For kids in grades 5 to 11 who love being on the hardwood, there is a new skills training program in town.
Split Second Basketball is just what the name suggests — a basketball training course that aims to shave those split seconds off moves on the court.
The course, which will be held at the Fortis Sport and Health Centre in Burnaby, has been offered at a private club for the last five years, but this is the first time it is open to the public.
Butler said kids don’t need to be the best players on their school teams to join the program, they just need to love the game.
“We really just need to have interested players. Players who really want to learn and push themselves and have an open mind and who can say ‘You know, I don’t know everything, I could learn something,’” he said.
An example of the types of skills the players will learn is how to save precious time shooting a basket.
“You catch a pass that is sent to you and get into your shooting motion and shoot the shot. Most people don’t realize the difference between successfully doing that and being rushed or blocked comes down to one or two tenths of a second and by adjusting kids technique a little bit … we get them into a habit and allow them to get their shot off (faster),” Butler said.
That said, Butler stressed this isn’t a babysitting service. Boys and girls who sign up should be passionate about the game and serious about improving.
Butler has a long history on the court. He played ball with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and then went on the professional basketball circuit in Europe.
Joey Vickery, a 10-year veteran of the Canadian national basketball team, will also be a coach. Vickery recently retired after 19 years of pro play.
“He is really the best guy in the world I can imagine for teaching. He has a resume like very few in Canada,” said Butler, adding Vickery can relate well to the kids and the kids can see they don’t have to be the tallest guy to make an impression on the court.
“The fact that he is five-foot-nine inches tall is really just a freak of nature,” Butler said, with a chuckle.
All the coaches involved in the program play or have played basketball at least at the university level. Most have played professionally overseas.
The Split Second Basketball course will take place on Sundays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., begins Sept. 28 and runs until Dec. 14. Cost is $250.
For more information, go to www.splitsecondbasketball.com/fortius.
