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Finding a Team AAU Basketball in Eastern Massachusetts | Metrowest | North Shore | South Shore

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The Rise and Fall of AAU Basketball in Massachusetts

This article will discuss observations on current basketball options for youth girls and boys in MA.

AAU stands of Amateur Athletic Union and it is one of the biggest non-profits in the US. Teams are formed and compete against other teams in weekend tournaments throughout the basketball off-season.

The title of the article aims to sum up how AAU basketball is affecting basketball in a positive and negative way throughout Massachusetts. It also aims to give helpful guidelines on how to find a good team or organization.

The rise and fall of AAU basketball in Massachusetts has been a factor of several things:

  • Increase in the amount of teams
  • Coaching
  • Practice time

Increase in the amount of teams:

From the 4-11 grade level of boys and girls there are well over 500 teams in just Massachusetts.

Some of these teams are not AAU teams, but travel teams put together by local town coaches to keep their kids playing together in the off season.

Rise: More kids are playing basketball, which means more kids are active and building team comradery.

Fall: The talent level is skewed because of the amount of teams. Teams losing or winning by over 50 points is a common occurrence. This becomes a waste of time for both teams. This also hinders the development of both teams because the worse team can’t score or cover (and loses confidence), while the better team can score every time.

Coaching:

Good coaches are hard to come by anywhere you go and at any sport.

Usually the best criteria for a good coach is passion, experience (playing and/or coaching at a high level), and leadership (an example of leadership is being captain for your varsity high school or college team).

Because there are so many kids trying out for AAU basketball, many programs choose to make a “B” and a “C” team for each age group and they will need to find coaches for each team. Because finding very good coaches is hard to do, these coaches are often parents or volunteers.

RISE: The more teams, the more coaches, which means these instructors can teach the players respect and responsibility.

FALL: Quality of play and skill development lowers. The parent coaches typically do not know how to coach basketball very well and there is also a level of bias because their kid is playing on the team. The volunteer coaches usually do not have a lot of experience in training players for the next level, but sometimes you can get lucky and find a very good volunteer coach.

Practice Time:

This is a very important factor in finding a good AAU team in Massachusetts.

60-70% of every AAU basketball practice should be focused on skill development.

The remainder should go to working on plays and defenses.

RISE: Many clubs are getting good practice time, which means they are practice two-three times per week for 1.5-2 hours.

FALL: The use of practice time is rarely focused around skill development because many coaches do not have experience in skills training or running a team practice. The majority of practice time for many AAU clubs then becomes working on plays and scrimmaging. This means that many players are not developing skills in the off-season.

We feel that the clubs below are doing things the right way. We would recommend these AAU Basketball Clubs in Massachusetts:

Boys:

Rivals Basketball Club – MA, NH, ME

CMAC – Metrowest MA

Girls:

Bay State Jaguars – Metrowest | South Shore MA

Year-round Basketball Skills Training | How to take your game to the n3xt Level…

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After over five years of operations at Premier Hoops, I have been asked all sorts of questions in regard to basketball.

From the players…

  • How can I get better at basketball?
  • How can I jump higher?
  • What should I do to make my dribble moves better?
  • How can I make my foot speed quicker?

From the parents…

  • What basketball camps should I send my kid(s) to?
  • Are there any good teams that my kid(s) should play for?
  • What are some good basketball clinics in Massachusetts?
  • What foods should my kid(s) be eating to perform better?

Of course, the players and parents are asking the right questions; however, a lot of things have changed since I was playing basketball.

In this article, I will discuss the biggest problems in youth sports today and why many kids fail to reach their full potential.

