Let me preface this article by stating, “I am in no way declaring that I am the be-all/end-all when it comes to the proper training of basketball players.” Now that you have all exhaled and closed out that nasty email you were about to send me, lets get into the reasons why many of today’s basketball players’ corrosive “training” is some of the worst I have seen throughout my career in this industry.
Reason #1: It is not “Strength & Conditioning”
Anyone who still refers to our industry as “strength & conditioning” is either old, outdated, antiquated or a combination of the three. The term “strength & conditioning” does not sound like a means to an end, rather it sounds like both the means and the end.
For those of you who know me personally, you are well aware that I refer to myself as a “physical preparation” coach. Why? It is not my job to get a player stronger and in better shape. Rather, my duty relies solely on preparing the player for the rigors of the game itself. The weight room is to be used as a conduit to the game or skill, many in our industry are too interested in chasing numbers (1RM Box Squat, Max Box Jump, 185 lb Bench Reps, etc.) instead of chasing development.
Reason #2: Split-Routines
This is one of the more asinine modalities I have seen in our industry. Unless you train a powerlifter or bodybuilder, the utilization of a split-routine is retarded.
Why someone would train only a player’s upper body one day, and only player’s lower body the next is beyond me. I have yet to see one of my basketball players play the first half with his upper body and the second half with his lower body.
If we are adhering to the Law of Dynamic Correspondence: the activity must mimic the sporting event in part or in whole to transfer to the sporting activity, then it should be common sense to expose basketball players to training modalities that address head-to-toe, and toe-to-head. Unfortunately, “common sense” isn’t so common these days.
Reason #3: The Abuse of Jumps/Plyometrics
First, I have to address this: not all jumps are not plyometrics, and not all plyometrics are not jumps. If you do not know the difference, you should not be a coach.
Second, why are so many coaches prescribing French Contrast methods to the athletes if they have not even been taught to land properly? Disgust is the most expressive human emotion, if only you could see my face right now.
If coaches would bother to read a book, they would know research clearly has shown that the organism (athlete) is only able to exert as much force as they are able to absorb. How about instead of breaking out the plyo-boxes and multiple response hurdle hops, we prescribe single and double leg snap downs (thanks Bobby Smith), depth drops, and deceleration mechanics? This message will more than likely fall upon deaf ears because it isn’t “sexy” enough. I would remind the coach that YOU will get bored much earlier than the athlete – maximize the mundane!
Reason #4: No Variance in Tempo
Slow eccentrics? Isometrics? Where are they to be found in today’s basketball training program? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a 6’11” center is going to incur a longer time under tension (TUT) than a 5’11” point guard. Therefore, it may be prudent of the coach to utilize a slow eccentric (5-6 seconds) so that no matter the players’ variance in length, they will all be on the same “schedule” if you will.
The benefits of varied tempos are not only practical, but physiological as well. When the athlete utilizes a slow eccentric on a compound movement (front squat) there is going a be a massive amount of cross-sectional damage done to the fibers which will cause a massive adaptation, mainly hypertrophy. Also, the slow eccentric will not only re lengthen the tissue, but it will also make the athlete more resilient – less susceptible to injury.
Reason #5: Exposure to Lactic Environment
Coaches need to understand that the game of basketball is played mainly at a very low intensity, utilizing primarily the aerobic energy system.
With that said, there should not be any reason why gassers, suicides, jingle jangles, etc. should be administered on a daily basis. If you simply cannot help yourself, I would suggest exposing them to these modalities once every 14 days. Why? The residual training effect of the lactic environment is 18 days + or – 4 days.
Coaches should train their athletes at very high intensities, or very low intensities, there is no “middle ground”. When you are training in a lactic environment, your players are moving too slow to develop speed, and they’re moving too fast to develop work capacity. Sounds to me like a complete waste of time.
Summary
I have the pleasure of serving as the head coach of physical preparation for men’s basketball team at my alma mater, Grand Valley State University. During that time, by the grace of God, we have had the fewest cases of injury in recent memory. Am I taking credit for this feat? Absolutely not. All I do is write the damn program, the players have to:
- Show up.
- Buy what I’m selling.
- Embrace the process.
If any of those three elements are not met, I as a coach have failed. The praise does not end with the players, Ric Wesley and his staff have given me full autonomy and have invested their faith and trust in my ability – this is a unicorn in our industry.
Coaches need to check their egos at the door, a player’s development does not begin and end with us, we are merely shepherds guiding them safely from weight room to court, utilizing methods and means that will bring about the greatest adaptation and reward at the lowest possible risk to the athlete.
Best,
HMC
freakfaktory.wordpress.com 