Training & Conditioning for Basketball

Basketball is one of the most physically demanding sports. The game is fast-paced with little rest time. The team in the best physical condition often wins games. Conditioning and training are necessary pre-season, in season and post season to stay on the cutting edge. Training elements include endurance, strength, flexibility and agility.

Action on the basketball court occurs quickly and in short distances. Training should include exercises to develop muscle endurance and cardio endurance. Cardio endurance is important in maintaining the body's energy levels during strenuous physical activity. Activities such as running, jogging, bicycling and jumping rope will improve both muscle and cardio endurance.

Strength training is necessary for the lower part of the body to increase the ability to produce explosive actions with the ball vertically and horizontally. Hand strength is also important as it contributes to having a strong shot. Some players suffer a weak shot due to lack of hand strength. Strength training can include elements of weight lifting, abdominal strengthening exercises and Plyometrics, also known as jump training. Plyometrics increase a player's vertical jump capacity.

Flexibility exercises will improve your performance and decrease the likelihood of injury. Flexibility training can improve a player's range of motion. Losses in movement range can occur without properly stretching. Pre-game flexibility exercises include side bends, arm swings, back stretches, abdominal stretches, hamstring stretches, leg swings, groin stretches and toe touches.

Basketball is movement specific. The best basketball players are not always the fastest players but rather the ones with the capability to move quickly in different directions: side-to-side, backwards, vertically and horizontally. Improve coordination and speed by doing exercises that involve sprinting, back-pedaling, sliding and jumping.

Greg Brittenham, strength and conditioning coach for the New York Knicks, wrote a book called "Complete Conditioning for Basketball." In it he reviews exercises, drills, and training programs used by players such as NBA All-Star Patrick Ewing. Duke University head men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's instructional DVD, "Agility & Conditioning Drills for Defense," offers defensive drills and focuses on mental toughness. For overall basketball fitness training, read "Total Fitness the NBA Way" by the National Basketball Association staff.