LEVEL-UP REQUIREMENTS
As coaches, we are looking for players to meet certain skill requirements before signing up for classes in the next skill level. To make this process transparent and provide a self-assessment tool for players, we have listed the main criteria below as “Level-up Requirements”. While this list is not exhaustive, it provides the key skill targets our coaches are looking for before giving players the thumbs up to register for the next level of classes. Players can easily determine areas that still need improvement and dedicate more time to those areas outside of class to meet their goals sooner.
*Please note that some players may be in-between skill levels and able to register for classes in both skill levels until the lower level no longer serves their development. Ask your coach if you’re unsure.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
- All skills listed below must be successfully executed with both hands
- By successfully executed, we mean with proper technique: correct stance/body position, ball placement, footwork, at full speed, consistently (i.e. can complete all of the above for 10 in a row)
- No two-handed finishes (i.e. non-dominant hand finishes do not use two hands other than as guide hand)
ROOKIE > PACK
Skill Development Check List
Ball Control & Passing
- Triple threat (and ability to maintain triple threat while ripping ball
over head and across shins into hip pockets - Chest pass, basic push pass & bounce pass (both one handed
and with guide hand) - Basic wrap around bounce pass and overhead pass
- Basic pivots into passes
Handles
- Retreat dribble, cross-over dribble, split between legs, behind
the back (cross over style), inside-out dribble - Ability to complete four move series inside-out, cross, between,
behind - Ability to complete all of the above tight and controlled and at
pace off a sprint dribble - Basic spin dribble (with change of hands)
Finishing
- Regular layups, Underhand layups, Power layups (1-2 step and
jump-stop) - Step-through layups, Reverse layups
- All of the above off dribble and off catch with no dribble
Footwork
- Jump-stops off dribble and on catch
- Rip-throughs, Jab-step and go same direction, Jab-step and go
opposite direction - Reverse pivot into all of the above
Shooting
- While form shooting, has sound 1-handed (with guide hand)
technique and correct stance - Shoot off catch (hop and 1-2 step) with consistently good form
- Basic ability at shooting off dribble
Defense (Individual & Team)
- Correct stance and defensive slide footwork with basic ability to
contain without fouling, staying between player and the basket. - Basic close-out ability and technique.
- Basic understanding of team defensive concepts (Ball, Gap,
Help) positioning and rotation. - Basic understanding of 2v1 and 3v2 disadvantage defensive
concepts.
Offense (Individual & Team):
- Ability to attack and finish against similarly skilled defenders
using various finishes listed above - Understanding of basic team offensive principles (Pass and Cut
motion, Penetrate-Kick, basic Dribble Hand Off Action/Screening
action - Basic understanding of 2v1 and 3v2 offensive concepts.
Pack > pro
Skill Development Check List
Ball Control & Passing
- Advanced over the cone series
- Advanced one-handed passing off various dribble moves and
advanced passing off various pick-ups and pivots/fakes - Pocket passes and basic hook passes
- Effective cross-court skip passes and clean fast-break passes at
speed
Handles
- Spin dribbles (ability to keep it in same hand on spin), behind
the back wraps, step between the legs and wide split between
the legs, push-cross - Ability to square-up and hesitate after retreat dribbles and bound
dribbles into various moves - Basic pull back dribbles (crossover, between legs, behind back)
- More complex combo move
- Punch dribbles, cross-jabs and attacking off the skip into
various moves.
Finishing
- One-step and one-handed finishes (various)
- Euro-step, side-step and pro-hop (various situations)
- Various pick-ups into finishes (i.e. low pick up into sweep
through or over-head etc) - Spin and fake-spin finishes
- Various combos utilising fakes and pivots (off dribble and in
post) - Basic contact finishing initiating contact/controlling defender
- Basic floater ability with various footwork and basic clutch
finishes.
Footwork
- Contact jabs to create space (overhead and into side-lunge) into
various jabs/rip-throughs - More advanced jabs into spins etc
- Advanced jab footwork off of full-speed catches.
Shooting
- Solid mechanics and consistent form with ability to execute
more advanced shooting footwork at pace, including off of shot
fakes - Consistent one and two dribble pullups (both with 1-2 step and
jump stop) off rips/jabs as well as off dribble moves - Consistent step-back
- Able to shoot from 3 point range while maintaining good form
- Intermediate ability to shoot off various pull-backs
Defense (Individual & Team)
- Ability to pressure the ball without fouling and contain full-court,
utilising cross-step hip-switch technique - Ability to guard with contact in the post
- Intermediate/advanced ability to close-out to contest and contain
after - Intermediate/advanced understanding of team defensive
concepts (Ball, Gap, Help) positioning and rotations (including
help the helper)
Advanced understanding of most disadvantage D-trans
situations.
Intermediate understanding of defending different offensive
actions
Ability to box-out effectively.
Offense (Individual & Team):
- Ability to attack and finish against similarly skilled defenders
using various finishes listed above - Intermediate understanding of team offensive principles with
various combinations and reads (Pass and Cut motion,
Penetrate-Kick, Dribble Hand Off Action/Screening action with
pop/roll/dive etc, including ball screens and off ball screens - Advanced understanding of all disadvantage situations
offensively.
pro > open
Skill Development Check List
Open classes are designed for top U18 players, QSL Youth, QSL and NBL1 players, so please check with your coaches to see if Open sessions are suitable for you. Open sessions require a high level of not only skill but IQ.
Many of our older, advanced “Pro” players will be eligible to participate in Open sessions as well. This call will be made by your coaches and you should discuss with them whether Open sessions will be appropriate. By and large, players must be at “Pro” Pride level and have completed at least one season of U16 Rep in a top team to be eligible for the Open classes.
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