Case Study

Attleboro, MA. High School Sees 18% Average Skill Improvement with the 94Fifty Program

Attleboro Profile:
Attleboro High School located in Attleboro, MA has an enrollment of 1,600+ students In grades 9-12. Mark Houle is in his 14th season as head coach of the varsity boy’s basketball program and has a career record of 173-111.

History:
Under Coach Houle’s tenure, Attleboro won the 1998 Massachusetts Division 1 state championship, and has made the tournament in 10 out of 13 years. In his first seven years, Coach Houle’s teams had a combined record of 124-36, while in the past six years his teams have a combined record of 49-75. He has noted that fundamental ball-handling skills have declined in the past five years, indicated by increased turnovers per game and fewer wins per year.

2009 Outlook:
The team returns only one senior that played varsity minutes in 2008-2009 and four other lettermen. A majority of new players are expected to be underclassmen. The Junior Varsity team went 17-3 in 2008, while the Freshman (9th grade) team was undefeated. Both groups bring a promising yet unproven set of players.

The 94Fifty Experiment:
Common Questions: 94Fifty receives two common questions: 1) What impact does objective testing really have on practice habits and 2) Does the 94Fifty Training really improve skills? Our goal was to show that with minimal personal training and basic encouragement to practice drills at home, muscle memory skills can be measurably improved.

Methods:
Using its patent-pending skill measurement technologies, 94Fifty initially tested the ball-handling skills of more than 20 potential Attleboro team members in early October, 2009. The tests consisted of five stationary ball-handling drills and measured muscle memory, hand speed, coordination, and strong hand vs. weak hand skills. Volunteers were requested to participate in a weekly training study, and a small sample group of seven players agreed to participate in a 5-week program consisting of four training sessions and one test session. After the initial test, 94Fifty analyzed the results and created two groups based on the skill weaknesses that were assessed. A personalized training program was developed using 94Fifty’s 9 Box Scoring and personal training system (Exhibit A and B). 94Fifty trainers visited the school once per week to coordinate a 30-minute skill session. Each session consisted of 20 minutes of drills and 10 minutes of game situation training.

94Fifty Skill Assessment Scores and Analysis:
Based on over 3,000 skill assessments administered to high school athletes across the U.S., the 94Fifty national high school top 25th percentile total score is 61.8 (red line). For Attleboro high school, the average 94Fifty skill sample group score after the first assessment was 55.78, which increased to 66.12 after week five. Weak-hand differences were reduced from a team average of 19.22%
to 8.18%. Additional results are in Exhibit D.

Conclusion:
All seven players showed substantial improvement in total score, control, speed, coordination and strong-hand vs. off-hand development. Each player was encouraged to work on the drills on their own after each session. Each player was asked to provide an estimate of the time they spent at home after each session. Individuals reported working on the drills between one and three times per week and for 15 minutes per day. The team results were impressive. As described in Exhibit C, which shows an example of 94Fifty’s personalized skill development programs, the drills were designed to address the overall control and strength issues identified after the first testing session. All of the players exhibited an improvement in both areas. Players clearly practiced on their own when they had direction and a definitive testing date set in the future.

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