Basketball requires a multitude of physical skills and attributes. Players must be able to sprint at maximum speed and recover as quickly as possible. Basketball also requires the ability to shift direction quickly, which the National Strength and Conditioning Association, in the book "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning," terms agility. Players must be able to explosively jump after rebounds and dive for loose balls, which requires power. Raw strength is essential for boxing out defenders and playing defense, and endurance is important for maintaining energy late in the game.
Speed Training
The National Strength and Conditioning Association refers to speed as the maximum distance a player can travel in the shortest time. Speed is fueled anaerobically, or without oxygen. For short durations of maximal intensity, the body relies on the chemical ATP for energy. This system works in a range of about 0 to 70 seconds. Anything longer than that is fueled aerobically and is considered an endurance activity. The best way to train for speed is to perform repeated intervals of 0 to 70 seconds. Wind sprints and line drills can develop running speed and are effective for improving basketball performance.
Power Training
Power is another essential skill for basketball. Power is determined by both force and time, in which maximal loads must be moved as quickly as possible. In basketball, power is needed for jumping and boxing out. Power can be trained through resistance training and plyometric drills. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, effective resistance training exercises for developing power include power cleans, snatches and jerks. Plyometric drills are quick, explosive muscle contractions and can include box jumps, bounds, depth jumps and medicine ball passes. Beginning athletes should strive for 80 to 100 total repetitions in a plyometric training session.
Agility Training
Agility is essential for playing defense and making sharp maneuvers on offense. Agility differs from speed in that speed is a measure of the maximum distance a player can travel in the shortest time, while agility is the ability to change direction without a loss of speed. Basketball players can train for agility with the use of speed ladders, cone drills and reaction drills such as trying to block tennis balls. Agility training can be one of the most enjoyable forms of training for basketball.
Strength Training
According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, strength is an essential physical component for almost any sport. Training for maximum strength can help basketball players play better defense without losing ground, or help set better screens on offense. Training for maximum strength in the gym requires multiple sets of less than six repetitions, using greater than 85 percent of the one-rep maximum. The National Strength and Conditioning Association says that strength training should be specific to the sport, so examples of ideal exercises for basketball include hang cleans, incline presses and front squats.
Endurance Training for Basketball
Though basketball is primarily an anaerobic sport, players still need to be able to recover quickly and to not become fatigued late in the game. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, in the book "Essentials of Personal Training," endurance provides a cardiovascular base that can support a number of other physical skills. Sport scientists believe that endurance allows players to handle the rigors of a competitive season. Endurance applies to both muscles and the cardiovascular system and is trained at lower intensities for longer durations. A 30-minute run on the treadmill would improve cardiovascular endurance, and performing several sets of 15 repetitions of the bench press would enhance muscle endurance in the pectorals, deltoids and triceps.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle (eds.); 2008
- "Essentials of Personal Training"; Roger W. Earle and Thomas R. Baechle, (eds.); 2004
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