why we do it

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For younger players, building skill mastery is crucial. It takes about 50-100 repetitions over 3 days to learn a new skill. It takes about 2500 accurate repetitions over three weeks to undo a skill learned incorrectly. We believe it's worth the investment to help younger athletes learn a skill accurately because getting better at the fundamentals makes it easier and more fun to play. There is more of an emphasis on practice than cramming in games. The focus is on possessions and developing fundamental skill through more repetition and group accountability. We constantly strive to bring good, competitive kids together so they can bring out the best in themselves and raise the level of the game in the Okanagan area.

We provide smaller group instruction, i.e. 3-6 players per coach, so players receive a consistent message. It allows us to give our full attention to helping our athletes achieve their goals.

Shockers Basketball Academy offers a more specialized approach to basketball, focusing on fundamentals and the "WHY" for doing things. We feel giving players solutions on the court allows them to be prepared in competition, thus building confidence. And the skills go far beyond the court. It becomes a standard for how they live their life. An additional focus is on physical fitness off the court in order to create better long term health habits. Through a partnership with local trainers, athletes are given the right tools to improve strength, speed, and overall fitness.

We believe that environment is stronger than willpower and in this digital world, a lack of human connection, especially during the teen years, can lead to loneliness, anxiety and poor choices. We believe that sport is one of the last avenues to create bonds that go beyond a screen. We focus on team building in order to help teach communication skills, how to deal with failure and how to step outside their comfort zone to become the best version of themselves. Lastly, there would be an element of community so young athletes, at their most formative stage, felt connected, learned how to empower others and could improve their own personal leadership skills.

We believe that success cannot be measured by wins & losses alone but by the desire to come together when there is no game to cheer. It’s why we devote time to creating events for our families so they too can have a community around them.

We provide a platform for players to learn the power of impacting their community outside of the sport. We believe that if they can experience the power of giving to others at a young age, it will become a life long habit that will create change in their future communities. The Academy has already brought small groups to help out at the Gospel Mission and Okanagan Food Bank. The Academy believes that young players can develop more empathy and a greater desire to impact the communities they live in if they are given that avenue earlier in life.