Agility and strength training are two separate training components that are a part of a comprehensive workout program for basketball. Each makes a huge impact on your athletic success on the basketball court. While nothing can replace skill work and your ability to handle the basketball, consistent agility and strength training will translate to success in your sport.
Basketball Athletic Needs
To successfully compete in basketball, along with sport-specific skill, you need to have a certain level of strength, power, endurance and agility. A basketball player must be able to jump high, to sprint, to battle physically against their opponents and also need to be able to change directions quickly.
Agility and Strength
Agility is the ability to change directions efficiently, but it encompasses multiple components. If a basketball player is sprinting and has to change directions, they have to be able to slow down, change directions quickly and build up into a sprint in the direction that they want to go. The ability to stop and restart is agility. Strength is the amount of force that your muscle groups can produce. There are situations where strength is necessary, such as when an athlete must battle for position to block out for a rebound requires strength.
Agility Training
Agility training will improve your athletic abilities during basketball competition and also promote injury prevention as muscles and joints will be better equipped to handle the intense impact of games. Agility training typically takes place during a basketball player's off-season when they're not competing in actual games. Drills should mimic the movements that are required of a basketball player. Typically you run through a drill that lasts five seconds to a minute and then recover before completing the next repetition. Common drills used for basketball players are the mirror drill, the t-drill, medicine ball mini-tennis and the wave drill.
Strength Training
Strength training will improve your athletic abilities like jumping and rebounding, but also will better equip them to handle the intensity of competition. Strength is built by lifting weights and overloading your muscles, causing them to heal back stronger and bigger. Training is typically a year-around process.
During the off-season, you focus on building up your general strength. As you get closer to the season, the weight training exercises you complete will be more explosive and mimic what your muscles will have to encounter during competition. During the competitive season, you back off on the intensity of your weight training workouts, but still participate in a regular program to maintain the strength levels that you've gained.
Considerations
Strength training should be completed two to four days per week, allowing your muscle groups to rest 48 hours in between workout sessions. Agility training should be done only twice per week, again with at least 48 hours of rest, so as to allow adequate recovery in between sessions. Warm up properly prior to any training session to prepare your muscles for activity and help prevent injuries.
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