Preparing for basketball season can be a full-time job for many athletes. To play competitively from start to finish, you have to get in great cardiovascular condition, lift weights for strength and improve your basketball skills. Playing basketball regularly will help you improve your cardiovascular conditioning, but if you can't play basketball for 1 1 1/2 hours every day, you can run to get your cardiovascular work in.
Step 1
Go to your local high school or college track and do interval training to build your cardiovascular strength. Measure off distances of 100, 90, 80 and 70 yards, and sprint them as hard as you can. Start with the 100, then follow with the other distances in descending order. Take no more than 15 seconds between sprints. After you finish all four, take a two-minute break and repeat the set.
Step 2
Lift weights to gain strength. Getting stronger is one of the best things you can do for your basketball career. Strength can be the deciding factor when trying to establish position, pick up a loose ball or getting a rebound. The bench press, arm curls, the leg press and leg curls will help you gain functional basketball strength. If you don't have access to free weights or circuit training machines, you can do push-ups, pull-ups and abdominal crunches to get stronger.
Step 3
Work on your shooting to make your game more well-rounded. When you come out to the court, take 50 shots ranging from 4 to 10 feet. These are relatively easy shots that you should make most of the time. However, you will need to concentrate, use good form and follow-through. This practice session will improve your form and confidence when you start playing games.
Step 4
Find games against older and more experienced players. Challenging players who are higher on the spectrum will help you when you are playing in crunch time against players who are your age and ability level. Basketball players need to have a hunger to face the best competition. If you practice against better players than you generally see, you will be getting yourself ready to play your best in games for your team.
Step 5
Eat healthfully and get plenty of sleep. When you are playing basketball, you need a healthy diet. Eat white-meat chicken and fish instead of red meats. Eat two to three portions of fresh vegetables and fresh fruits every day. Eat complex carbohydrates like brown rice, spaghetti and whole grain cereals to have the energy needed to participate in practice and games on a regular basis.
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