11 Jul Why Performance Enhancement Training Matters/Part 3
{The Missing Link in Youth Basketball: Why Kids Ages 9-13 Need Performance Training}
As a Player Development Coach in the Triangle area covering( Raleigh,Cary,Apex,Morrisville,and Knightdale ,N.C) I have been working middle/high school and with youth players from ages 9-13. Most of the struggles I have seen coming from my youth players are not skill development alone but also a lack of athletic ability required to execute those skills. The greatest barrier to developing solid fundamentals and advanced skills is a lack of athletic ability, specifically a lack of body control,poor balance and posture. This lack comes primarily from undeveloped overall body strength,weak glutes,hips,and core muscles.
One frequent struggle stemming from a lack of athletic ability that I see a lot that is the most foundational offensive skill they must develop in basketball is learning the basic layup shot. This offensive move is foundational to all the other offensive skills required. What I tend to see with most of my players ,especially the youth age group, when they shoot the layup shot about 90% of them over rotate their shooting arm shoulder whether they are left or right handed players. This over rotation of their shoulders will almost 100% of the time cause a miss shot. It comes from a lack of body control( deceleration,poor balance and hand/eye coordination).
They tend to over shoot the ball missing the entire basket and backboard sometimes. To the untrained eye it can just look like undeveloped mechanics but the primary cause is undeveloped athletic ability.Youth players will acquire their skills more efficiently if they are involved also in a performance enhancement program alongside the skill development as they feed off each other.
The performance training allows them to develop body and spatial awareness that translate into body control necessary to beating defenders off the dribble,creating driving angles,space to shoot or score and to help them to master various footwork which is essential to becoming a great player. It is the key to playing high level basketball.
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