Being a college or professional basketball player is tough. Basketball players need to be able to jump, run, and change direction on one leg or two to be successful. They need a strong aerobic base because of the start-and-stop nature of the sport.
Athletic development is crucial to becoming a successful basketball player. This includes balance, conditioning, strength, speed, agility, and coordination. To help you prepare for an exciting career in basketball, here are answers to questions on basketball training.
What Type of Training Is Best for Basketball Players?
To stay in explosive playing shape, basketball players focus on speed and agility training. This training is crucial for basketball players as it helps to decrease injury and improve footwork. It also improves the player’s cardio-respiratory stamina.
Recent research shows that eight weeks of spring training improves performance in the speed phase of sprinting. In resisted sprint training where players pull a sled with a 5 kg load, it improves the acceleration phase of sprinting. Research has further proven that agility training can improve a player’s ability to change direction which is crucial in the game.
Besides speed and agility training, muscular strength and power are also crucial for players. Strength training improves explosive power and speed around the court. It also helps reduce the risk of tendon and joint injuries.
How Much Do College and Professional Basketball Players Train?
The majority of famous basketball players started by throwing the ball into a basket in their backyards. However, to reach the highest levels of professionalism, you must incorporate challenging workouts.
Throughout the sports season, speed, agility, and strength training are always carried out at different times. In fact, individual and team programs are usually developed to optimize a player’s performance.
The first phase or the programming step is the most important. It includes functional training for postural muscle improvement. It also involves rebalancing between the left and right parts of the body, between the extensor flexors and muscles. During this phase, exercises are usually carried out at low intensity.
In phase two, the focus is on the development of a player’s ceiling strength. Workouts are usually performed with loads of 80 to 90%, three times a week for about a month. Lastly, we have the late pre-season phase. Players train together and focus on the development of muscle power. To do so, they use different methods, such as circuit training and plyometrics.
How Long Should a Basketball Workout Be?
A basketball workout consists of four phases:
- Phase One – Warm Up
- Phase Two – Main Workout
- Phase Three – Practice Game
- Phase Four – Rest and Cool down
Between each phase, players usually take short breaks. The length of the training session depends on the player, but it should last between 45 minutes to 2 hours.
During the off-season, players should perform strength training three to five days a week. Throughout the in-season, they should perform two to three strength training sessions per week. Experts recommend a minimum of 48 hours of rest between sessions.
An in-season strength training program should be quick, well-timed, and efficient. Basketball coaches and training staff should meet before the season to come up with an in-season weight training program.
When creating the training, coaches should focus on multi-joint exercises for their player’s strength workouts.
What Is the Fastest Way to Get in Shape for Basketball?
Basketball is one of the sports that relies on a player’s entire body to work efficiently and effectively. Many of the different things a player does on the court involve constant movements that take a toll on the player’s body. Of course, we can’t forget the numerous muscle groups involved in the movements.
To play basketball at a high level, a player must be fit and well-conditioned to be effective. Basketball players do a lot of jumping and running. They also shoot, dribble, move laterally and change pace. All these movements incorporate all muscle groups in the body.
To get back in shape in a week or two, all you need to do is concentrate on a particular muscle group. This will activate the muscle groups’ full potential. What you need is three rounds of complete full-body workouts:
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Plank
- Lying Hamstring Curl
- Ball slam
- Mountain Climber
- Lat Pulldown
- Walking lunges
- Sprints
- Incline treadmill walk and more.
The exercises above and more will boost and bust up your basketball shape in no time. They will also help you get started on the right foot and set you up for success. Don’t forget to eat a healthy diet.
