How to get better gameplay

Hey everyone, I know everyone has been itching to know when Heart & Soul Hoops players are going to get to play some basketball, well the time has finally come as in Term 3 we are launching Premier Pick-up!

What is Premier Pick-up?

Premier Pick-up is a BRAND NEW premium pick-up games service that makes you better. Get game experience and build confidence to apply your new skills in game situations. 

1. Different Format - Scrimmage Game vs Comp Game
Premier Pick-up is run in the format of scrimmage games, rather than organised competition. A scrimmage game is a more casual setting where the result of the game does not matter as much as it would in a competition, it is a place to practice skills and not be punished for it. All basketball players, from beginner to professional, must play scrimmage games to build fundamentals, develop new skills, stay in-shape! Scrimmages are self-officiated, which means there are no referees, however a slight change in rules makes it easy for players in all skill levels to be clear on how the game is played. These games can be played as 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5.Premier Pick-up is the perfect place for players to get as much gameplay as possible because of this different format.

2. Feedback from expert coaches
On the sideline of every game, there will be a coach watching, analysing your play and taking notes on how you could improve. After every game a coach will be available to give feedback and tips to improve a player's game. At any point a player can approach a coach and ask for tips, moves, feedback or even strategy. Feedback is constantly available for all players at any level, ready to be implemented to take the gameplay to the next level.

3. Apply Skills
Over the past term we've found that our players that have been training with us have been struggling to apply the skills they’ve learnt in training into their games. At Premier Pick-up, our scrimmage game format, is the perfect place for players to practice and apply their skills. Players are put into a pressure free environment where messing up isn't punished by less points on a tournament ladder. Players are given the opportunity to try things they couldn't normally try in a game scenario and that's the middle step between learning a skill, and applying it in a competition game.

4. Build Confidence
A vital step to applying skills in games is to build confidence. Premier Pick-up allows players to apply their skills In a game scenario before they apply it in a competition, building confidence in themselves to apply their skills. Players will find that as they improve in their skills and become better players, not only their confidence in their basketball skills improve, but their leadership skills improve. Players will be louder, more socially comfortable, and have more confidence in themselves, applying to all world situations.

5. Meeting Like Minded Players
Premier Pick-up is a great place to meet other players. Facing a brand new team every 30 minutes or even playing with a new team each week leads to meeting a lot of new faces, all of whom are driven to improve themselves as basketball players through their gameplay. Meeting like minded players who are all driven only increases the drive to improve, the motivation only reflects onto each other.

6. Consistency and Numbers
Have you experienced a tough game or a forfeit because of low numbers? You’re not alone! Because of Covid challenges this year, many local competitions across Sydney struggle to keep games consistent due to frequent forfeits. From my experience, attendance often ends up being that 2/5 of games run on any given night end up being a forfeit. It causes too much confusion with how unpredictable teams can be and it often feels unfair to the teams, and sometimes that can get out of hand, I've had teams demand to stay on court longer than we could let them and cause drama because they didn’t get to play enough games. It only seems natural to bring all the competition to the same place to match teams against each other spontaneously so we can quickly provide great games and leave the confusion out of it.Premier Pick-up is for players aged 10-18. Weekly games run every Friday at The Kings School from 5:30-8:30 pm and Saturday at Hills Hornets Dural from 6:00-8:00 pm. Games will be running constantly and players should expect to play multiple 30 minute games each session. If a team doesn’t show up, there's no issue, because all players are there at the same time, we can quickly match a team with another opponent to keep gameplay consistent.

7. Flexible Options
As mentioned before, if a team doesn’t show up, their opponent gets matched with another team and still gets to play. This means if for any reason a player or team can't attend for a week, there's no issue! It's as flexible as can be to suit both teams in a forfeit situation.