Developing as a Wheelchair Basketball Player

The challenge of developing in wheelchair basketball is an interesting one.  Many players have the opportunity to participate at a variety of levels in games and practices.  In British Columbia, we have different leagues for athletes to participate in, and as you develop as a wheelchair basketball player, you will probably play in a number of these leagues at the same time. 

As a coach, we are constantly striving to put players in positions of success and make games challenging, rewarding, and fun.  For your development as a player, different teams and leagues allow you to develop different skills.  

The Tim Frick League is a great introduction to the sport of wheelchair basketball, but can also serve as a place to practice other game roles.  An example of this is signing up to the Tim Frick League to challenge yourself to play outside your comfort zone in a leadership role, a scoring role, or being the Steve Nash of Wheelchair Basketball and setting everyone up for success on the court. 

As coaches and athletes, we should always be mindful of the pace of play, the decision-making process at different levels, and the competitive environment in which we are coaching or playing.  Participating at national championships will see many athletes and coaches take on different roles.  Athletes who are used to making significant offensive and defensive contributions to their local teams may be asked to play a smaller yet significant role on the provincial team.  Things taken into consideration for such changes include which point system is being used for this tournament, the classification of your teammates and yourself, and the different roles or systems a coach might employ. 

When coaching or playing at a practice, the diversity of skill, experience, and commitment is often one of the biggest challenges to running an efficient and meaningful practice.  In a regional program, you may have individuals who have participated in the provincial program, and participated in high performance camps playing alongside someone who is new to the sport or intermittently attends practice for the social experience or for a good workout.   This makes it a challenge to meet the needs of both these groups of athletes.  Coaches will need to be very innovative in how they integrate these athletes effectively into a fun and challenging practice. 

British Columbia is extremely fortunate to have so many levels of play and so many different communities where the sport is played.  The long term athlete development strategy should help guide which levels of play are most appropriate for the athletes and/or coaches to participate in. 

Whether you’re playing 3-on-3 basketball or getting ready for London 2012, remember that at each stage of your development as a basketball player there will be opportunity to challenge your skills.   If you’re playing at a level that is higher than you normally do the pace of play, the decision-making, and the intensity of play may not match your personal expectations or may overwhelm you.  But you will see the positive impact when you play again in your usual league or practice situation.