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BOLT Player Development Program
In just over one week’s time, the Boys Major Midget OBA season will have concluded. As players making the transition to a crucial stage in your basketball playing careers, you need to ask yourself how the past season went: did you log as many minutes as you wanted to/ anticipated? Did you score as much as you thought you would/ defend as well as was expected of you? Did you develop at all over the course of the season? How did you fit in with your team and teammates? It is these questions, among others, that you will have to answer over the summer moving forward for next year.
Having come across quite a number of young up-and-coming athletes who, for various reasons, did not meet all their goals and expectations (minutes, scoring, results, development, etc.), I have decided to launch a personal player development program starting this Spring and running through the Summer. The program will be run through the Etobicoke Basketball Association (EBA) and will be based out of Etobicoke. Note that interested applicants and/ or participants do not have to be part of the EBA to take part in this program.
The name of this program is BOLT: Basketball Oriented Long-term Training . The program is geared toward highly-motivated athletes currently in grade 10 (born 1994), who will be grade 11-aged players (Boys Juvenile OBA division) next year. The program is divided into two key phases: enhancement of the fitness and conditioning levels of athletes on a basketball-specific scale (with all training being geared toward basketball-specific movements and requirements), and enhancement of specific technical skills required for “average” basketball players to make their skill set “elite”.
The program will launch as a “pilot,” meaning that all participants can gain access to the tried, tested, and true methods and training of the program, FREE OF CHARGE . In addition, as incentive, all players will receive a personalized BOLT T-shirt upon participation in their first session. All that is required from players is the passion for the game, the desire to improve their personal game, and the commitment to dedicate themselves to seriously participating in this endeavour for their own benefit.
The program includes, among other things:
• BOLT Rating Test and Athletic Log- the first session of the program, where all athletes will have their abilities numerically recorded according to the BOLT Rating system, which will produce raw statistical results for each athletic skill set and compute a BOLT Rating, allowing the athlete to identify themselves relative to their peers and relative to where they want to be. This will include a variety of fitness, conditioning, plyometric, and endurance tests. Furthermore, periodic retesting and recalculation will let the athletes log their numbers and chart their progress, giving them something “tangible” to see how they are improving. Figures don’t lie, but liars figure: Numbers are the truth. Let them set you free, and let them allow you determine where you are, and where you want to be.
• “School of Hopz”—a program for athletes to help develop explosive jumping abilities, which integrates proven methods with emerging global advancements in sports science to help increase vertical leap. In a game that all too often boils down to inches, jumping that extra two or three inches could make the difference between layup and dunk, win and loss, average or elite, bench or starter, rep or house league, and even next level semi-pro or pro basketball., in addition to who and how many people take notice of you and your abilities.
• Plyometrics—drawn from leading programs, research, and advancements in kinesiology and sports science, these drills will help improve core strength, the single most important muscle needed for the game of basketball. Focus is on SAQ: Speed, Agility, Quickness, and how these qualities of conditioning co-align with plyometrics to help improve core strength.
• “Sharp Shotz” System- comprehensive shot analysis by video, which will help the players determine how to improve their shot mechanics and raise their shooting percentages. Over the course of the program and the summer, players will shoot over 10 000 shots (literally), a proven way to improve accuracy according to the Canada Basketball LTAD Model and various other international basketball development models and systems. In addition, specific technical guidance and equipment will be utilized to allow for an easy transition to better shot mechanics.
• Advanced Training Equipment- includes: lateral resistors, speed ladders, agility hurdles, viper 360 cords, SPARQ Parachutes, SPARQ Heavy Balls, SPARQ Balance Boards, SPARQ Defensive Belts, weighted skipping ropes, rebounder mini-trampolines, reaction balls, D-Men and Rainmaker shooting aides, ball return systems, push-up disks, resistance cords, video capture and analysis programs, etc.
• Guest professionals- occasional visits from certified Personal Trainers and multi-sport fitness experts and practitioners for “enhanced” sessions.
• Guest players—occasional visits from high-level players, including: current and/ or former provincial team members, CIS, and NCAA D1 players who are close friends and/ or former or current players.
If you are a serious athlete who wants to up his game for next season, be it to: make the jump from a lower-level rep team to the top team, make a mediocre high school season become a stand-out year, get looks from peers and coaches, etc., then BOLT is for you! Train with the BOLT program and achieve your potential. You have nothing to lose (as the program is FREE), but only results to gain.
Program Information:
Selection: The program will be limited to a maximum of 20 participants. There are currently 10 of these 20 spots that have been offered and committed to players, leaving a possible 10 remaining spots in the program.
