The following article is from a colleague of mine based out of Orange County, CA.  I had a conversation the other day with a father who mentioned his son was going out for cross country this fall to stay in shape for basketball and I could not think of a better time to post this article again.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at mike@mikeleebasketball.com

The Truth About Basketball Conditioning

By: Mike Mahon, CSCS, Professional Basketball Performance Coach

Dear aspiring basketball players and coaches,

Are you looking to get yourself or your team in shape in the fastest and most efficient way possible?

Are you tired of yourself and your player’s looking and feeling broken down in the fourth quarter?

Do you wish that you knew the key ingredient to keep yourself or your basketball players explosive baseline to baseline for all four quarters?

If you said yes to any of three previous questions then you will love what I am about to reveal to you today.

Players and coaches you need to listen up, and read every single word that I am about to say because I am going to expose one of the biggest myths in basketball conditioning Long Slow Distance Running (Cross Country).

But before I reveal to you how and why Long Slow Distance Running is so detrimental to your on court performance I want you to consider some key points by asking yourself the following questions (Do not read ahead, answer them by yourself in your head):

1. When during a basketball game does a player run at the same pace for an extended period of time sub maximally without starting, stopping or changing direction?

2. Do basketball players ever run in a straight line for an extended period of time during a basketball game?

3. Do players that play at one speed effectively and efficiently dominate the basketball court?

Take a second…

Think about those three questions….

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Buzz…………….

Time is up!

If you said no, no, and no please take a second and pat yourself on the back.

Now ask yourself this question…

If Basketball players, never run at the same slow pace during the game, never run in a straight line for an extended period of time, and all the great players have multiple speeds and tempos they can play at, then why the heck do so many players and coaches train that way by utilizing long slow distance running?

Well the reason is simple; it’s a combination of lack of knowledge mixed with tradition.

If you look at any sport, you will discover that many coaches and players were passed down a certain set of truth’s on how to train, play and develop a set of a skills and abilities pertaining to their sport.

Over time competition evolved while changes and adaptations to the types of training used on elite players were added into their training regimes.

In fact, sporting competition became so serious that people started doing studies on elite athletes and developed “secret specialized training techniques” to give their players the extra edge.

To make a long story short, if your coach or you were in the loop you would gain insider access to the information.

If you were out of the loop you would train the way everyone else does and get left in the dust.

Well today, that day is over because I am going to let you in on some of the secret training techniques that I have been exposed to.

To best understand this concept, I am going to give you a brief mantra to remember when you approach your basketball specific player development, and conditioning.

The body responds to direct stimulus, which means the way you train is the way you will perform.

Therefore, if you train slowly you will become a slow player, and if you train explosively at game speed, then you will be an explosive player on your team.

Players and coaches, this is a very powerful concept that will dramatically change the way you practice, condition and ultimately perform on the court when the whistle blows, and game time comes around.

Next time you watch a basketball game, take a moment and analyze some of the following details:

How many seconds does each play last?

How many sprints does each player perform by position?

How many changes of direction does each player perform by position?

How frequently do players start, stop and change speeds as well as angles?

How many consecutive times do players jump per possession?

How fast do players get down the floor baseline to baseline by position?

How often are the players playing at high intensity, performing active rest, or taking an actual time out during the game?

These are not all the details to consider when you develop a training program for yourself or your team, but they are some of the finer details.  When applied correctly, they can change you from a good basketball player/team to a great basketball player/team.

Remember the floor is 94 feet, and basketball is a game of pure power, not endurance. If you train powerfully and explosively you can develop what is called power endurance. Power Endurance or (Anaerobic Fast Glycolysis) is the type of energy system that is used in basketball and it’s full development is absolutely essential to develop intense, explosive repeated bouts of sprints up and down the floor, and it is the same energy system that allows player’s to recover quickly and be fresh for the upcoming play.

Now that you understand this concept, you can begin to make adjustments to the way you train and begin to create sport specific drills that will condition your players, and teach them important fundamentals at the same time.

