Center for Advanced Sports Medicine: Training: Basketball

Training: Basketball

	Overview Basketball is one of the most widely played sports in America. Regardless of age or skill level, most everyone can play the game. All that is required is a ball and a basket. But as with all sports, some degree of physical preparation is required for performance and injury protection.
	Pre-Activity Warming-up prior to any training session or game is essential to help prevent injuries and perform maximally. Ten minutes of light running or shooting. Follow your ten minutes of warm-up with five to eight minutes of stretching. Follow your stretching with some jumps and short sprints.
	Post-Activity Cooling down is important for flexibility and recovery. Follow your same five to eight minutes of stretching used in your warm-up. Drink plenty of water and sports drinks within 15-30 minutes after your training or game.
	Nutritional Advice Basketball player's nutritional habits can have a significant impact on their performance. The player's habits will help or hinder their training and performance. Basketball players use all three energy systems: ATP-CP, anaerobic glycolysis, and the aerobic system. The diet needs to be rich in carbohydrates (60 percent), protein (15 percent), and low in fat (25 percent). Most players require 3-4.5 grams of carbohydrates/lb of body weight of carbohydrates (e.g. 640 g for a 160lb person), .6-.8 g of protein/lb of body weight. Energy requirements vary based on weight and height. Fluids are critical to maintain hydration. Dehydration is the most common cause of fatigue.

Strength Explosive power in the hips and legs is required for the vertical jump in shooting and rebounding and for quickness on the floor. Core balance and abdominal strength assists the athlete with the necessary balance and agility to perform. Shoulder strength is required for shooting and rebounding and for injury protection. Olympic lifts using both the bar and dumbbells to increase hip and leg force and power. Squats provide the necessary leg strength essential for power and to protect the knee from injury. Hamstring strength provides knee joint stability and force production for jumping. Shoulder strength and core balance development. Medicine ball crunches and twists to increase abdominal strength that can also be performed on the Swiss ball.
Flexibility Flexibility will assist the athlete's performance and help prevent injuries. Perform light warm-up such as shooting for at least ten minutes. Total body stretching for five to eight minutes holding each stretch for 10-15 seconds. Shoulder joint mobility, groin and low back, hamstrings and quads must remain flexible for performance and prevent overuse injuries.
Cardio Basketball requires aerobic conditioning for stamina to endure the game and anaerobic conditioning for jumping or sprinting on the court. Anaerobic training involves very high intensity exercise lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. Aerobic training involves lower intensity training lasting from several minutes to several hours. Fartlek training consists of both windsprints and light running, this combines aerobic and anaerobic training. Sprint baseline to near foul line and return. Immediately sprint to half court and return to baseline; sprint baseline to far foul line and back and sprint baseline to baseline. Ten sets at 2:1 rest ratio.
Skill Development Basketball is a game that requires a high level of skill. Dribbling, shooting, passing and rebounding are the skills that demand the most attention. Court speed and quickness are critical to success. Agility and balance lay the foundation to skill development and improvement.