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Breakthrough Basketball Training & Player Development - Anamosa / Marion / Cedar Rapids Iowa
What is Breakthrough Basketball Training?
Breakthrough Basketball Training is a basketball skill development program for 11 to 20 year old girls and boys in the Marion / Cedar Rapids Iowa area. (If you're younger than 11, check out our new youth program.)
Three times a week players will be taken through training sessions that will improve their skills and help them become better basketball players. Each training session lasts 60 to 90 minutes.
The training will help players no matter what age level, skill level, or team they play for. The training helps players no matter what offense they run or what coach they play for because the training focuses on...
- Improving basketball SKILLS and fundamentals -- shooting, passing, dribbling, footwork, defense, and offensive fundamentals that are universal to the game.
- The MENTAL aspects of sports -- how to be mentally tough, more focused, and get an edge on the competition.
- Gaining CONFIDENCE -- becoming a more confident player and person.
- Building CHARACTER & VALUES
- How to be successful in LIFE -- It might sound strange to learn this in basketball training. But basketball is a great tool to learn how to succeed in life. No matter what players choose in the future, these lessons will help them succeed and learn what it takes to be successful.
So as you can see, the training is much more than just basketball skills. It's also about learning how to excel and be successful in all phases of life. The legendary coach John Wooden once said "What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player." I think he is right. And even though we are focused on basketball development, we also teach players how to apply these lessons to life and becoming a better person.
Who is the coach?
Jeff Haefner is the basketball trainer / coach in the Cedar Rapids / Marion area. Jeff has been playing basketball for over 20 years and coaching over
10. He is the co-founder of BreakthroughBasketball.com and has written and developed hundreds of articles, books, and videos on
BreakthroughBasketball.com and various basketball websites.
Jeff has also been fortunate to learn from some of the best basketball trainers in the world over the last several years.
What will players learn?
Players will learn basketball skills and the key elements they need to be great players.
Here's a brief summary of those things:
- How to dribble more effectively and reduce turnovers.
- How to easily beat any defender off the dribble. There are 4 keys to beating defenders off the dribble. We'll focus heavily on these 4 keys because it allows players to master their dribble moves in a VERY short amount of time.
- How to become a more prolific scorer - we cover 7 keys to double your scoring average. Very few players think about these things and once learned, scoring points will become much easier than you think.
- How to improve shooting percentage
- How to increase shooting range and get your shot off quicker
- How to improve footwork (instead of teaching dozens of moves, we'll teach 5 types of footwork moves that dramatically accelerate the learning and development process).
- How to dominate and score more points in the post
- How to avoid shooting slumps
- How to get more playing time and become a team player that all coaches love
- How to get your coaches' attention
- How to improve perimeter moves
- How to eliminate the fear of failure (one of the biggest enemies of a basketball player)
- How to get mentally focused for maximum performance
- How to improve rebounding
- How to become a better passer
- How to move without the ball and get open for easy shots
- How to use screens, cuts, and moving away from the ball. No matter what team you play for, learning how to read screens and move without the ball will help you get more easy scoring opportunities. This is an important skill for all players to learn.
- How to create space and get your shot off
- How to beat players 1 on 1
- How to score in traffic
- How to improve ball-handling and decision making
It's impossible to list everything you'll learn but hopefully that gives you a little idea.
We will spend a lot of time improving your footwork. This is probably the most under-practiced, misunderstood, and most important skill of all. You will learn how to practice footwork in a completely new way. You'll also learn how footwork carries over into games and how it makes you better.
We also spend a lot of time on shooting fundamentals, ballhandling, scoring, and offensive skills both in the post and perimeter.
To sum things up… the training is all about helping you develop the KEY skills that you need to become a great basketball player.
These fundamental skills are universal for all levels. They will help you no matter what defense or offense you use. That's the great thing about fundamentals. They help you in all situations, no matter what coach you play for!
Who is this training for?
This training is for middle school, high school, and college players (boys and girls) that want to get better. If you just want to play games,
then you should go to a team camp or play some pick up games instead.
Don't get us wrong, most of the competitive break downs are lots of fun!! But we'll push you to get better.
This is for SERIOUS basketball players that want to get better. You can play games anywhere, so we focus on things you can't just pick up anywhere. We
focus on developing skills and the mental aspects that will make you better!
You must be at least 11 years old to participate in the training academy.
Younger players can check out our new youth program.
What is the format of the training?
We use lots of tools and tactics to help players. We could use video, pictures, chalk talks, and drills. But we primarily use the "show" and "go" format with LOTS of repetitions. That is the key to progress.
