Aug 29, 20223 Ways to Build Athleticism in Basketball Players
Basketball season is right around the corner, and, if you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to begin building your foundation of athleticism.
A recent story from Stack.com highlighted three ways basketball players can increase their athleticism ahead of the winter season.
Below is an excerpt from the Stack.com story.
- Proper Sprint Training
Basketball players run a lot. But most of the time, not in a way that provides an excellent speed-enhancing benefit. What then makes an effective sprint speed session, you might ask? Here are the criteria that need to be fulfilled for that to happen.
Sprints need to be performed in a “fresh” state. You’re not fresh enough if you can’t run at least 95-97% of your best sprint time. The sprints must be performed at maximal effort, ideally racing against someone or trying to beat the time.Enough rest is provided after each sprint, so quality is maintained. 45-60s of rest for every 10 meters of a sprint. At least some focus on addressing correct sprinting mechanics.
- Proper Strength Training
When implemented at least semi correctly, basketball players often experience fast and noticeable improvements in their strength and explosiveness. I have seen guys going from barely touching the rim to dunking in a matter of 4-8 weeks!
Lower Body Push: Goblet Squats, Split Squats, Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat, Step-Ups, Front Squats, Skater Squats, Single Leg Squats, Lateral Lunges, Calf Raises.
Lower Body Pull: Dumbbell/Kettlebell Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift, Hip Thrust, Single-Leg RDL, 45 ° Back Extensions, Stability Ball Leg Curls, Copenhagen Plank
Upper Body Push: Push Ups, Dips, Overhead Press, Bench Press, Landmine Press.
Upper Body Pull: Inverted Rows, Cable Rows, Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Lat Pulldown.
- Dedicated Foot Training
From a performance standpoint, dedicated foot training improved jumping and running performance (Tourillon et al., 2019; Unger and Wooden, 2000). So it would be crazy to say that well-functioning foot and foot training is unhelpful.
First, just spending some time without shoes during the warm-up is an excellent way to challenge your feet. Mobility, low-intensity plyometrics, and other low-impact barefoot exercises will be beneficial.
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Second, specific foot exercises like the short foot are a great way to target smaller muscles of the feet and ankle. Calf raises, posterior calf raises, anterior tibialis raises, towel-toes crunch, and single-leg balance hip circles are all simple yet effective exercises for strengthening the ankle-foot complex.
Lastly, exercises and activities that challenge balance and proprioception are an excellent way of improving foot function. Single-leg balance exercises, single-leg strength-free weight exercises, trail runs, and other activities performed on variable and “different” surfaces will deliver a nice proprioceptive challenge.
To read the full story from Stack.com about building athleticism in basketball players, click here.
