Playing basketball as a youngster shouldn’t mean sacrificing family time and throwing away hard-earned money. If you operate youth basketball correctly, you will see more game-play improvement, healthy competition, and overall tactical, skill, and athletic development.
The problem is the game has been stolen by travel team clubs, tournament organizers, and marketers, brainwashing players, parents, and coaches into thinking the current model of non-stop playing and entering “high exposure” tournaments is the ONLY way to go.
Without a doubt, the game must be “given back” to our youth, families, and communities!
The Basketball Game Model is the new blueprint for an environment in which gameplay is governed by developmental principles, inclusiveness, player-centric, and flexibility. This model has proven to work for a coach with 50+ years of playing and coaching the game with a massive understanding of the developmental stages of youth players.
If you are sold on traveling every weekend, paying high tournament entry fees, paying overpriced spectator ticket entrance fees, and the angry and violent environment it creates - then The Basketball Game model isn’t for you.
However, if you want to impact our youth players' developmental skills and athleticism - then The Basketball Game model is for you.
The Basketball Game Model is an outline by which those willing to do the work can learn the concepts and modify to fit their community’s needs.
The Basketball Game Model focuses on developing the player by showing you easy-to-follow steps on how to build a sustainable and strong program.
Each section of The BGM is designed to drive you to think differently about how to develop and implement youth basketball. It's not a one-size-fits-all, but the "parts" within this model will surely spark ideas and methods that work for your community.
BGM Principals: Learn how to provide opportunities for kids to learn basketball through skill development camps and clinics, tournaments, leagues, athletic development camps and clinics, and 3x3 opportunities. Also, provide coaches resources such as coaches clinics and manuals to aid in their development as coaches and teachers of the game.
Competition: The 3x3 small-sided game model is often treated as less than its counterpart, the 5x5 model. 3x3 must be considered an integral part of developing the 5-on-5 game and its highly competitive game model. In many cases 3x3 is the stand-alone model.
Athletic Development: One of the most overlooked developmental aspects of being a basketball player is the athletic skill sets: speed, quickness, agility, strength, power, and mobility. Skills like these are the foundation of healthy, safe, and effective movers..
Skill Development: Skill Development needs to meet the players where they are, experience and skill-wise. It will be essential to make the training of skills fun but also slightly challenging so players get better as they master the skill. It’s important to offer variety to keep athletes interested and to cause constant adaptation by the brain. Skills mastery is the foundation of good basketball.
Tactile Development: Young players and experienced older players all become more successful players when they can understand the tactics of the game. Using things such as “Action,” where 2-3 players work together to execute a well-coordinated movement amongst each other. We call these actions.
Community Involvement: For this model to be successful and, quite frankly, change the youth sports culture for everyone, we need school districts, recreational facilities, and specific sports facilities to join the cause.
My name is Lee Taft and my mission is to ensure players, parents, coaches, and organizers fully understand that you DO NOT have to comply with the current model and that many positive and developmentally sound options exist to develop into a better athlete and player.
The Basketball Game Model isn't going to solve every problem or be the perfect remedy for all. It's a concept of proven methods that worked for me in the past. I've seen other parts of it work around the country, and it's time to take control of youth basketball and bring it back to kids, families, and communities.
The current youth travel basketball model exploits many ideas and beliefs we don't want for our kids. The "fear of missing out" has been the underlining youth sports marketing campaign.
Sadly, we've bought into it and lost our way. We often feel trapped and with no alternative. That's exactly what the current organizers of travel basketball clubs and tournaments want.
Our goal should be to improve players' basketball and athletic skills. Learn basic tactical knowledge, how to play through 3x3 and other small-sided games, and how to be a significant contributor to the 5x5 game, where kids often get lost and not involved. And how to use other sports to improve athleticism, emotional and physical stability, and social variation… all will help you grow fonder of basketball as you return to it.
Typically, for a program loaded with this much information on how to run an entire basketball program, you would expect to pay at least $497. As a matter of fact, I've sold programs like this for over $1K.
However, I am at a point in my life where I want to give back and make an big impact.
I have learned that when you gift a program to someone, the majority of the time, they don't value the information enough to look at it, let alone apply it. Even at the low price of only $19 bucks, I wonder if it is enough "skin-in-the-game"?
But, at least I feel good about offering such valuable information at an unbelievable affordable price for anyone to take advantage of and use to make a difference in the lives of kids, families, and communities.
Join me, and let's give back the game we all love to our youth, families, and community.