We will "show" the players how to perform a skill and/or drills properly. We will provide teaching and instruction. Then we'll "go" and practice the skills using a variety of drills and activities. We will run lots of drills and you will get lots of repetitions.
You get LOTS of touches with the ball and there will be very little standing around. You will be busy so be prepared for a good workout and be prepared for fast development.
We will also put you in competitive situations. This puts you in game-like situations so you can apply and refine your newly-learned skills. Most of the competitive break downs are lots of fun, but it's different than the standard 5-on-5 games that you see at other camps.
In fact, we do not scrimmage or play any games. We focus on PLAYER DEVELOPMENT. So we run lots of drills and provide lots of teaching and instruction.
Where do the skills and concepts we teach come from?
That's a really important question because you want to know you're learning the "right" things. The skills and concepts I teach come from the following sources:
- Personal experience playing basketball for over 20 years.
- 10 years of experience as a youth and high school team coach.
- 5 years of experience running BreakthoughBasketball.com and studying the game of basketball for a living. Since this is my job, I have viewed and studied thousands of articles, books, DVDs, and resources about player development.
-
Professional player development coach Don Kelbick -- Many of the concepts we teach come from Don
Kelbick, a pro coach that works with NBA players like Raja Bell, Carlos Boozer, Guillermo Diaz, Rasual Butler, Carlos Arroyo, Tim Hardaway, Bruce
Bowen, and others. Don also works with younger players and gives training camps all over the world. I have been fortunate enough to become friends
with Don and learn his training techniques. He has probably been the most influential person on our training academy.
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Dozens of player development coaches around the country -- through BreakthroughBasketball.com I have been lucky enough to meet and become friends
with player development coaches from all over. I have been able to talk with them, email them, and learn from their experiences.
- Dozens and dozens of successful basketball coaches ranging from youth to high school to D1 college to the pros. I can't tell you how much I've learned by talking with and interviewing the coaches all over the country. I have learned so much from them.
Because of our unique experience we are able to offer very distinctive training programs that are very precise, efficient, and effective. We have been studying basketball for a long time and we're very excited to apply what we've learned to a local player development training program.
I promise you will learn something new and the training will be like nothing you've seen before.
Simplified Training and Accelerated Development
One of the most unique things about our training program is that we are able to greatly simplify the learning and skill development process. This allows players to develop and learn skills at a MUCH FASTER RATE. This benefits both beginners and very advanced players. Many times this is the ingredient that players need to quickly get to the next level.
For example, we offer a very simple 4 step dribbling development process that allows players to dribble more effectively, handle the ball with ease, and at any time be able to beat their defender off the dribble. We provide this 4 step checklist to players so they can easily understand and apply the skill development technique. 99% of players (and most coaches for that matter) make dribbling and moves way too complicated. They waste hours of time on wasted movements and drills. With the 4 step process, players will realize that dribbling and beating players 1 on 1 is easier than they ever imagined.
We also offer a 5 part footwork development process that simplifies learning and accelerates player development. Some coaches teach dozens of post moves and each coach might use different terminology. This can be very confusing and time consuming for a player. That's why we teach 5 pieces of footwork that apply to all moves and can be applied to any situation. We also provide diagrams of the footwork moves and a checklist for players to take home.
These are just a few examples of things that we'll simplify for players so they can become better. We have found that the greatest athletes in the world almost always keep success simple. We have also found that some of the great coaches understand basketball so well that they can make the game simple. We have embraced that concept and apply it to our training methods.
Where is the training?
Anamosa Strawberry Hill Gym
203 Hamilton Street
Anamosa, Iowa 52205
* The gym is 20 minutes east of Marion off highway 151.
When is the training?
Here's our schedule (see days labeled "Adv Training"). You don't have to attend all the training sessions. Come to as many as you can make.
* SH - Strawberry Hill gym* HS - Anamosa High School gym
You don't have to attend all the training sessions. Come to as many as you can make. If you can only make 1 session per week, I'll provide you with a custom workout to do at home.
Can parents watch?
Yes. Parents are welcome and highly encouraged to watch the training.
How much does it cost?
If you're signing up for the first time, you get the first 2 training sessions for FREE! Each session will last between 60 and 90 minutes.
If you like the training and want to keep going, the price will be $90.00 per month after that. If you join part way through the month, we'll prorate your first month.
You can attend as many training sessions as we offer, which are currently three sessions each week.
How do you sign up?
Just fill out this form to reserve your spot:If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me or request a phone call.
Sincerely,
Jeff Haefner
Breakthrough Basketball, LLC.
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