Too much pressure | From my experience as a youth basketball coach and the President of a growing basketball skills training program in Massachusetts, I have noticed a lot of pressure on youth athletes to play multiple sports. Kids are being pulled in different directions by their coaches, parents and teens to play different sports… baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and/or flag football in the spring; all-star baseball, basketball leagues, tennis, and/or multi-sport camps in the summer; soccer, football, and/or track in the fall; basketball, hockey, and/or swimming in the winter. Coaches are coaches and all good coaches will try to get the best out of any athlete if they see potential and fire in a player. Some coaches will pressure players into playing for their program for the wrong reasons such as: for the money or because the coach wants the player to play (not the other way around). Some parents will pressure their kids into playing sports because the parents love this sport and had great experiences playing it.  Peers will often pressure their friends to play because everyone is playing and it is hard for the player to leave his friends.

Too much structure | Structure is not a bad thing, but I am seeing more and more over-structure in youth athletics. For example, on Mondays and Wednesday a youth athlete might play basketball, on Saturdays flag football, and on Sundays lacrosse. There is nothing wrong with having a weekly structure, but the problem with many kids is that these are the only nights that they are playing this particular sport. Some parents and players believe that because they have basketball on Mondays and Wednesdays it means that they are “doing basketball”. This hinders the kids reaching their full potential by only playing a single sport a couple times a week.

Not enough consistency | This goes along with the point that because kids have so much structure in their sports’ schedules that they are not actually practicing by themselves. Many parents are paying for programs for their kids to get better at sports. These kids will go to these programs, but then rarely practice or play outside of the program. To reach your full potential in any sport, you have to play all the time!

Basketball is one of the easiest sports to get good at quickly. All you need is a basketball and you can practice your handle anywhere/anytime. All you need is a basketball and a hoop and you can practice shooting, layups and dribble moves to score. In many other sports you need a teammate to help you practice.

To get better, I would strongly recommend the following:

  • Basketball clinics
  • Finding a good team/coach to play for
  • Private lessons
  • Basketball camps

However, you will limit your full potential if you only do the above recommendations.

To take your game to the next level you need to play basketball all the time.

This means working on your drills and playing pick up games BEFORE and AFTER team games and camps… if you ask any big time player how he got to where he got, he will tell you that he played all the time.

In summary, many of the questions players and parents ask me in regard to basketball sometimes sound unrealistic. For many of the kids, who have over-structured sports schedules with multiple sports each season, they cannot improve on basketball because they just are not playing enough. I hear this a lot: “Now it’s spring so Johnny is playing baseball” and “Now it’s fall so Eric is playing football”. If kids really want to improve in a particular sport such as basketball, they have to put basketball first. That doesn’t mean to stop playing other sports, but I truly believe the over-structuring of kids and sports is deterring them from reaching their full potential in one sport. The good news is that if a youth really wants to get better then they will do it by themselves without motivation or pressure from anybody else.

If you would like to contact me please do so at anytime.

Coach Mike Leykin
Founder, President, and Coach at Premier Hoops
mleykin@premierhoopsters.com
www.premierhoopsters.com

 

Kiddie Hoops | Early Childhood Basketball Program Growing throughout Eastern Massachusetts!

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Kiddie Hoops Webpage: Click Here

Early Childhood Basketball Development MA

FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

Kiddie Hoops is new development basketball skills program by Premier Hoops!

The mission is to introduce sports and teamwork to children ages two to six through fun basketball games and exercises.

Kiddie Hoops is a four season program… we will have sessions in spring, summer, winter and fall!

We find that kids learn better through fun and dynamic programs. We will do skill development as well as the following aspects in each class:

  • Rules and facts about basketball
  • Stretching
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Teamwork
  • Passing
  • Dribbling
  • Scoring

Youth Basketball Skills and Camps in MA

There are several programs that Premier Hoops offers through Kiddie Hoops.

1) In-house classes: We currently have locations in Peabody and Marblehead where we offer morning clinics for children ages two to six. Any child can register for this program and it usually runs 8-10 weeks.

