Basketball is a unique sport that requires very powerful bursts of movement repeated several times with little rest. It is still more of a hybrid Alactic-Lactic sport than it is Aerobic, but the Aerobic component plays a vital role in the preparation of these athletes. Core-stability is important for keeping the core-posture ‘still’ while performing the many skills associated with basketball (jump-shot, rebounding, passing, agility, etc). Jumping/Movement power is important to be able to jump vertically, move laterally, and sprint.
Upper-Body strength is an important aspect of basketball as well, even though it often gets overlooked. Shoulder stability/strength to get position, rebound, pass and control a dribble are vital aspects of the game.
Basketball Training Highlights:
- Core-Stability -focusing on stabilizing the spine while performing vertical, lateral, and rotational movements
- Double and Single-Leg Strength/Power – focusing on hip-extension and hip abduction to improve jumping, running, cutting actions
- Deceleration/Landing – focusing on properly decelerating from running, jumping, cutting to prevent injuries and maintain overall health of knee, hip and ankle joints
- Upper-Body Strength/Stability – focusing on shoulder stability and strength through a full-range to allow for increased strength as well as maintaining flexibility
- Conditioning – focusing on Anaerobic-Alactic and Anaerobic-Lactic energy systems (short-moderate length sprints and multiple-effort jumps with minimal rest)
