STEEL CITY SLAM ACADEMY

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The Steel City Slam Academy is a program with the intent to provide our local athletes with the individualized support that they need in their development to enhance what their team-based system already provides.

In a team sport such as basketball, many of the training and competitive opportunities that exist within a team’s season are focused on the development of the team unit. Often times, individual athletes at key stages of the Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD) are not given the attention they need from their team coaches to focus on their development as an individual skilled athlete.

The training academy model is designed to provide athletes with an individualized training and development program that will maximize their growth as a skilled athlete over the long-term. The strategy is based on two fundamental factors of LTAD, periodization and calendar planning, which are used to design a plan for athletes and provide them with the resources they need to ensure they develop holistically as an athlete. The goal is for athletes to maximize their potential and attain the highest level of achievement possible (ex:  continue to be a student athlete at the post secondary level). 

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The academy will consist of a maximum of 20 male athletes.  Our staff will assess these athletes to determine their individual areas of need in the following core areas of development:

1. Basketball Skills and Concepts
2. Physical Development
3. Mental/Social/Emotional Development
4. Life Skills
5. Post-Secondary playing potential

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A personal improvement plan (based on the principles of periodization and calendar planning) will be designed and the necessary resources will be put in place to work one-on-one or in small groups with the athletes.

The group will have the opportunity to compete in some events within the OBA, as well as other leagues to evaluate their development from the training pods against top level competition in the province.

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