How Rusch Skills Academy Adds Unparalleled Value to Their Athletes

Rusch Skills Academy is known for getting some of the fastest results for their athletes. You might be wondering what Rusch Skills Academy is, so let us inform you. It is a basketball training business located in Clayton, North Carolina just outside of Raleigh. The founder and lead trainer is Mason Rusch, a former Clayton High School Comet and former collegiate point guard for Asbury University. Mason and his team of trainers have developed an elite system that adds unparalleled value to their athletes. This system focuses on three areas: footwork, work to do from home via the Rusch Skills Academy app, and their stern accountability.

The first area that they focus on with their athletes is their footwork. In an interview with Coach Mason from 2021 he stated, “In order for someone to be able to play basketball at a high level, they must learn how to play with their feet before they can learn how to play with their hands. Establishing a foundation of footwork is the first thing I focus on at my academy. ” They teach players how to play out of certain body positions like the “Drop Stance,” and other techniques that allow their athletes to have an advantage on the court. This also helps them to be naturally quicker on the court by reducing unnecessary steps. This niche for footwork technique can be a big separator when deciding to work with other local trainers in the area or not.

The second area/way that Rusch Skills Academy adds value to its’ athletes is through their app. Each athlete is given work from home when they aren’t training in person. This is a game changer for any athlete as Rusch Skills Academy believes that consistency is key. On their website, Coach Mason stated “My goal at Rusch Skills Academy is to help each athlete maximize their potential on the court. I do this by instilling confidence in every player I work with. This doesn’t happen overnight, but over time, putting in consistent work with a strategic plan leads to results! “ They’re big on consistency, and this part of the app forces players to train all throughout the week, not just during their one or two in-person sessions a week. Another perk about their app is it contains film for each athlete to break down. By assigning film work, Rusch Skills Academy is able to show their players why they teach what they teach. A third perk in the app is their help with each athlete’s recovery. There are numerous programs for their recovery like stretching, nutrition, and mental recovery after games. Rusch Skills Academy puts a large emphasis on this portion of the app so that they can get the most out of their athletes each week and keep them injury free at the same time. The fourth and final perk about this app is the way it helps each of Rusch Skills Academy’s athletes with their college recruitment. With the way they designed it they have individual recruitment programs for freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In another interview with Coach Mason, he stated “For most parents, the whole recruiting process can be extremely confusing and foggy. All we try to do is simplify that process for parents and players. We do this by telling each of our athletes depending on which grade they are in exactly what they should be doing at that moment in their career, whether it’s getting film together or sending emails to college coaches. We do other things like create templates for them and help them with structuring their social media platforms in a way that’s attractive to college coaches. You can’t find any training program in Raleigh that takes care of their athletes the way that we do here at Rusch Skills Academy.” The Rusch Skills Academy app adds value in ways that most competitors do not.
The third way that Rusch Skills Academy adds value to their athletes is through their stern accountability. They hold their athletes accountable by requiring month-long commitments to training with them. Rusch Skills Academy doesn’t believe in one time fixes, they make sure each player gives them at least a month to help them develop as a player. The second way that Rusch Skills Academy holds players accountable is by not letting anyone slide by with slacking. They don’t care if a player hasn’t made their JV basketball team, or they have five offers to play in college, every player is held to the same standard regardless of their status on the court. This stern accountability doesn’t allow for any egos to get in the way of their training.

Rusch Skills Academy is a basketball training business that ensures the development and results for each of their athletes. They aspire for their athletes to develop in every area of life, not just basketball. The last thing Coach Mason told us in our interview with him was “Yes, we get some of the fastest results for our players and add value on levels that other trainers/programs couldn’t dream of, but in the long haul, none of this will matter for any of our players ten plus years from now. My highest priority is to share the gift of Jesus Christ to each and every one of my players. The Lord saved me through the game, and has changed me and that change is lasting. I will spend eternity with my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, not basketball. Basketball is temporary, but a relationship with the God of the universe is forever, so I try to keep that at the center of everything we do at Rusch Skills Academy. To God be the glory.” This is a reflection of why Rusch Skills Academy develops players. Yes, they want to get results for their players, but more than anything they desire a lasting impact that will change their athlete’s lives, not just help them become better athletes.