Dates: There are 3 initial dates that applicants need to be made aware of:
1) Wednesday, May 19th; 7-9pm –OPEN WORKOUT; this is not officially part of the BOLT program “per se.” This will be an opportunity for selected applicants to meet with me, be informed about some of the specifics of the program, then be evaluated to see if the program would be right for them based on a few simple drills (no testing) as well as some open scrimmage time against other applicants/ committed individuals. Being a FREE program, where a maximum of only 10 more applicants can be selected, all interested applicants MUST attend this Open Workout, which will be at one of our Etobicoke gyms (location will be provided via e-mail to those selected to attend).
2) Wednesday, May 26th, 7-9pm (1st Testing Session)--All committed players MUST attend one of the two testing sessions (location will be provided via e-mail to those who are selected after the Open Workout).
3) Wednesday, June 2nd, 6-10 PM (staggered)—1st session; FULL BOLT Program begins (location will be provided via e-mail to those selected and who attended one of the two Testing Sessions).
Further program information:
Duration: Spring/ Summer 2010
Frequency: Weekdays/ Weekends, 1 ½ - 2 hour sessions, 2-3 times per week
Locations: Various Etobicoke gyms*, as well as outdoor training facilities (weather permitting).
Cost: FREE to all participants
**Gym availability will dictate the locations and/ or times of the weekly sessions. By the 1st Full session, a set schedule will be determined for the remainder of the program, through to the end of August. Bi-Weekly schedules will be posted and disseminated to all participants well ahead of the scheduled dates.
If this program sounds like a good fit for you, please e-mail me at boltbasketball@gmail.com , indicating the following 9 pieces of information:
1. Your Full Name
2. Your Age
3. Your Height/ Weight/ Preferred Position
4. Your Location (Major Neighbourhood—i.e. Etobicoke, North York, Downtown, Scarborough and/ or closest intersection)
5. Your Basketball Experience (i.e. high school team/ rep clubs, level of ball, etc.)
6. Where you plan to be next year (in terms of OBA and HS teams, or, if you are looking/ “caught in-between”)
7. What YOU Personally seek to get out of the program/ why you would be a good fit to occupy one of the 20 spots (10 vacant)
8. Whether you will be able to make the Open Workout on May 19th as well as the Testing Session on May 26th if selected
9. Any questions you may have about the program.
Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to hopefully working with you over the summer as part of BOLT,
-Coach JP
In just over one week’s time, the Boys Major Midget OBA season will have concluded. As players making the transition to a crucial stage in your basketball playing careers, you need to ask yourself how the past season went: did you log as many minutes as you wanted to/ anticipated? Did you score as much as you thought you would/ defend as well as was expected of you? Did you develop at all over the course of the season? How did you fit in with your team and teammates? It is these questions, among others, that you will have to answer over the summer moving forward for next year.
Having come across quite a number of young up-and-coming athletes who, for various reasons, did not meet all their goals and expectations (minutes, scoring, results, development, etc.), I have decided to launch a personal player development program starting this Spring and running through the Summer. The program will be run through the Etobicoke Basketball Association (EBA) and will be based out of Etobicoke. Note that interested applicants and/ or participants do not have to be part of the EBA to take part in this program.
The name of this program is BOLT: Basketball Oriented Long-term Training . The program is geared toward highly-motivated athletes currently in grade 10 (born 1994), who will be grade 11-aged players (Boys Juvenile OBA division) next year. The program is divided into two key phases: enhancement of the fitness and conditioning levels of athletes on a basketball-specific scale (with all training being geared toward basketball-specific movements and requirements), and enhancement of specific technical skills required for “average” basketball players to make their skill set “elite”.
The program will launch as a “pilot,” meaning that all participants can gain access to the tried, tested, and true methods and training of the program, FREE OF CHARGE . In addition, as incentive, all players will receive a personalized BOLT T-shirt upon participation in their first session. All that is required from players is the passion for the game, the desire to improve their personal game, and the commitment to dedicate themselves to seriously participating in this endeavour for their own benefit.
The program includes, among other things:
• BOLT Rating Test and Athletic Log- the first session of the program, where all athletes will have their abilities numerically recorded according to the BOLT Rating system, which will produce raw statistical results for each athletic skill set and compute a BOLT Rating, allowing the athlete to identify themselves relative to their peers and relative to where they want to be. This will include a variety of fitness, conditioning, plyometric, and endurance tests. Furthermore, periodic retesting and recalculation will let the athletes log their numbers and chart their progress, giving them something “tangible” to see how they are improving. Figures don’t lie, but liars figure: Numbers are the truth. Let them set you free, and let them allow you determine where you are, and where you want to be.