2) Preschool partnerships: We currently have partnership with over 10 preschools in Massachusetts. Our trained and insured instructors come to the preschool with all Kiddie Hoops equipment and run two to three classes per day for 8-10 weeks! Some of our partnerships include: First Church Nursery in Swampscott, MA, Devereux School in Marblehead, MA, Temple Beth Shalom Preschool in Peabody, MA, Shirat Hayam Preschool in Swampscott, MA, Jewish Community Center in Marblehead, MA, Latitude Sports Club in Peabody, MA, and Brookwood School in Manchester, MA.

3) Summer Camps: We offer organized basketball camps for preschools during the summer. This program is similar to our preschool partnerships; however, there is more flexibility in terms of times and duration!

Many of our children come from Peabody, Marblehead, Saugus, Danvers, Beverly, Lynn, Nahant, Georgetown, Middleton, Topsfield, Triton, Salem, Swampscott, Lynnfield, North Reading, Reading, and North Andover!

Meet Kiddie Hoops Director, Tara Driscoll!
Coach Tara has been coaching at basketball camps and clinics for over four years. She was a captain at Swampscott High School and then got recruited to play at Salem State College, where she played for four years as the point guard. She is an outstanding coach and teacher and is also currently pursuing a degree in education.

Kiddie Hoops Webpage: Click Here

Premier Hoops Webpage: Click Here

Basketball Skills and Drills Clinics in Massachusetts this Spring!

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To see all current spring basketball programs click here!

Spring 2013 will be a big season of skill development at Premier Hoops!

Spring Skills & Drills | Our main focus this spring will be to develop the fundamental basketball skills of youth players in Eastern Massachusetts through training in: shooting, passing, rebounding, layups, footwork, dribble moves, and quickness!

Our goal is to combine competitive scrimmage nights with top level basketball skills training nights for ten weeks. This program with produce noticeable transformation in players’ conditioning, skills and court sense!

All programs will have a 1 to 6 coach to player ratio.

We will have basketball skills training locations in Marblehead, Salem, Peabody, and Cambridge.

We expect to see a lot of boys and girls between grades 2 and 12 coming from the North Shore and South Shore of Massachusetts.

Spring Teams | We will also have four basketball teams for boys between grades 5 and 8. The players who are on teams are required to do our weekly skills and drills program. These players represent the towns of Swampscott, Salem, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Lynn, Georgetown, Tewksbury, and Middleton.

Kiddie Hoops | We will also have a early childhood developmental program called Kiddie Hoops, which will be in Peabody and Marblehead. This is for children ages two to six and it is very fun! Kids will learn new drills and will be taught the basics of basketball!

All Girls Spring Skills Program North Shore | The 10-week program is for girls only and will run twice a week for ten weeks. Skill development nights are on Mondays at the Bowditch  School in Salem and scrimmage/game nights are at the Veterans Middle School in Marblehead.

Program Director Tara Driscoll
Coach Tara has been coaching at basketball camps and clinics for over four years. She was a captain at Swampscott High School and then got recruited to play at Salem State College, where she played for four years as the point guard. She is an outstanding coach and teacher and is also currently pursuing a degree in education.

WHO: 2-12 Grade Girls

WHEN: March 29 – June 12

10 Sessions of Monday Skills
@ Bowditch School, 79 Willson St  Salem, MA 01970

10 Sessions of Wednesday Scrimmaging
@ Veterans Middle School, 217 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA 01945

All Boys Spring Skills Program Peabody | The 10-week program is for boys only and will run twice a week for ten weeks. Players have the option to do the full program, any 10 out of 20 sessions, or just 10 scrimmages. Doing the full program will produce the most results.

Program Director: John Kanarksi
Coach Kanarski has been coaching and training players at for over one year at Premier Hoops. He played basketball at Marblehead High School and then was recruited to play at Umass Dartmouth where he played four years as the point guard. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree physical education.

