As the start of a new school year approaches, we are seeing an increasing number of basketball athletes enrolling in our performance training programs to prepare for the upcoming season. We thought it would be a good time to share how we approach training these athletes and what considerations we take when designing their programs. We are proud to work with these athletes and respect the commitment they make to improve themselves and add value to their teams by working hard and grinding with us in the off-season.
Performance and strength training provide so many individual benefits for a basketball athlete that can add value to their team, thus enhancing the athlete’s personal success and exposure, as well as influencing their team’s overall success. Some of these benefits include building a body that is more resistant to injury, developing motor skills necessary for more efficient movement, improving individual confidence in one’s ability to perform, and improving multi-directional force application for greater sprint speed, higher jump heights, and more explosive directional changes.
When designing a training program for a basketball athlete there is a lot to consider. First and foremost is identifying common injuries and causes associated with basketball that pose the greatest threats to limiting practice and playing time for the athlete. Some of the common injuries associated with basketball are ligament sprains, muscle strains, and tendonitis of the knee, hip, and ankle. These injuries are often caused by weakness in the hamstrings and glutes, poor proprioception and balance, poor mobility, fatigue, and poor movement mechanics. Addressing these deficits is a priority and weaknesses are often uncovered through our assessment process.
Another critical consideration is to identify the specific performance needs for basketball. Basketball is a fast paced, running and jumping sport that requires athletes to have a unique set of performance factors to achieve high levels of success. Explosive power, first step quickness, speed, strength, agility, balance, flexibility, coordination, reaction, stability, and specific conditioning. Developing these physical abilities leads to improvements in basketball specific skills such as shooting range and accuracy, jumping and rebounding, lateral agility and defense!
When designing a program for each athlete we address these performance abilities by focusing on multiple factors utilizing various modalities, specialized training equipment, appropriate exercise selection and progressions, and employing the most current concepts in sports performance training. We place an emphasis on developing the fundamental movement skills of human movement and building strength and stability in 3 planes of motion by programming different variations of squats, dead lifts, unilateral exercises, and presses.
We focus on developing vertical and horizontal jumping power by improving maximal strength of the core and lower body as well as including a variety of power building exercises such as different Olympic lifts, plyometric progressions, and band resisted vertical, horizontal, and lateral jumping to name just a few.
We develop sprint speed endurance with periodized conditioning plans that include lactate threshold training and high intensity speed/agility work, and sled pushes and pulls with shortened rest intervals.
We also place a strong emphasis on developing maximal sprint speed and change of direction skills by teaching and drilling proper sprint technique and change of direction mechanics.
This is just a small glimpse of how we approach designing a program for our basketball athletes. If you or someone you know is an aspiring basketball athlete, consider training with us this season because we are committed to helping every basketball player elevate their game and explode towards the hoop and shut down opposing players.
If you’re interested in requesting a free trial training session, please click HERE.
