Eastside area, and we believe it is most important that you train vs. where you train. However, we are very excited about our own Eastlake Select training and hold it to the same high standards that we do for team play.
