Test of Commitment

Rule #1 - Congratulations on your new responsibility as a student-athlete in middle school and high school! This is now your opportunity to develop your skills and become the best version of yourself. To achieve this, it's important to dedicate some time each day to activities that will help you improve, such as watching instructional videos, reading books about the sport, working out at the gym, or doing physical exercises. Remember, progress is made through consistent effort, so make each day count towards your basketball development goal. Let's embrace this challenge and work towards achieving your full potential!

Rule #2 - We commit to conducting this training continuously for a full year, without any breaks. Upon completion of the year, you will have the choice to either continue or discontinue the training. Should you opt to continue, the training will persist until you reach the age of 18. While occasional breaks are permitted, they should not extend beyond one week at a time. Do note that you retain the freedom to terminate the training at any point before the year concludes.

As a basketball player, you possess an extraordinary opportunity to excel both on the court and in your academic pursuits. It's imperative to approach this responsibility with earnestness and dedicate yourself to realizing your utmost potential. Rest assured, with your unwavering commitment and diligence, you possess the qualities needed to emerge as a truly accomplished student-athlete.

Trust the Process

To guide your player towards becoming a top-ranked high school player, the first step is to train like an elite player. Not only will this build their confidence, but it is also the key to getting more playing time. Quality elite training, also known as Skill Mastery, is the key to success. Instead of drilling without a purpose, measurable skill mastery should be the priority. Your player can track their progression and compete with themselves (their previous score) to continually improve.

Example: If your player is practicing a new drill, start with one repetition and gradually increase to ten perfect repetitions before focusing on speed. Coordination first, speed second. How many times can you do it within a given time frame?

To achieve mastery, it's important to track progress and focus on developing skills rather than just experimenting with them. Let's work on mastering our skills to become great.

Elite Training and Skill Mastery

It is important to MEASURE EVERYTHING and keep track of your player's numbers and percentages. The practice drills should be designed to improve those percentages. By knowing your numbers during practice, you can become a skilled master on the court. It is also important to know the strengths of your young player as it will boost their confidence.

Practice more, not less

The process is a marathon, not a sprint. Kobe Bryant was on Lewis Howes’s podcast The School of Greatness: “Mamba Mentality, NBA Championships, And Oscars”. Here’s what he says about the math of every day:

“If you want to be a great player. If you play every single day for 2-3 hours. Every single day. Over the course of a year. How much better are you getting? Most kids will play, maybe, an hour and a half two days a week. Do the math on that. That’s not gonna get it done. Not gonna get it done.“

FOCUSED ON ELITE-LEVEL PRACTICE WITH MEASURED EXERCISES AND A FOCUSED OBJECTIVE.

Our program is designed to help you achieve your goals with a positive and encouraging approach. So let's work together to reach your full potential!

Mental Toughness

Developing mental toughness is perhaps the most important aspect of young players' training and overall development. Unfortunately, mental toughness is often overlooked and not given enough attention. It's no wonder that many highly-ranked middle school players fail to transition to the high school level, or why so many promising NBA draft picks never live up to their potential - the reason is simple: they lack mental toughness. However, the good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be taught and developed.

GOAL SETTINGS

Write down your outcome game goals, process goals, and objectives. Knowing where you are going is important. When working with a trainer or workout partner, it's helpful to know how many reps you're going to do, or how long you're doing the exercise. You need a destination, and you must have a goal in mind. Players need to understand what the objective is. Imagine not knowing your goal. For a young player, that can be exhausting. Writing down goals can increase the success rate by 80%.

TIPS: Write down goals that keep you excited each day. Be bold! Make big goals! Write down your goals in middle school, high school, and college! Aim high!!

VISUALIZATION

Visualize your success in your mind.

LANGUAGE

How you talk to yourself can significantly affect how you react to stressful situations and events in your life. When you learn to communicate in a positive manner with yourself, you'll become more confident and motivated. Your outlook on life, as well as on yourself, will improve. It's better to reframe your demands when coaching your players. Instead of saying "Don't miss your layup," try saying "Make your layups." Similarly, instead of saying "Don't just stand there!" say "Move with the ball!" And rather than telling them how difficult it is to get into the NBA, try saying "It's going to be fun seeing you on the Warriors." Say what you want to happen.

CLEAR YOUR MIND/MEDITATE

Staying focused and locked in during the game can be difficult for some players. Do you find that your player gets distracted on the court? Does your player have a hard time quieting their minds during a free throw? You don’t have to sit in a quiet room with incense with your legs crossed, we mean, come 10-15 minutes before a game or during the day. Silence for 10 minutes a day. Kobe Bryant said he worked on his meditation practice every day. He said that it's what he does every morning — sit down in silence for around 20 minutes. It's his way of preparing his mind for the day.

GUARD YOUR DREAMS WITH THE SAME TENACITY THAT YOU GUARD A BASKETBALL

It's really important to hold onto your dreams and make sure you protect them just like you would with a valuable treasure. As a parent, I know you want to do everything you can to support your young athletes. Sometimes, it can be discouraging to hear about all the statistics, probabilities, and impossibilities out there. But don't worry, you've got this! It's important to shield your kids from negativity and encourage them to chase their dreams with all their heart. Let them know that nothing can stop them from achieving their goals and don't let anyone tell them that the odds are against them. Keep spreading that positive energy!

Choosing the Right Team

The right team will help your young athlete get better. It doesn’t matter if you lose every game, your team needs to help your player get better. Find a coach that will help you get better. That’s your only goal in middle school basketball—GET BETTER.

What does the right team look like?

As a parent, your main concern should be finding the best possible team for your young athlete. This means looking for the team that will allow your child to play the most minutes, regardless of whether it's the A, B, C, or D team. The most important thing for your young player at this stage is to have enough playing time to work on their in-game skills. In middle school, the primary goal is to improve and get better, not necessarily to win or be ranked. Therefore, if you feel that your child is not in the best situation, it's perfectly okay to leave and find a better team that will help them grow and develop.

Here is a list of questions for AAU parents when choosing or choosing to leave a team:

1. Will my kid play a good amount of minutes?

2. Do the other players help my kid get better?

3. Does my player enjoy playing with the other players on his team?

4. Is the organization supportive or development-focused?

5. Is the organization’s administration organized? (Trust us, this matters.)

6. Does the coach focus on skill development?

7. Does this system fit the way my kids play basketball?

When choosing a middle school AAU basketball team, ask these important questions. If you answer yes to 5 out of 7, you're on the right track.