"Coach Carrie"
About coach carrie Herrera
When I was in the second grade I won my first foul shooting contest. When I was in the fifth grade I sat down on the floor center court and told myself I am going to get a basketball scholarship. Well 8 years later that dream came true. I received a BA in English from Niagara University where I was inducted into their basketball Hall of Fame. I was also inducted into the Elizabeth, New Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame. I understood from a very early age that I needed to work hard to achieve my goals, I also loved basketball so much and I only wish that all kids find that thing they love early on in life. My gift as a coach is patience and a love for the fundamentals of the game. There is nothing better than seeing that kid who didn't even know what a lay-up was actually make one with beautiful form for the first time. I have been a teacher, mentor, and coach since I was a teenager. In addition I love working with the Virtues because they are the little gems that continue to shine though in each child as their confidence grows.
Private basketball training has the potential to be one of the biggest contributors to your child's development in their life. A great skills coach can be a role model, confidence builder, additional support system, and an inspirational figure for your child.
Ask about:
- Private lessons
- Small group clinics
- After school programs
- Summer clinics
- Motivational speaking
- Private Parties
Hoops & Virtues
The Family Virtues Guide by Linda Kavelin-Popov is one of the best parenting books I have ever read and I was so inspired by it that I received my certification as a Virtues Guide facilitator. This book is the reason for Hoops & Virtues. My program is designed to work with children and/or families with or without the element of basketball using the book as curriculum.
Hoops & Virtues the basketball program is designed to teach basketball FUN-damentals including defense on and off the ball, lay-ups, shooting form, offensive play with and without the ball, dribbling, rebounding, teamwork, and the rules of the game including everything the from the description of the lines on the court to the roles of the fans watching the game. Hoops and Virtues is designed to bring out the best in kids. Everyone is met at his or her level of play and understanding. Virtues such as thankfulness, openness, creativity, friendliness, and patience will be taught through fun, teachable moments, and especially by example. These are my virtues and my promise to you.
"The authority of a parent is in the service of a child's learning. Authority is used to help the child develop virtues, the gifts within, just as a good coach uses discipline to help an athlete to develop all of his talents and strengths."
-The Family Virtues Guide
Testimonials
Coach Carrie has been a part of my life for quite a long time! I trained with her from about the age of 6 or 7 until I was about 15. My father had originally sought her out because they thought a sport would be a good outlet for me. I came from an interesting family dynamic and was definitely in need of some guidance, discipline, and positivity. Basketball wise – Carrie started off by teaching me the rules and philosophies of the game. We went over the basics and game strategy – she taught me about court vision and we practiced peripheral vision (something I will never forget). Pairing a knowledge and true understanding of the game with the physical fundamentals is a combination that definitely kept me leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids as I continued to play at even the collegiate level. From shooting mechanics, to dribbling drills, to defensive drills, to footwork, Coach Carrie covered it all. As I got older, we not only practiced and built on skills, we applied them. She would take me to play against much older, stronger players. She taught me how to be fearless – not because I was alone playing, but because she was with me every step of the way. Coach Carrie was a blessing to me growing up – she was the only person I could depend on when I think back to certain times growing up. She not only taught me how to play basketball, but paralleled the sport with life lessons that I carry with me today. She taught me the value of time, how to be a leader, a team player, how to take constructive criticism and use it to my advantage, how to use my strengths and weaknesses objectively, how to listen when I didn’t want to and how to dig a little deeper than I thought I could. Basketball took me to some great places as I grew up. I got to travel the world – domestically and internationally to play. I played in college as well and always looked back on my time with The Coach. None of it would have been possible without her and our days on the playground together. Coach Carrie is a strong, female role model that I desperately needed then and hold in the highest esteem today because I do feel her in myself today. She will always have a special place in my heart, and I recall on our memories together often. She was my basketball coach then and I still think of her as my coach today. I wouldn’t have the character I have today without her.
-Blue Sanders Thousand Oaks, CA