WHO: 2-12 Grade Boys

WHEN: March 31 – June 16 — Sunday and Thursday Nights

WHERE: Saint Vasilios Church, 5 Paleologos Street, Peabody, MA 01960

10 Sessions of Sunday Skills (75 minutes)

10 Sessions of Thursday Scrimmaging (75 minutes)

All Boys Spring Skills Program Marblehead | The 10-week program is for boys only and will run twice a week for ten weeks. Players have the option to do the full program, any 10 out of 20 sessions, or just 10 scrimmages. Doing the full program will produce the most results.

Program Director: Michael Leykin
Coach Leykin is the founder of Premier Hoops. He has over seven years of coaching experience including four years as the Assistant Head Coach of Marblehead High School Boys’ Varsity. He played high school basketball for St. John’s Prep and was then recruited to play for Babson College.

WHO: 2-12 Grade Boys

WHEN: April 3 – June 16

10 Sessions of Wednesday Scrimmaging
@ Veterans Middle School, 217 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA 01945

10 Sessions of Sunday Skills
@ JCC, 4 Community Road, Marblehead, MA 01945

Premier Hoops Website: www.premierhoopsters.com

Premier Hoops Spring Page: www.premierhoopsters.com/programs/spring

 

Contact Premier Hoops Director, Mike Leykin:
Direct: 781-724-8125
E-mail: mleykin@premierhoopsters.com
Web: www.premierhoopsters.com

What it Takes to be a Great Point Guard!

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As a part of our “Point Guard Camp” curriculum, we lecture our players on what it takes to be a great point guard. These notes have been taken from Bob Hurley’s video “Point Guard Play” and they provide an excellent description on what all great point guards have in common:

Notes taken from Bob Hurley’s DVD “Point Guard Play”

All great point guards:

  • Dreamed the dream
  • Played more than everyone else around them
  • Played with enthusiasm
  • Every one of them believed that their size was not going to be a disadvantage
  • Outwork everybody
  • Talents – had no week skill level (only area that you can be average is shooting)
  • Think pass first – shot second (we guy)
  • First step in every situation is towards defense basketball (take a step back)
  • Be a pest – annoying – people don’t like to play against you
  1. Draw charges
  2. Stripping the ball
  3. Dribble north and south
  • Get inside the defense, get in the lane
  • Get the feet in the lane on offense (be under control)
  • Get dribble to mid-thigh level
  • Change of speeds when dribbling and moving
  • Fore arm is a position to protect and accept
  • Accept the challenge personally when team is pressed. Consider it a personal insult to you.
  • Be an extension of your coach
  • Always know the score and time
  • Game face at all times – never crack, have a stone face
  • Be the best communicator on the floor
  • Success is from neck up, not neck down.
  • Must be a good foul shooter
  • If you can shoot the three that makes you different – this stretches the defense because defense has to play you
  • Have your own style, be your own player and play to your strengths
  • Make your teammates better
  • Success = Titles

Remember, the point guard position is one of the toughest positions to play because it takes a unique type of player. This player must be great in all skill sets and must think “we” first. He is a floor captain and an extension of the coach.

 

Pre-Season Basketball Training Tips :: Track Your Progress!

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With only about 4 months to go before try-outs and the start of the season there’s still time to make a significant impact in your game!

Of course, it’s important to set goals, but now is the time to track your progress! For example, if one of your goals is to improve your shooting, track your shooting percentage.
How many attempts does it take you to make 50 shots with one step inside of the foul line?
Or How many foul shots can you make in a row?

Track your progress so that you can see if you are actually making improvement!

The same can be done with a lot of different aspects in the course of your fall pre-season training. This article gives tips on drills and things you can do to be in top condition for the start of the season!

1. USE YOUR FRIENDS AND PARENTS!
When ever you want to go workout ask your parents or friends for help! For example, if you want to get a lot of shots up ask your mom or dad to help rebound for you or ask a basketball friend to workout together (that way you can rebound for each other)!
If you want to practice ball-handling drills ask your friends or parents to help time you!
If you want to increase your speed, ask your friends or parents to time how long takes for sprint the full length of the court – there and back!
Doing drills with the help of a workout buddy or parent is a great way to track your progress during the course of the pre-season.

2. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO SOMEONE ELSE!
There could be players who are quicker than you, better at shooting  or more athletically gifted, but it’s important not to get stuck comparing yourself to them. There is still 4 months to go in the off-season and a lot of things can change. As long as you set your goals high and work to achieve them everyday, that’s all that matters and that’s all that you can control! After all of your hard work, you will notice that the peers who were better than you are now not as good as you thought! This means you have outworked them!

3. PLAY AS MUCH BASKETBALL AS POSSIBLE!
This pre-season make it a goal to play basketball every single day and have a basketball with you everywhere you go!

  • Dribble the ball on your walk to school and back!
  • Play pickup games at local parks
  • Challenge better players to play one on one
  • Work on dribbling/ball-handling drills at least 15 minutes every day
  • Find a team or league to play on/in
  • Attend skills clinics
  • Practice dribble moves, trick shots, and floaters (pretend like you are trying to make someone off balance when you are practicing)
  • Jump rope 5 minutes every day (try to get 100 in a row)!
  • Do 100 pushups/100 situps every day (middle/high schoolers)


GOOD PRE-SEASON DRILLS!

1. “BEAT THE PRO” DRILL
This is a great shooting drill that you can customize and work on with a parent or friend!
Track your progress! See how long it takes you to beat the pro (10 minutes?, 20 minutes?). If you are getting better at it then add -2 or -3 for a miss or try to get to +10 instead of +7 for a win!
Elementary Schoolers -  A miss counts as -1, a make counts as +1, if you get +5 you win, if you get -5 you lose!
Middle/High Schoolers – A miss counts as -2, a make counts as +1, if you get +7 you win, if you get -7 you lose!


2. “10 RHYTHM DRILLS 1″
These are great ball-handling drills that will really improve your ball strength! They help for dribbling, rebounding, catching, and passing! You can do these drills anywhere… as long as you have a basketball!
Track your progress by seeing how long you can do these drills by finding a rhythm and not messing up, but you have to go your absolute hardest in every drill!
Have you parent or friend time you for these drills! If you are start off by being able to “around the backs” for 3 seconds without messing up, try to improve to 6 seconds, and then to 10 seconds!


3. MAKING SHOTS IN A ROW!
Great shooters are consistent, this drill requires players to make mid-range and 3 point shots in a row before they go on to the next spot!
Track your progress by seeing how long in time it takes you to finish the drill!
Elementary Schoolers  make 3 shots in a row from spots 1-5
Middle Schoolers  make 5 shots in a row from spots 1-5
Elite Middle Schoolers  make 5 shots in a row from spots 1-5 and 3 shots in a row from spots 6-10
High Schoolers  make 5 shots in a row from spots 1-5 and 5 shots in a row from spots 6-10
Elite High Schoolers make 7 shots in a row from spots 1-5 and 7 shots in a row from spots 6-10

FOR MORE HELPFUL DRILLS VISIT OUR YOUTUBE PAGE!

http://www.youtube.com/thepremierhoops

Top 10 Ways To Get Better at Basketball This Summer

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If you follow these guidelines, you are guaranteed to get better at basketball this summer!

  1. Play basketball every day!
  2. Set goals for the summer and post them in your room on your wall – create a summer training regiment for yourself based on your goals
  3. Work on your weaknesses/master new moves at least 20 minutes a day
  4. Carry a basketball around with you everywhere you go
  5. Go to basketball camps and clinics
  6. Play in basketball leagues (against better players)
  7. Play in pickup games at local basketball parks (against better players)
  8. Stretch before and after you play
  9. Lay off the junk food! – try not to eat fried foods, sugary foods, a lot of cheese
  10. Stay hydrated – drink lots of water!

Also, here these are some helpful drills to work on!

The definition of a “Gym Rat”

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It’s late April and the basketball season is about 7 months away.

…Not for gym rats.

“Gym rats” eat, sleep, and breathe basketball… it’s what makes them so good.

The term “gym rat” is often used as a compliment to commend a player for the hard work he/she puts in to get better. It means that this player plays basketball everyday and is determined to get better. This player has goals in mind and nothing will stop him/her from achieving them!

“Gym Rats” usually share a lot of common traits:

  • Resilient and goal-oriented
  • Relentless about getting better
  • Carry/dribble the ball around everyday
  • Play basketball where ever they can find a game
  • Practice perfecting drills by themselves and/or with friends

Good example of Gym Rats

1) Peter “Pistol Pete” Maravich

“Pistol Pete” was known to dribble or have the basketball everywhere he went… on his way to school, while riding a bike, when reading a book, etc.

He was consistently practicing drills and tricks with the ball to get better and reach his full potential.

It was fun for him to be able to fool any opponent on the court.

All of Pistol’s hard work paid off as he is still the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division 1 history (averaging over 44 points per game in only 3 seasons at LSU).

CLICK HERE to read more about “Pistol Pete”

 

2) J.J. Redick

J.J. Redick is known for his incredible free-throw and three point shooting, confidence and ability to battle through adversity, and being the all time leading scorer at Duke University.

His success definitely didn’t happen over night. J.J. spent countless hours perfecting his shooting form, speed, and footwork.

After incredible success at the college level, J.J. faced the challenge of adapting his game to the NBA’s more athletic and physical play.

After 6 seasons of rigorous endurance and strength training, J.J. has only now prevailed as one of the league’s top shooters.

CLICK HERE to read more about J.J.

 

 

Getting More Playing Time

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It takes a mental toll on any player when he or she isn’t getting a lot of playing time (if any at all). The good news is that there’s still time to make an impact on your team… even if you’re not playing. Here are some tips that we have for our in-season players:

  • Do the little things in practice… we call these effort stats because any player can do them: Box out, make deflections, draw charges, dive for loose balls, work hard to get rebounds, and really get after it on defense!
  • Be positive in practice and on the bench in games! This is very hard to do when you are upset that you’re not playing, but you have to remember that you’re still a big part of the team. You can make a big impact if you are loud and energetic on the bench. Lethargic bench players ruin good energy and team chemistry.
  • Be a play maker. Try to set up your teammates with easy shots and open layups. Work on getting in the lane and kicking out to a teammate for an open shot. Make easy passes, be under control, and make sure you‘re smart and take care of the basketball in practice… you want your coaches to have the confidence to put you in a game.
  • Keep working on your weaknesses… get to practice early and work on skills that you are not good at. Also, encourage your teammates to do this with you.
  • Set goals. We encourage our players at Premier Hoops to be goal oriented. Set three short term and three long term goals to work towards. Make it a short term goal to get more playing time and a long term goal to become a starter.

Remember, although the season comes to an end, basketball continues. Keep working hard towards your goals in the off-season!

The Purpose of the Premier Hoops WordPress Blog

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Welcome to the official Premier Hoops WordPress Blog!

At Premier Hoops we like to keep in touch with all of our clients… our mission is to provide the best possible service and basketball training for every parent and player.

We are in touch with our clients on a daily basis to help them make the best possible decisions when it comes to basketball.

We are commonly asked:

“How can I get jump higher?”

“How can I get quicker and faster?”

“What can I do to get become a better shooter?”

“Should my son/daughter play AAU?”

…and many more.

That’s why we’ve created this blog. To guide discussions that will help our clients and anybody else in need of the best answers to common basketball related questions.

We’ll be posting discussion blogs/topics on a monthly basis based on questions we have received from our existing clients.

We hope this will be helpful source of reliable basketball information!

~Premier Hoops