• “School of Hopz”—a program for athletes to help develop explosive jumping abilities, which integrates proven methods with emerging global advancements in sports science to help increase vertical leap. In a game that all too often boils down to inches, jumping that extra two or three inches could make the difference between layup and dunk, win and loss, average or elite, bench or starter, rep or house league, and even next level semi-pro or pro basketball., in addition to who and how many people take notice of you and your abilities.
• Plyometrics—drawn from leading programs, research, and advancements in kinesiology and sports science, these drills will help improve core strength, the single most important muscle needed for the game of basketball. Focus is on SAQ: Speed, Agility, Quickness, and how these qualities of conditioning co-align with plyometrics to help improve core strength.
• “Sharp Shotz” System- comprehensive shot analysis by video, which will help the players determine how to improve their shot mechanics and raise their shooting percentages. Over the course of the program and the summer, players will shoot over 10 000 shots (literally), a proven way to improve accuracy according to the Canada Basketball LTAD Model and various other international basketball development models and systems. In addition, specific technical guidance and equipment will be utilized to allow for an easy transition to better shot mechanics.
• Advanced Training Equipment- includes: lateral resistors, speed ladders, agility hurdles, viper 360 cords, SPARQ Parachutes, SPARQ Heavy Balls, SPARQ Balance Boards, SPARQ Defensive Belts, weighted skipping ropes, rebounder mini-trampolines, reaction balls, D-Men and Rainmaker shooting aides, ball return systems, push-up disks, resistance cords, video capture and analysis programs, etc.
• Guest professionals- occasional visits from certified Personal Trainers and multi-sport fitness experts and practitioners for “enhanced” sessions.
• Guest players—occasional visits from high-level players, including: current and/ or former provincial team members, CIS, and NCAA D1 players who are close friends and/ or former or current players.
If you are a serious athlete who wants to up his game for next season, be it to: make the jump from a lower-level rep team to the top team, make a mediocre high school season become a stand-out year, get looks from peers and coaches, etc., then BOLT is for you! Train with the BOLT program and achieve your potential. You have nothing to lose (as the program is FREE), but only results to gain.
Program Information:
Selection: The program will be limited to a maximum of 20 participants. There are currently 10 of these 20 spots that have been offered and committed to players, leaving a possible 10 remaining spots in the program.
Dates: There are 3 initial dates that applicants need to be made aware of:
1) Wednesday, May 19th; 7-9pm –OPEN WORKOUT; this is not officially part of the BOLT program “per se.” This will be an opportunity for selected applicants to meet with me, be informed about some of the specifics of the program, then be evaluated to see if the program would be right for them based on a few simple drills (no testing) as well as some open scrimmage time against other applicants/ committed individuals. Being a FREE program, where a maximum of only 10 more applicants can be selected, all interested applicants MUST attend this Open Workout, which will be at one of our Etobicoke gyms (location will be provided via e-mail to those selected to attend).
2) Wednesday, May 26th, 7-9pm (1st Testing Session)--All committed players MUST attend one of the two testing sessions (location will be provided via e-mail to those who are selected after the Open Workout).
3) Wednesday, June 2nd, 6-10 PM (staggered)—1st session; FULL BOLT Program begins (location will be provided via e-mail to those selected and who attended one of the two Testing Sessions).
Further program information:
Duration: Spring/ Summer 2010
Frequency: Weekdays/ Weekends, 1 ½ - 2 hour sessions, 2-3 times per week
Locations: Various Etobicoke gyms*, as well as outdoor training facilities (weather permitting).
Cost: FREE to all participants
**Gym availability will dictate the locations and/ or times of the weekly sessions. By the 1st Full session, a set schedule will be determined for the remainder of the program, through to the end of August. Bi-Weekly schedules will be posted and disseminated to all participants well ahead of the scheduled dates.
If this program sounds like a good fit for you, please e-mail me at boltbasketball@gmail.com , indicating the following 9 pieces of information:
1. Your Full Name
2. Your Age
3. Your Height/ Weight/ Preferred Position
4. Your Location (Major Neighbourhood—i.e. Etobicoke, North York, Downtown, Scarborough and/ or closest intersection)
5. Your Basketball Experience (i.e. high school team/ rep clubs, level of ball, etc.)
6. Where you plan to be next year (in terms of OBA and HS teams, or, if you are looking/ “caught in-between”)
7. What YOU Personally seek to get out of the program/ why you would be a good fit to occupy one of the 20 spots (10 vacant)
8. Whether you will be able to make the Open Workout on May 19th as well as the Testing Session on May 26th if selected
9. Any questions you may have about the program.
Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to hopefully working with you over the summer as part of BOLT,
-Coach JP
