College basketball is a highly competitive sport that requires athleticism, skill development and a high level of conditioning. In order to prepare for a season, a player should do cardiovascular exercise and strength training, build up their skill level and scrimmage against players who have a similar ability level. Working with an experienced coach will also prepare a player for college-level competition.
Function
Play against experienced college basketball players in order to prepare for your own college career. You should be able to join competitive leagues in the summer against other similar-minded players no matter what region of the country you are living in. Playing in summer leagues will build your skills and get you used to playing against the best players.
Significance
Build up your cardiovascular fitness by doing interval training to get ready for basketball season. Good players can't get fatigued late in games -- they have to maintain their fitness by preparing before and during the season. An example of interval training involves going to the high school or college track and sprinting 100 yards. Go back to the starting line and follow that up with sprints of 90, 80 and 70 yards. Take a two-minute break and repeat the set. Do one more double set before your leave the track.
Features
College players quickly learn that they are facing much better competition than they saw when they were in high school. Players are bigger, stronger and more talented. Improve your own strength by lifting weights. The bench press, arm curls, lunges and dead lifts are effective free-weight exercises that will help you get stronger on the court. If you don't have access to free weights, you can use circuit training machines to build up strength in your back, arms, shoulders, chest, abs, glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles. If you don't have access to free weights or circuit training machines, you can get stronger by doing push-ups, pull-ups and ab crunches.
Considerations
Work on your own skill development by working on your shooting. Practice your shooting by taking five shots from the right baseline about 18 feet from the basket. Move to the right foul line extended, then move to the top of the key, the left foul line extended and the left baseline. Take five shots from each spot every time you get to the basketball court and just before you leave. Record your progress to know how you are doing.
Benefits
Record your performance in games and practice sessions and review them with a respected coach. Perhaps its your high school coach or maybe its your future college coach. Ask for blunt honesty on what you need to do to improve and for pointers on how to get better. Put effort into your training sessions and you will have an excellent chance of improving. Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden said players who want to put the work in will become better players. "The best competition I have is against myself to become better," Wooden told his players before the start of every season.
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