Chai Athletics was founded by Lee Gruen in 2017. Lee grew up playing sports both recreationally and competitively, which prompted him to pursue a career in coaching youth athletics. He recognized that there was not a consistent professional athletic organization dedicated to teaching Jewish values such as confidence, courage, and leadership. Chai Athletics was created to help provide the communities Jewish values with excellent youth leagues, clinics, and camps for the community to claim as their own.
Starting over every year with a new coach or new director can be frustrating for a family. That is why we are dedicated to offering consistent, quality programs to the Jewish community. When joining the Chai Athletics community, you can be assured that you will be working with the same people for years to come with all of our programs. Our athletes are coached to progress from year to year, and the best way to accomplish this goal is having a familiar staff.
We don’t just run through the motions of sports. It is a goal of ours to making every day a challenging day, by introducing new skills and lessons. From competing against their peers to growing up within the Jewish Community, we want our athletes to feel comfortable when facing all challenges that life and sports have to offer.
Chai Athletics is tailored for the Jewish community’s needs. From our participants, coaches, and management we value every person that is a part of our organization. Becoming a community within a community is our top goal, and it is important to us that everyone feels that Chai Athletics is their athletic club. Whatever is needed to provide the best experience in our programs, we will make sure to do everything we can to accomplish those needs.
Learn fundamental movement skills and build overall motor skills. Participation once or twice per week in basketball but daily participation in other sport activity is essential for further excellence. Group skill competitions recommended throughout the level. Introduction to team principles/concepts ONLY, avoid actual 5x5 competition until fundamentals are further developed.
Learn all fundamental and basic basketball-specific skills, establish building blocks for overall basketball skills. 70% of time is spent on individual fundamental training and only 30% of the time is spent on actual game competition. Teach position concepts, but DO NOT assign player positions at any point in the level. Divide actual competition between special games (1x1, 2x2, 3x3, skill games) and 5x5 play, trying not to focus on actual 5x5 competition until later in the level.
Build the aerobic base, build strength towards the end of the level and further develop overall basketball skills. Build the “engine” and consolidate basketball skills. Early in the level, 60% of the time is spent on individual training and 40% is spent on competition including 5x5 play, special games (1x1, 2x2, 3x3, skill games) as well as team-oriented practices. Later in the level, depending on mastery of skills, the switch can be made to a 50:50 training to competition ratio and positions can be assigned.
Maximize fitness and competition preparation as well as individual and position-specific skills. Optimize the “engine” of skills and performance. Training to competition ratio in this phase shifts to 25:75, understanding that the competition percentage includes team-oriented practices and other competition-specific preparations.