Why should you invest in basketball training?
The reason why you should invest in basketball training extends far beyond just basketball. The game of basketball will only take you so far. You may not be able to make a living out of basketball. But the lessons learned, and qualities gained from basketball, can make life a whole lot better.
Why work with a trainer?
Around 20 years ago, there was no such thing as basketball trainers or the basketball training industry. The closest thing you could get to training was persuading your mom or dad to come rebound for you. Fast forward to 2023, there are thousands upon thousands of basketball trainers. It’s similar to social media influencers. It’s a fairly new industry, and there are new people trying to come into it every single day.
For parents, it can be difficult to navigate between which trainers are good and will actually help their kid get better. And the trainers that are just in it for the money. Most parents don’t know what a fair price is to pay for coaching/training. Some don’t understand what makes a good and bad trainer.
The industry as a whole
The basketball training industry, however, is quite different from most other industries. For example, if you want a big hotel room in a nice area, with restaurants, and stores near by then you have to be willing to spend more money. If you aren’t willing to spend a good amount of money, then you are stuck with a cheap motel. With most industries, there is a direct correlation between price and quality (for the most part). That is not necessarily true in the basketball training industry.
There are incredible coaches who are knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced who charge a low price. There are also many coaches who are only in it for the money, don’t care about the kids, and have no understanding of how to develop a player that charge a very high price. Don’t look at the price, look at the individual. If they really care about the kids, they will charge a reasonable price.
As a parent, if you find an awesome coach who cares about your kid and genuinely wants to help them, then the price shouldn’t matter. Paying for your kid to work with a coach, is an investment. Just like paying for school or for a tutor. But not in the way that you might think.
Not every kid that wants to get better at basketball is trying to make the NBA.
For most kids, working really hard at basketball can positively impact other areas of their life.
– Confidence outside of basketball
– Friends
– Discipline
– Accountability— 90 Percent Hoops (@90percent_hoops) March 13, 2023
Training is an investment
From an investment standpoint, a lot of parents think if I pay for my kid to work with a coach, it will result in a full-ride college scholarship. While it may work out that way, it’s not realistic for the vast majority of kids. According to Scholarship Stats. Com, around 7% of high school athletes will go onto play college sports. That number is even smaller, considering that only D1 and D2 schools give athletic scholarships. Less than 2% of high school athletes go onto play at the D1 level.
So, there is roughly about a 95% chance that your kid will not play sports at the collegiate level. That must mean that the money spent on working with a coach is a complete waste, right?
Not so fast. While most parents only think about how working with a coach will help them make it to the NBA or go D1, they fail to think about all the other factors involved.
Let me provide some examples:
Building relationships
There are many kids who struggle to make friends and fit in socially. Maybe they are just introverts, or maybe they have social anxiety. It could be that a kid just moved to a new town and doesn’t know anybody. One of the greatest things that comes from team sports is relationships. Basketball and other team sports provide the opportunity to build comradery and close connections with your peers. If you played sports as a kid, you most likely still keep up with at least one of the teammates you played with growing up.
Your kid probably won’t make it to college, and it’s even more unlikely they will make it to the NBA. But because you had your kid work with a coach, they greatly improved their basketball skills. Because they improved their skills, they’re able to make their school team, travel team etc. Now they have been able to make friends, they have a group of people they can hang out with and build close relationships with. Now they’re much happier and more motivated. They feel a part of something, they have people in their lives who care about them and that they care about.
Lack of positive peer influence is one of the main causes of why kids struggle in school, drop out of school, and go down the wrong path in life. Basketball and team sports provide kids the opportunity to be around like-minded individuals. It provides kids with a family atmosphere. Not every kid can get that at home.
Discipline
Most kids will not do something until their parents force them. A kid won’t clean up his room until the parents make them. A kid won’t wake up on time, the parents have to wake them up. Or maybe a kid won’t do their homework until they start to fail. Most kids lack the discipline they need to better themselves and make their lives easier.
Basketball in itself will not help kids become more disciplined. The sport is just the tool. Your kid is working with a coach, and they are starting to get better and see some results. For the first time ever, this kid scores 20 points in their last game. Now they have done something they have never done before. Now they want to go score 25 or 30 points. Or maybe they really want to go from bench player to full-time starter.
So now, the same kid that use to have their parents make them do everything, is now doing it for themselves. They are waking up early to go workout. Now, they are going to sleep on time because they’ve worked so hard. They are doing all of their homework assignments because they need to have a certain GPA to play on the team. They are now organized and being smart with their time, because they are motivated to get better and make it to the next level.
The pursuit of trying to get better at basketball, can instill discipline into a kid’s life. Now the parents have a much easier job. They don’t have to constantly get on their kids about doing what they need to do. This will help them later in life when the parents can be around all the time. The discipline required is just another reason why you should invest in basketball training.
Confidence
An area that many kids struggle with is confidence. Not just athletes but all kids. Lack of confidence on an individual level will negatively affect their confidence on the court. Their lack of confidence on the court will also negatively affect their confidence on an individual level. Maybe they have just never had anyone that believed in them, so they never believed in themselves.
As outlined in our confidence course, https://90percenthoops.com/product/how-to-build-real-confidence/ lack of confidence impacts many areas of a kid’s life. Such as classroom performance, engaging with peers, learning new skills, and social influence. Many kids are not provided the opportunities to grow their confidence. This where basketball comes back into the picture.
A kid who has improved their basketball skills, has also likely improved their confidence. They have seen that they can get better at something, that they have a skill they’re good at. One reason why someone could be lacking confidence is they just don’t know what they’re good at. That confidence that comes from basketball can spill into other areas of their life.
Because this kid now has some confidence, they are doing better in school. Before they didn’t think they were smart enough to get good grades. Now they have been able to make friends. Before they didn’t think they were cool enough to have friends. This kid is now unafraid to talk to that boy or girl that they like. Before they didn’t think that anyone else could like them or find them attractive.
Bigger than basketball
A coach or trainer who cares can do far more than just help a kid get better at basketball. They can also be a positive influence and someone who encourages positive behavior. They can help provide a kid with qualities and experiences that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. You should invest in basketball training not for the hope that the NBA will come calling. But you should invest in basketball training because it will provide you with life skills that will translate to other areas of your life.
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