Rising Stars

Developmental Concept

Young athletes need to fall in love with the game before they can fully commit to serious training. That's why our coaching staff starts every session with one simple question: "Is this drill going to be fun for the kids?" If the answer is no, it doesn't make the cut. That said, fun is only half the equation—every activity is carefully designed to help players build the fundamental skills and movements they'll need as they grow in the sport.

Objectives

At Eurostep, we have four main objectives for this program—and none of them include the word "winning." We believe that winning is simply a byproduct of consistent practice and preparation. Get the following right, and the results will follow.

1. Developing kinetic intelligence
At the most foundational level, athletes need solid motor skills and coordination before they can learn new movements. Without this base, picking up advanced skills later on becomes significantly harder.

2. Learning basketball-specific skills
Players will be introduced to and trained in the core fundamental skills of the game.

3. Understanding basic concepts
We help young athletes grasp the key ideas of basketball, including how to work effectively within a team structure.

4. Learning the rules of the game
As players develop their skills, we gradually introduce official basketball rules so they can better understand how the game is played.

Session Details

Rims - We lower the rims to 7ft so that the young athletes have a better chance of succeeding and therefore enjoying themselves more. The lower rims also allow the coaching staff to focus more on the athlete's technique and mechanics since they are not heaving the ball on a 10ft rim. 

Basketballs - We use 27.5 size balls that are suited for the size of our Rising Stars athletes. 

Format - Most of the session is individual skill development and cooperative games. While we do incorporate some competitive elements into the workout, it is only done once the athletes have grasped the core concepts. 

Length & Timing - Sessions are 90 minutes long and start at either 5PM or 6:30PM. We do not start our Rising Stars programming later than that to ensure athlete maintain good sleep hygiene. 

Schedule - The Rising Stars program runs at least 4 times per week over the course of each semester. The exact times vary for each semester and can be found on our registration page.