Get in shape
Conditioning can mean the difference between dominating the other team and giving up a basket at the buzzer because of fatigue. Once you've built up a basic level of fitness over a couple of weeks, begin introducing drills more specific to basketball. Here are four exercises.
Shuttle run
Run down and back from baseline to baseline three times.
Alternative shuttle run
Run down and back from baseline to half court six times. The distance between the lines has shortened, forcing you to change direction, accelerate, and decelerate more often. Focus on holding good running form throughout the conditioning, and make each change of direction under control.
Half length basketball drill
Run from the baseline to the free throw line and back, then to the top of the key and back, and then to half court and back. The distance between the lines has shortened, forcing you to change direction, accelerate, and decelerate more often. Focus on holding good running form throughout the conditioning, and make each change of direction under control.
Full length basketball drill
Run from the baseline to the free throw line and back, to the top of the key and back, to half court and back, to the opposite top of the key and back, to the opposite free throw line and back and finally to the opposite baseline and back. Focus on holding good running form throughout the conditioning, and make each change of direction under control.
Jump Higher
When you jump, large forces are absorbed and produced by your body, and if you do not pay attention to how your body moves when you jump, those excessive forces could end up being absorbed by your joints rather then your muscles. This can lead to common basketball injuries such as low back and knee pain.
The mechanics of jumping and squatting are very similar to each other. It's a good idea to do some squats before you move on to jumps.
Tips for squats
Here are some tips that will help you improve your squats and teach your body to absorb forces safely through the muscles of your legs and hips.
- Keep your spine as high as you can.
- Hold your stomach slightly pulled in and braced as if someone were going to punch you in there.
- Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, not on your toes or heels.
- Bend at your knees and hips with smooth and coordinated movements, initiated with your hips moving back and down.
- Feel your butt and hips under a greater load; this means you also feel it in your quads and knees.
Tips for jump exercises
After you have mastered squats, the skills you develop will carry over to your jump exercises. Here are four simple tips to improve the way you jump.
Use your arms
What you do with your arms can have a huge effect on your vertical jumping ability. Too often people focus primarily on using their legs to leap into the air, and don't pay attention to what their arms are doing. If timed correctly, your arms can help elevate you a few extra inches in the air. The key is to powerfully extend your arms up into the air as you your legs extend and push off the ground.
Boost your power
Power is a combination of strength and speed; it is not purely a reflection of muscle size. It is about the efficiency with which your nervous system coordinates the recruitment of muscles, and the teamwork between muscles which creates specific and efficient movements. In order to develop your power you must work to build a solid foundation of strength and stability and then work to train your muscles to fire quickly at speed. Whether you are jumping off two feet to grab a rebound, or taking off of one foot to score a lay up, having a solid foundation of double and single leg strength is critical preparation for the movement demands of the court.
Build a stronger upper body
In basketball, having a strong and stable upper body is essential for completing the game, increasing your performance and separating you from the average player. Whether you are fighting for position under the basket, creating separation between yourself and a defender, making a quick pass across the court, or fending off a defender while maintaining control of the ball through traffic, upper body strength will add another dimension to your game.
Train on one leg
Basketball is a very physically demanding sport. It involves random changes of direction, cutting, jumping and quick bursts of speed. Often, when training lower body strength, people will focus on two leg strength exercises. However, the majority of movements involved in basketball require the athlete to have a high degree of single leg strength and stability. In order to achieve this it is crucial that you train with a single leg emphasis in most of your lower body exercises.
Prevent injury
Here are four tips for preventing common injuries in basketball.
1. Land softly
It's true that landing isn't half as much fun as jumping, but it's extremely important to pay attention to how you land in order to decrease your chance of injury. A huge amount of force is absorbed by your body when you contact the ground. Paying attention to how your body absorbs these forces when you land can mean the difference between finishing a season healthy, or sitting on the sidelines with an injury. When you land, think about landing softly. Use the muscles in your hips to catch yourself, and land on the balls of your feet Ð not your toes or your heels.
2. Strengthen your hips
In basketball, many athletes aggravate their groins as a result of shuffling improperly when defending an opponent. This is the result of reaching with their lead leg and pulling themselves across the court in a defensive slide. By pulling with their lead leg they are relying too much on their 'adductors', or their groin, to pull them across the court, and not using their powerful hip musculature in their trail leg to push them across the floor. For this reason, take the time to strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your hips to help take unnecessary stress off your groin and prevent injury.
3. Build your pillar
Think of your body as a stack of different movable segments or a 'pillar'. Energy is transferred up and down this pillar with any kind of movement, whether it is running, jumping, or cutting. Prehabilitation , or 'pre-hab', exercises consist of movements designed to strengthen the critical muscles of your pillar Ð in the shoulders, torso, and hips. By strengthening your pillar, you are not only decreasing your potential for injury, but also improving your speed and power.
4. Manage your aches and pains
Basketball is a very physically demanding sport. The repetitive mechanics and constant pounding your body endures day in and day out can take its toll. If you do not allow your body to recover properly, you increase your injury potential, and eventually you could find yourself with shin splints, knee pain, stress fractures or other nagging injuries. It is important to realize that the things you do at rest are just as important as the work you do on and off the court.
The use of low intensity exercise, vibration, hydrotherapy, proper nutrition, and massage can have a massive impact on the process of 'regeneration'.