Boys: Want to make the team? Increase your minutes? Do the work. With us and on your own.

NEW:  Mo’ Motion’s GOTHAM Spring Boot Camp and Games for Boys’ Gr 7-8, Boys’ Gr 9-12

Spring 2023 — UPPER WEST SIDE/South Harlem — Traveling hours to play games is a waste of time for 80-90 percent of the basketball market, especially for kids who are stretched academically and socially.  The “travel” time could be spent on training or even playing games right in our neighborhoods, which is the reason why we formed our own home-grown gothambasketball.org league.  And also note that working out with the Cone Guy or Gal is NOT training, and this is why founder Maureen “Mo” Holohan now caps her private sessions.  Mo has told kids the truth about relying too heavily on trainers and games:  “Games don’t make you better.  You make you better.”

Serious Grade 8-12 players who want to improve their skills and position to have the best high school careers possible must be wise about their use of time, spend it in a group setting due to the fact that basketball is a physical, full contact and demanding team sport.  Players must also know how to vary and streamline their training.

As a non-profit that seeks to serve youth and solve problems in the community, Mo’ Motion has built in valuable gym time for old-school training for players who need to get back to real training and not get sucked into a games culture.  Our players have flourished on high school teams (and some on high level travel teams) due to our practice of a progression of rote drills that focus on proper mechanics and individual areas of improvement.  These drills must include contact, opponents and obstacles. We then build in group dynamics in half court then in full-court action.  

What to Expect:

• Players will be asked to identify all that they need to do to make their grade school or high school teams, and if they are on them already, what do they have to do to get minutes or more minutes.  Grade 7-8 boys are going to be separated from the Grade 9-12 boys or there will be some middle ground in non-contact drills and in contact scrimmage time (when warranted).

• Players will have to do exactly what they shy away from due to fear of failure.  They will be in an environment where they can fail as a route to improvement.  Common areas of weakness:  Handling contact, advancing the ball with pressure, getting to the rim, hitting shots from deep, being able to defend player-to-play, changing defenses, passing at game speed, scoring at game speed, knowing spacing, timing and position and doing what the high school coach (aka the boss) asks.

• Players will be expected to value our training time slots as much as IF NOT MORE than games.  Games show markers of development, but they do not TEACH players how to get to critical benchmarks the way rote training does.

• Players will receive a list of finishes, shooting drills, agility, strength and conditioning sets that they can implement on their own over the summer as well as a rough idea of how to commit to and maintain a serious training plan that gets them to where they need to be for the following November.  (We also will provide pre-season gym time in the fall.)

BONUS:  Players will also be taught about nutrition, strength, agility and conditioning that can be done when they are not with us, and how to ramp up several areas as soon as school ends.  We will also provide a list of camps to supplement their development.

THE PLAN for SPRING 2023 – in Mo’ Motion gyms mostly on the Upper West Side (and possibly in South Harlem) – 9-10 weeks/weekends – starting March 29-June 9.

Part I:  (Optional) Tues-Fri Weeknight Boost – Pick one night or two if possible.  These workouts are in our spaces or even out at the park for an hour of shooting with our staff, and Mo, who excels at teaching shooting mechanics.

Tues-Fri times/slots – Players pick night, time, location UWS indoor and outdoor options usually for 60-90 minutes within the 5:30-8:30pm time range.  Many players pick FRI nights at W61st/Ams from 7-8:45pm.

Part II:  Sat and Sun Training – individual skills, group drills, scrimmages for 3-5 weekends, and eventually games vs. each other and guest teams for the final 4 weekends. Training will include strength, stability, conditioning and mobility.  Players will be expected to show up ready to go, put in the two hours on Sat and/or Sun, and game time will include 3v3, 4v4 and 1v1 in addition to the traditional 5v5 which we will add after four weeks of rote reps and outstanding practices where players are forced to address areas of weakness instead of playing games where they can hide from those areas in fear of failure.

SATURDAY WORKOUTS at MS 54 enter on W108th/Columbus
(and we may add a gym or extend time to slightly earlier or later if the program fills):

3-5pm Boys’ Gr 7-8 
4-6pm Boys’ Gr 9-11 

SUNDAY WORKOUTS at MS 54 enter on W108th/Columbus
1-3pm Grade 7-8 Boys’ 
3-5pm Grade 9-12 Boys’ or until 6pm if needed. 
**And we will play games in or near these gyms within similar Sat-Sun afternoon windows.

Part III:  Strength, speed and agility workouts that can be done at home and tips on nutrition, hydration, and fueling the body so that there is a clear return on time invested.  

Part IV:  Camp recommendations.  We will generate a list of possible camps that the boys can attend solo or in small groups.

COST:  $1,200 for March 28-June 4 (we can extend outside and even add a weekend June 10-11 if we fill the program and want more game minutes in our gyms).  Several players are likely to need financial aid, so if you can pay in full, please do so, and if you can donate, it will help us pay for gym space, staffing and more kids to join.  Scholarships are available upon request.  

REGISTER HERE or do a trial with us in February-March 12 before our March break.

Boys’ Grades 7-8, Boys’ Grades 9-11 (separated by court/baskets)
-Fridays Feb. 23, March 3, March 10 – 7:20pm-8:45pm at PS 452 enter on W61st
-Sat, Feb. 25 – 3:30-5:30pm at MS 54 – enter on W108th/near Col
-Sat, March 4 – 1:30pm-3:15pm Clinic, 3v3, and then for high school boys
-Sat, March 4 – 3:15-4:15pm GAME – High School Boys – Mixed Run
-Sun, March 5 – Boys’ Gr 7-8 – Clinic, 3v3 – 2-3:45pm at MS 54 – W108th
-Sun, March 5 – Boys’ High School Clinic, 3v3 – 3-5pm at MS 54 – W108th
-Sat. March 11 Gr 7-11 Shooting Clinic, Stability, Injury Prevention & Spring Planning meeting to UP YOUR GAME by next high school season – 4:15-5:45pm at PS 452

TO SIGN UP FOR A TRIAL ABOVE, read the info here and register.
TO REGISTER for the full spring program, go HERE.