The Dantzler Method
Elevate Your Basketball Game
The Dantzler Method offers high-level basketball training with a focus on shooting technique, mindset training, and fitness and endurance training. Our proven methods have helped players of all levels improve their skills and reach their full potential on the court.
Meet Coach Dantzler
Professional Basketball Coach and Founder
I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. I first learned how to play organized Basketball in elementary school at The famed NY AAU Program, Gauchos. I was highly recruited by high level Division 1 programs, and ultimately recruited to play Division I in the Northeast conference at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
While at St. Francis College, I finished Top 5 Best Shooters in the conference multiple years. After graduating, I continued my basketball career playing overseas for a few years. During this time, I was also invited to private tryouts for the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors.
During off seasons when I was not playing Basketball, I worked as a coach and guidance counselor at Basketball camps and also worked for a charter school. I found that I deeply appreciated working with children. I was working with students who did not have the guidance, resources and support they needed, but who still had big NBA dreams--, I saw myself in their journeys. I realized my passion for supporting these students in meeting their life goals. I wanted to be a committed, consistent, and nurturing presence on their journeys. I decided to go back to school to get my Masters degree in school counseling and psychology.
My Story
How I Got Here
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During my junior year of college, I was shot in my back while playing in a basketball tournament in the bronx. I almost lost my life. This event impacted my mental health greatly. Trying to cope with self-doubt and fear of returing to the court put me on a mental health and wellness journey. While I was able to find support for my physical recovery, I couldn’t find support for my mental health and wellness.
I continued to deepen my professional mental health and wellness experience as a Guidance Counselor at a charter school and now as a coach for teachers across New York City, providing training in anxiety, trauma, and social-emotional learning. My love for the game has kept me involved in Basketball, doing individual training at the professional and high school levels.
I also found myself back at The Gauchos where I first learned how to play organized basketball, but this time coaching and training young people. I find it extremely fulfilling to give back to the community that nurtured my growth as an athlete and a person. With my personal experiences and professional background in mental health, I help players overcome obstacles on and off the court to reach their full potential. A 360 approach I call “The Dantzler method.”
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The Dantzler Method
The Methodology
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The Dantzler method supports athletes of all ages and levels to reach and sustain peak performance by enhancing motivation, setting ambitious and attainable goals, sharpening techniques and routines, and developing personalized stress-management techniques. When children and adolescents reach adulthood, they have already developed their go-to strategies to deal with their emotions, and these may or may not be healthy and helpful for performance. As pressure and expectations increase in adulthood and professional play, the ability to acknowledge and address emotions and anxiety become an integral part of excelling on and off the court. A foundation of strategies and skills to process what is going on internally along with someone who can listen and provide support without judgement is critical
When adolescents transition to adulthood, they take the emotional processing skills they’ve developed or the lack thereof with them. Healthy emotional processing takes practice, modeling, and support, just like on court skills. For players (and people, in general), the confidence to know that their emotions and feelings are valid--without fear of judgement is critical, so that they can process them in healthy ways that support their success on and off the court. The pressure and expectations only increase into adulthood and professional play--having a foundation to process what is going on psychologically is critical to being able to perform at the highest level. Many times children are taught that in order to appear successful, strong, or like a “good player”, it is important to bury your feelings; ignore them until they go away. Unfortunately, this has consequences, and does not work in the long term. Humans are defined by their skills and thoughts, yes, but they cannot be separated from their emotional selves-- we take all of ourselves onto the court
