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.  

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