A well-rounded basketball training and conditioning program develops three primary areas: basic skill fundamentals, aerobic conditioning and muscular strength. To develop each area, a training and conditioning program uses sport-specific drills, exercises and workouts. While each team can follow a general program, individual players may require modifications to match their fitness level, ability and strength.
Time Frame
While the basketball season lasts about six to seven months during the winter, the training and conditioning program extends year-round. The program rotates between three distinct phases -- off-season, preseason and in-season -- with a specific training and conditioning focus during each phase. The off-season focuses on developing strength and improving weaknesses; the preseason focuses on conditioning; and the in-season workouts focus on maintenance.
Skill Work
Sport-specific drills are designed to improve basketball skills along with improving speed, agility, quickness and coordination. You can incorporate the drills and skill work into the speed training or conditioning workouts. Examples of skill work include shuttle drills or cone agility drills. The coach might add a ball for passing to the agility drills or for dribbling during the shuttle drills to incorporate defensive work.
Conditioning Drills
Conditioning drills for basketball focus on improving overall aerobic fitness. The conditioning drills use high-intensity activities repeated for multiple intervals with minimal rest periods between each interval to simulate basketball game conditions. During the off-season and preseason training phases, perform conditioning workouts two to three days per week for 30 to 45 minutes. Include a wide range of aerobic conditioning exercises such as running, swimming and cycling.
Strength Training
Strength is the final element of a well-rounded basketball training and conditioning program. Strength training workouts incorporate maximum strength exercises such as the bench press and back squat, along with power exercises such as plyometrics and Olympic lifts. The off-season phase focuses on core stability and stabilizing muscle groups while the preseason phase focuses on building maximal strength. Perform two to three strength training sessions per week to avoid overtraining.
Member Comments