
By Brady Walmsley, Basketball Queensland State Performance for North Queensland.
The Future Development Program (FDP) is the entry-level tier of the High-Performance Program
The program focuses on the identification and support of athletes aged 12 – 13 years of age and on the development of aspiring elite coaches. The FDP serves to identify potential state and national representative athletes at an age where skill development is crucial to an athlete’s future playing career.
FDP participants are introduced to aspects of state-team ideology and systems and participate in skill-based programs at home with support from their local associations.
For athletes in the FDP environment, they attend mandatory small group training sessions each week. The focus of those sessions is the development of skills which underpin the Basketball Queensland style of play.
The 5-Point Skill Package
In that setting, the emphasis is on making improvements to a 5-point skill package consisting of;
- Shooting – Having the ability to shoot the ball with sound technique and accuracy
- Dribbling – Having the ability to handle the basketball, at speed, under control whilst under pressure, with both hands
- Passing – Having the ability to execute a pass to teammates on time & on target
- Conditioning – Being physically conditioned at a level that allows for sustained effort on both sides of the basketball
- Defending – Having the ability to defend with great discipline, both individually & as part of team defensive concepts i.e. containment/spacing, foul discipline, appropriate stance & footwork
The culmination of this program is an All-State FDP camp, which brings together all selected athletes from Queensland for a 3-day high-performance camp hosted in Brisbane. The focus of the camp is introducing the athletes to the Basketball Queensland style of play concepts.
Like to know more about the Future Development Program?
Email Basketball Queensland General Manager – Game Development:
Warwick Cann