Here are some of my favorite drills that I have used with high level basketball players to transform them into great basketball shape, allowing them to perform all game strong, all game long.

I will divide each drill into categories so that you can apply them into your workouts quickly and easily.

*Rest 1-3 times the amount of time that you work off-season, pre-season challenge yourself to rest half the time you work for really quick recovery times when you play*

Category 1) Ball Handling
A.    Magic Circle Drill :

-    Stand in the jump ball circle, and mark out a specific area on the court where you have a small space that you can make quick moves, and combinations. Try to do as many combos you can in a short amount of time and challenge yourself!
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.

Category 2) Passing
B.    Rapid Fire Passing:

-    Stand in front of your teammate, a pass-back, or wall and fire as many passes as you can for the designated period of time.
-    Choose between the fundamental five chest, bounce, baseball, Overhead, or one hand passes.
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.
-    Rest 1-3 times the amount of time that you work off season, preseason challenge yourself to rest half the time you work for really quick recovery times when you play

Category 3) Footwork and Finishing
C.    Wing to Wing Rips:

-    Stand at the wing and toss the ball to yourself and catch it in a jump stop
-    Square yourself to the hoop and execute a strong side rip, by sweeping the ball from your hips under your knees explosively.
-    Explode to the basket in one dribble and finish.
-    Get Your Rebound and sprint with the ball to the opposite wing and repeat.
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.

Category 4) Shooting

D.    Self Toss Elbow To Elbow Jumpers

-    Start at the baseline, and toss yourself the ball around the elbow
-    Catch the ball with either a square in the air jump stop, or a one two step emphasizing your inside pivot foot.
-    Make sure that you play the game low to high, and start on the catch low and finish high with full extension on your jump shot.
-    Follow your shot, if you miss put it in, and quickly repeat at the other elbow.
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.
Category 5) Lateral Speed and Shot Blocking
E.    Slide, Jump, Slide Drill

-    Start at the far end of the key and quickly push step slide to the other side of the key.
-    Immediately execute an explosive vertical jump
-    Land in an athletic stance and push step slide to the other side of the key.
-    Repeat
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.

Category 6) Rebounding
F.    Tip Drill

-    Stand in front of the backboard and toss the ball off the backboard.
-    Jump up explosively and tap the ball consecutively off the glass for desired time.
-    On The Last repetition finish the drill with a made basket
-    Repeat this drill on the other side with your opposite hand.
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.

Category 7) Full Speed Dribble Attack
G.    Dribble Commando

-    Start on the sideline and place a cone at half court.
-    Working sideline to sideline, dribble to the cone and execute an explosive  change of direction move
-    Add a change of speeds and make the drill game like
-    Set a specific time on the clock ranging from 20 seconds – 45 seconds.

Category 4th Quarter Conditioning
H.    2 Ball Suicides

-    Start on the baseline
-    Sprint dribble with two basketballs to the free throw line, half court, free throw line, and baseline, all while returning back to the original baseline.
-    Emphasize a quick push dribble, as well as the ability to start, stop and change direction under control.
-    Try to complete this as fast as you can.

Congratulations, you now know the Truth About Basketball Conditioning, and you will now know have all the keys to finally develop your basketball specific energy systems and maximize your practice time and training. As you can see, each drill was short and intense, it utilized a fundamental basketball skill, and was extremely sport specific. I guarantee that if you utilize this template you will accomplish many skills in a short amount of time, and you will always be the last one standing when the smoke clears in the 4th quarter.

Until next time…

Practice hard so the game is easy!

Sincerely,

Mike Mahon , CSCS , Professional Basketball Performance Coach

About Mike Bio Section :

Mike Mahon, CSCS is a Highly Sought After Professional Basketball Performance Consultant who specializes in both the fundamental and physical components of elite basketball skill development. Mike has been an instructor at the Nike Regional Skills Academy, as well as Jordan Training and knows exactly what it takes to maximize your basketball potential and take your game to the next level!