Training is a necessity for any sport, as it is difficult to just show up and play. This holds true for basketball, especially for the women's game. Women's basketball is different than men's basketball in that women's basketball is more often based off of tactics and execution, whereas sometimes in the men's game, athleticism can win out over technique. Preparing for women's basketball includes a number of different types of training.
Strength Training
Almost every athlete trains for her sport through strength training, and women's basketball players should certainly incorporate strength training into their preparation, too. Strengthening your core as well as specific muscle groups can help prepare you for the rigors of a game and season. Exercise balls and medicine balls can be used for core strength, while weight lifting and resistance training help build muscle. The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse women's basketball team strength trains three days a week in the off-season, doing exercises such as squats, hang cleans and bench presses, as well as resistance training exercises like chin-ups and hanging leg raises.
Stretching
While static stretching has its benefits, professional basketball teams like the Miami Sol of the WNBA use dynamic stretching to help train for basketball. This helps get muscles loose while aiding in injury prevention, too. Squats, lunges, leg lifts and arm windmills are motion-based stretches that keep your muscles moving, rather than just holding them in one position trying to stretch them out.
Conditioning and Agility
Conditioning and agility are important aspects of the women's basketball game. The University of Washington women's basketball team uses a number of drills that involve sprints, jumping and shuffling to improve conditioning and agility. A basic shuffling drill uses the "paint," sprinting from the baseline to the free-throw line, shuffling laterally, backpedaling back to the baseline and then shuffling to your original starting point. Some advanced drills involve zig-zagging across the court, incorporating vertical jumps at each turn.
Ball Handling
Almost every possession in a women's basketball game originates on the perimeter, making ball handling an important aspect. Moving the ball quickly between your fingers helps strengthen your digits as well as give your hands a feel for the ball, as does wrapping the ball in quick circles around your body. Figure-eight dribbling through your legs as well as two-ball dribbling also will help you improve your ball handling skills.
Shooting
Jump shots and post moves are crucial components to the women's basketball game, so the focus should be on basic shots that are within your comfort zone. While men may focus more on creating shots, women's basketball is generally more disciplined and more focused on finding a player that is open. If you are a perimeter player, work on spot-up shooting, catch and shoot and moving off screens. Post players should work on scoring off an entry pass, drop steps, hook shots and other low-post shots that are "below the rim," where men may focus more on dunking.
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