Future Stars Training (k-4), Winter 2021-22

In the Zone Basketball Club is conducting an instructional basketball program for boys and girls grades K-4^th starting Sunday, Nov 21, 2021 and continuing through Feb 20, 2022.

The primary focus of this program is to teach the fundamentals of basketball in a logical, sequential and technically accurate manner.

This program will stress the fundamentals of the game.  If a player can’t dribble, pass, catch, shoot or play man-to-man defense, there is no sense running up and down the court trying to play games

Program Highlights

• One 90 minute practice* each week on Sundays 6:00-7:30 pm (excluding Christmas  vacation times) from Nov 21, 2021 to Feb 20, 2022.
• Kids will be divided into ability groups, not age groups. These groups will change as kids demonstrate proficiency at the various levels and move through the program.
• Kids will be promoted through the training program based on their mastery of certain skills.
• The final stage and end goal is for each player to be proficient in all their individual and small group skills and be able to play full court games.
• The emphasis during the games will be on instruction and learning—not on winning.  By de-emphasizing the score and playing in-house games (rather than pitting one organization against another), we can focus more on teaching, training and instructing.

Building to Success:

November will be devoted to individual skills such as ball handling, shooting, rebounding and 1 on 1 man-to-man defense. We will also cover basic rules of the game like, traveling, double dribble, personal fouls, 3 seconds etc.

December will be 2 on 2 month.  We’ll teach passing, pick and rolls, give and go’s, some basic offensive rotations, help defense, and off-ball rebounding.

January is 3 v 3 time.  Besides continuing to work on the all-important 2 man aspects of the game, the focus this month will be away screens, down screens, offensive rotations and help defense.

February is full court game time.  Training will include transition offense and defense, backcourt rules, pressing, etc.  Everyone will receive instruction in game management (substitution procedures, jump balls, lining up for foul shots, etc).  Our goal is that everyone is trained to a point that they will be ready to play.

The last 2  sessions in February will feature formal games complete with refs, fans and scoreboards.  These games will be the pinnacle of our program (similar to a dance recital or concert for those familiar with those programs)

Basketball Size and Basket Height: Most of the players will use an intermediate size (27.5”, #5) ball for this program.  Depending on the progress of the various groups, they might build up to a 28.5” (#6) size ball.  Most groups will start off with lower baskets (probably 8’) with the goal of building up to a standard 10’ basket as they progress through the training.  We feel it is more important that the kids demonstrate proper form on a lower basket than improper technique on a 10’ basket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why play 2 on 2 and 3 on 3? Both of these half-court formats stress fundamental basketball including pick and rolls, give and go’s and man to man defense.  Additionally by reducing the number of players on the court, individual touches and opportunities increase.  These small-sided games have been utilized in soccer for years.  Also, the “steal and lay-up” offense is eliminated and teams have to work in a fundamentally centric half court set to score.

Why In the Zone?  Our primary instructor and program developer has almost 20 years and thousands of hours coaching kids and teaching basketball.  Over the years, we’ve developed a training program and style that works.

How do I register and how much does it Cost?  You can register by completing the registration form included in  the printable brochure below and mailing with payment to In the Zone.  The registration fee for this program is $230 which includes 14  1.5 hour training sessions.  This works out to about $11.00/hour which is far less than activities like karate, mma, dance, gymnastics, etc.