I have been coaching for nearly 20 years this year. In that time I have coached a lot of athletes and one of the main things that I would say that athletes lack in general is an overall lack of intensity when they are in the gym. I see too much talking, laughing and joking around and not enough concentration, emotional investment and determination.
If you want to get to that next level, what says you deserve that more than someone else? Just because you have talent now, what says that the person that you called stupid and laughed at their lack of “skill” 3 years ago, does not come along and just kick you smart ass butt one day. Do you know why?
Because that person is in the gym, on the court and doing all the little things EVERY DAY. Not every week, but EVERY DAY.
So, here are the critical exercises that will make you a better basketball player.
- Squat – the cornerstone of jumping higher and also the way to improve your core strength overall. You should aim for a 1.5 times your bodyweight squat by the time you leave school generally speaking.
- Vertical Jump – This is a good test for power for basketball, plus its also a great test to see who you can outjump for a ball. You have to be able to put vertical jump into practice on the court. No point being able to jump 60cm high in the gym if you cannot out rebound your opponent on the court because you are too afraid of the contest. Set your aim high, at least 50cm by the time you are 16yrs of age is a good mark. Exercises that also help with vertical jump:
- Olympic Lifting – especially high pulls and cleans
- Plyometric Exercises including box jumps, depth jumps, hurdle jumping and bounding especially on stairs.
- Dead Lifting – Essential for a strong posterior chain. You should aim for 1.5 times your bodyweight by the time you leave school.
- Pull up – vertical and horizontal. These exercises are critical to build good upper body and core strength for lasting in a contest. You should be aiming to do 10 good strict vertical pull ups by the time you are in year 10 at school.
These exercises are not easy and I am not saying to start on them straight away, especially Olympic Lifting. BUT, I am saying that this is something you should aim to progress to by the age of 15-16years of age. Basketball is a high impact sport, so therefore we have to train your body to sustain this and excel through the impact and collision sustained in the game.
So, back to what I said earlier. You have to get in the gym and compete with yourself. Spend less time on social media posting about what you don’t lift and instead just lift more and get a little angry about it and really enjoy getting emotional about doing PB’s in the gym. It WILL make you a stronger and powerful athlete.
Get a coach to help you and make sure they have a strength or sports specific qualification. Ask them why they are doing what they are doing. If they cannot handle that then run away now, because they probably do not know.
Vector Health is coordinating a basketball program for young athletes looking to improve your physical presence. Our programs are not going to make you a bodybuilder. They are going to make you stronger, jump higher, run faster and sustain contests in a game better.
Don’t let people overtake you because you did not try hard enough or work hard enough.
To register for our basketball program please click the link below: