Basketball Physical Training
Basketball is a game of both physical ability and skill. It is equally important to work on both areas of the game, but training for the physical part of basketball is increasingly becoming a focus of players trying to take their game to the next level.
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History
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The history of physical training for basketball is a short one. It wasn't until recently that basketball players, even at the highest levels, have understood the importance of training their bodies to perform better for their sport. As recently as the early 1990s, activities such as weight training and core strength and conditioning were thought of more for sports like track and field and football. As more knowledge of how conditioning affects sports has become available, more players and teams have embraced it. Now, physical training has become just as much of a focus as skills training.
Reasons for the Delay
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The physical training aspect of basketball has long been ignored because basketball allows talented players to make up for lack of athletic ability by perfecting skills. And physically talented players can make up for a lack of technical skills by maximizing their athletic ability. So basketball was always seen as a game in which players could maximize their natural ability to cover up for areas of their game that might be lacking. It wasn't until the best players became aware of the importance of maximizing both elements of the game (skill and athleticism) that it became essential for all players to focus on improving both skills and physical ability.
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Areas of Improvement
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For most players, physical training can be placed into one of four major categories: strength, conditioning, explosiveness (plyometric training) and flexibility.
Strength training encompasses everything from weight training to working on specific muscle development focusing on basketball. For example, strength in the hands and fingers becomes important when shooting the basketball. Therefore, a tiny modification such as doing push-ups (chest and arm strength) can improve the strength of the fingers and hands.
Conditioning focuses on achieving a level of ability that can be sustained for a long period of time. This includes running distances, wind sprints and interval running drills that aim to improve the body's ability to get oxygen to the muscles for a longer time.
Explosiveness is the most recently added area of physical training. It is improved by doing plyometric workouts that focus on improving the fast-twitch muscles in the legs and in the core.
Flexibility training is focused on getting muscles to become looser and and more resilient. It is done by stretching exercises that focus on both lengthening muscle reach and improving range of motion.
Training Schedules
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All training programs offer participants a variety of schedules. What does vary for physical training schedules is when the training is taking place in relation to the basketball season. An eight-week off-season basketball workout program will be very different from a four-to-six month maintenance-style program that would take place during the basketball season. It is important to focus on the timing as well as the desired results of a physical training plan.
The Future
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Studying the best players in the game study offers a hint of what the future holds for physical training. Tim Grover, former personal trainer of Michael Jordan and now of Kobe Bryant (both of NBA fame), has an entire facility focusing on nothing but physical training for basketball players. The latest area of emphasis at his training center (and many others) is nutrition. Despite focusing more on their physical conditioning in the past 15 to 20 years, many players still consumed the same diets. Now, research is showing that it is extremely important to have a focused and detailed diet to help support the goals of physical training.
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References
- Photo Credit basketball image by Marianna Poloskei from Fotolia.com
