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Writer's pictureCoach Connor

AAU vs Training … or is there a relationship between the two?

Updated: Mar 24, 2023

For about a decade now, there has been a long battle between AAU and basketball trainers. Which is better for offseason development, playing games or skills training.


I wish the answer was black & white, but unfortunately it isn’t.


Kobe Bryant once said that his biggest development came when he was between the ages of 11-14. He stated that all he did was work on his skills. Shooting form. Footwork. 1 dribble pull up to the right. 1 dribble pull up to the left. Right and left hand ball handling. He made sure that his skills were sharp. Then when he came on to the High School scene, he exploded. He quickly rose into the ranks as the top high school player in the state of Pennsylvania; and soon after, the country.


When he got to high school, that is when he started playing AAU and traveling the country playing the best of the best. But he is just one story. And this is where it gets complicated. Because every player is different.


Some players need the game situations and others need skill work. Lot of players make it to the college level by taking one of these two approaches. But there is another approach that is equally successful: Going 50/50 on the games and the training.


Meeting with a trainer once a week and then playing with a club team on the weekends. That’s one of the best balances you can ask for. Say you meet with a trainer on Monday; he gives you several skills for you to work on. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday you spend 1-3 hours on trying to master those skills, plus maybe a couple other skills from past sessions.


Then on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you play 3-4 games with your club team. When you do it this way, you are able to work on skills during the week and then apply them in a real game that same weekend. As you drive home from the games, you reflect back on how you did and what you need to do better the next weekend. On monday, you share with your trainer what you need to focus on and then you get to work again!


This strategy of 50/50 is one of the best balances in my opinion. But again, it goes back to the fact that every player is different. Try and figure out what would be most beneficial for you and run with it. But even with that, if you decide to focus solely on training, you will have to eventually play some games OUTSIDE of your high school games. And the same is true from the other side of the coin.


So find your balance and then PUT IN THE WORK!!



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