First touch. Getting used to the ball, the court, and playing alongside other people.
- Holding and dribbling in place with both hands
- Two-handed chest pass over short distances
- Basic defensive stance and lateral movement
Pathway
The development pathway
Where your child is now, and what comes next. Four levels, from first touch to international play.
1Rookie7–10 2Starter10–13 Fundamentals locked in. The athlete owns the basics at real speed.
- Dribbling on the move, changing hands and direction
- Mid-range shooting with repeatable form
- Lay-ups on both sides with both hands
3All-Star13–16 Real competition. The athlete starts playing within a system and holding up under game pressure.
- Running offence within a system and reading the defence
- Zone defence and defensive transition
- Fast decisions in pick-and-roll situations
4Elite16–18 Selection and international opportunity. Preparing to compete at the highest level available.
- Specialising by playing position
- Conditioning and recovery at competitive-athlete standard
- Film study and game analysis
1
Rookie
7–10
First touch. Getting used to the ball, the court, and playing alongside other people.
Programs
At this level the goal is not scoring. It is that your child enjoys basketball, and that the movement habits they pick up are the right ones from the start — because correcting a habit later is far harder than teaching it correctly before a bad one forms.
We focus on hand–eye coordination, balance, and being able to follow instructions in a group. A Rookie session has more games in it than drills.
Skills gained
- Holding and dribbling in place with both hands
- Two-handed chest pass over short distances
- Basic defensive stance and lateral movement
- Correct shooting form up close
- Basic rules and how to play as part of a team
2
Starter
10–13
Fundamentals locked in. The athlete owns the basics at real speed.
This is the most important level, and the one where most players get skipped over. Anyone can execute a fundamental slowly. Executing it at game speed, with a defender on you, is a different skill.
Starter is where we begin introducing base conditioning, at a level appropriate to the age.
Skills gained
- Dribbling on the move, changing hands and direction
- Mid-range shooting with repeatable form
- Lay-ups on both sides with both hands
- One-on-one defence, and knowing when to recover
- Reading two-on-two and three-on-three situations
3
All-Star
13–16
Real competition. The athlete starts playing within a system and holding up under game pressure.
At All-Star the athlete is no longer only training technique. They are learning to play basketball as a system: where they are on the floor, where their teammates are going, and what the opposition is trying to do.
This is also where conditioning becomes decisive. A technically good player who runs out of legs in the third quarter is not helping the team.
Skills gained
- Running offence within a system and reading the defence
- Zone defence and defensive transition
- Fast decisions in pick-and-roll situations
- Conditioning that lasts a full game
- Communicating and leading on the floor
4
Elite
16–18
Selection and international opportunity. Preparing to compete at the highest level available.
Programs
Elite is for athletes with both the ability and the intention to pursue basketball seriously — at school level, university level, or professionally.
At this level the program opens training camps in the Philippines and the USA, alongside connections to club and professional teams in Vietnam, including VBA sides.
Not every athlete reaches this level, and that is entirely normal. The pathway exists so that the ones who can get here know where the road goes.
Skills gained
- Specialising by playing position
- Conditioning and recovery at competitive-athlete standard
- Film study and game analysis
- Building a recruitment profile for schools and teams
- Handling the pressure of selection
Register now
Not sure which level your child is at? Book a trial session and the coach will assess them in person.