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Subscribe and get a free lessonBeginner training plan
Your first lessonThe first lesson is not just about Basketball.
Before I can help the athlete improve, I need to understand:
• Who they are
• What motivates them
• What they currently do well
• Where they struggle
• How they learn
• What their goals are
During the first lesson, I’ll assess:
Movement
How they run, stop, balance, and change direction.
Ball Control
Comfort level with the basketball.
Coordination
Body awareness and athletic foundation.
Confidence
How they respond to mistakes and challenges.
Basketball Knowledge
Current understanding of the game.
Competitive Habits
Effort, focus, listening, and coachability.
The goal of the first session is not perfection.
The goal is clarity.
By the end of the lesson, both the player and parent should understand where the athlete currently stands and what the development plan looks like moving forward.
Lesson 2-3This is where we begin building the foundation.
We focus on what I call:
Movement Before Mastery
Players begin learning:
• Athletic stance
• Footwork
• Balance
• Coordination
• Ball control
• Proper shooting mechanics
• Basic finishing techniques
I also introduce the first performance habits:
• Focus
• Communication
• Effort
• Coachability
At this stage, success isn’t measured by making shots.
Success is measured by learning quality movement patterns and building confidence.
Lesson 4-10By Lesson 4, the athlete has enough information to begin connecting skills together.
We move from:
Individual Skills
to
Basketball Actions
Players begin learning:
• Attack moves
• Decision-making
• Reading defenders
• Simple game situations
• Transitioning between skills
This is often when confidence starts growing because athletes begin feeling like basketball players rather than simply practicing basketball skills.
I also establish initial benchmarks so we can track growth over time.
THE TENTH LESSON
The tenth lesson is an important checkpoint.
By now we evaluate progress across the entire framework:
ROOTS
Confidence
Discipline
Effort
Coachability
REPS
Ball handling
Finishing
Shooting
Defense
Movement
DECISIONS IQ
Can they recognize simple game situations?
Transfer
Are skills showing up during games?
At this stage, athletes usually notice significant improvement in confidence, comfort with the ball, and overall understanding of the game.
The focus shifts from learning skills to applying them under pressure.
