SHIN Fitness

🏀 First Aid & CPR Certification Updated

On 18 August 2026, I renewed my nationally recognised CPR, Basic Emergency Life Support and First Aid training.

The qualifications completed were:

✅ HLTAID009 – Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation
✅ HLTAID010 – Provide basic emergency life support
✅ HLTAID011 – Provide First Aid

At SHIN FITNESS, player safety is always a priority.

I have continued to renew my CPR training every year for approximately 10 years, while First Aid training is renewed in line with the required renewal cycle.

Coaching children is not only about improving basketball skills.

It is also our responsibility to provide a safe training environment and to be prepared if a player is injured, becomes unwell, or an emergency occurs during training.

Basketball involves running, jumping, stopping, changing direction, physical contact and high-intensity movement. While prevention is always the first priority, coaches also need to be prepared to respond appropriately when something unexpected happens.

Player development is important.
Player safety comes first.

SHIN FITNESS will continue to provide a safe, structured and professional environment where young players can train hard, challenge themselves and develop with confidence.

Read more:
https://www.shinfitness.com/first-aid-cpr-certification-update-en.html

Australian kids are becoming less active — and I am seeing the same problem in basketball training.

After nearly 10 years of coaching children on the Gold Coast, I repeatedly see players struggling with:

• Coordination
• Balance
• Footwork
• Body control
• Running and jumping mechanics
• Reaction and movement timing
• Concentration and training rhythm

I also see a clear difference after long breaks.

When a child completely stops training for 2–3 weeks during school holidays, they do not always come back at exactly the same level they left.

Movement becomes less sharp.
Ball control can feel slower.
Footwork and timing can drop.
It can take time to rebuild concentration and training rhythm.

This is one of the major reasons SHIN FITNESS continues training throughout the school holidays and why I recommend consistent training throughout the year.

The goal is not simply to train more.

The goal is to protect the progress children have already built and keep moving forward.

I explain the full reasoning, the Australian data, and what I have seen in nearly 10 years of coaching in this article:

https://www.shinfitness.com/australian-children-movement-skills-decline-en.html

shinfitness.com

Why does SHIN FITNESS continue basketball training throughout the school holidays?

Because a school holiday should not become a complete break from development.

After nearly 10 years of coaching children, I have repeatedly seen what happens when players stop training and physical activity for two or three weeks.

They can come back with:

• Lower fitness
• Slower movement
• Less feel for the ball
• Poorer timing and footwork
• Slower decision-making
• Reduced concentration
• Lost training rhythm

This does not mean children should train hard every single day.

Rest is important when a child is sick, injured, heavily fatigued or needs recovery.

But proper recovery and doing almost no physical activity for several weeks are not the same thing.

SHIN FITNESS keeps training available throughout the school holidays so children can maintain their progress and return quickly after family trips or short breaks.

There is another important reason.

Basketball cannot be fully learned alone.

Shooting and dribbling can be practised individually, but spacing, passing timing, help defence, transition, communication and decision-making require teammates and opponents.

When 10 players attend, we can play real 5-on-5 basketball.

That creates a completely different training environment.

This is why SHIN FITNESS encourages players who genuinely want to improve to train consistently throughout the year and generally aim for 3 or more sessions per week.

The goal is not simply to do more training.

The goal is to protect the progress children have already built.

Read the full article here:

https://www.shinfitness.com/why-shin-fitness-trains-during-school-holidays.html

Why SHIN FITNESS Trains Throughout the School Holidays For children's long-term development, school holidays should not become weeks of complete inactivity. Coaching experience and research explain why consistency matters.

What is the best age for a child to start basketball?

From my experience coaching children for nearly 10 years, I recommend starting structured basketball training at around 7–8 years old for children who genuinely want to reach a higher level in the future.

This does NOT mean that starting later is too late.

The important point is what children build before and after that age.

Before basketball skills, children need fundamentals:

• Running
• Jumping
• Stopping
• Balance
• Coordination
• Body control
• Throwing and catching
• Changing direction

From around 7–8 years old, they can begin building structured basketball fundamentals such as footwork, dribbling, passing, shooting and decision-making.

And then comes the most important part:

Consistency.

Training once a week and training 3–5 times a week can create a very different amount of experience over several years.

For example:

3 sessions per week × approximately 50 weeks
= around 150 training opportunities per year.

Over four years, that can become around 600 sessions.

Players who train more frequently during school terms and continue through school holidays can build even more experience.

This is why SHIN FITNESS generally recommends at least three sessions per week for children who seriously want to improve.

It is not about making young children train as hard as possible.

It is about giving them enough repetition, good coaching and time to build strong fundamentals before their bodies and the game become more demanding.

I explain the full reasoning, coaching experience and research in this article:

https://www.shinfitness.com/when-should-children-start-basketball-training-en.html

What Age Should Children Start Basketball? Why I Recommend Ages 7–8 Starting early matters, but correct fundamentals, adequate training frequency and several years of consistency matter more.

🏀 Looking for basketball training on the Gold Coast?

SHIN FITNESS provides structured basketball training for players aged 7–20, from complete beginners to club and representative players.

✅ Private basketball training
✅ Group training and monthly membership
✅ Trial session available
✅ Skills, discipline, confidence and teamwork
✅ Gold Coast training locations

Visit our website to learn more about our programs, prices, venues and trial sessions:

https://shinfitness.com/basketball-training-en.html

Ready to train? Contact us through WhatsApp or the website.

Kids Basketball Training Gold Coast | Private & Group Lessons Basketball lessons and training for kids ages 7–20 in Gold Coast. Private coaching, group classes, beginners, club and representative players.