Emphasis: footwork, explosivess, core strength & stability, ballhandling Summary: This is a variation of my first spring workout. By repeating many similar drills & exercises, I hope to reduce coach-centered instructional time so I can focus on individual feedback. Referring to the same basic drills reinforces the teaching points so that the players can practice them on their own. I extended the time of the workout to allow more time in the weight room & on the stairs. Reflection: Establishing habits is tricky. I had to give more feedback than I had hoped to regarding defensive positioning & communication. Even …
Spring Basketball Workout #5
Emphasis: agility, ballhanding, decisions under pressure, shooting Summary: I wasn’t happy about the last practice so I thought that I would emphasize three elements in every section to keep the workout focused: athletic abilities, shooting and deliberate play. You have to shoot the ball, but you also need to play defense and make decisions so I did not want to neglect those areas. For a Friday afternoon, I added extra time for the game situations. Reflection: The training group was small. I kept the same structure but let the players decide on the points of emphasis. We did creating an …
Spring Basketball Workout #4
Emphasis: lower body strength, speed, one-dribble attack, post play Summary: I wanted to introduce the players to some of the sport-specific lower body exercises that could be performed in the weight room. There is a tendency to overuse the leg extension and hamstring curl machines (everyone seems to gravitate to those machines at the moment); although they do help build lower body muscles, they lack a stability component that is needed for basketball. If a weight room mostly has machines, it should be supplemented with free weight, kettle bell or medicine ball activities that force players to engage their core …
Spring Basketball Workout #3
Emphasis: explosiveness, core stability, full-speed ballhandling, shooting at game speed Summary: It’s important to encourage students to stay hydrated when the temperature is this warm. Drink beyond thirst. Since I had already covered the Athletic Abilities routines earlier, I felt comfortable raising the intensity level in order to establish a tone for the workout. Every workout component should have a high Rate of Perceived Exertion, from the personal fitness exercises to the ballhandling and shooting drills. Reflection: I feel that there could be a little more work done individually between sessions to maximize the intensity level of these workouts. Little …
Spring Basketball Workout #2
Emphasis: upper body strength, footwork, finish at the rim, recovery & regeneration Summary: After a false start last week, the players organized a second workout today. We began the session with some footwork exercises and went into the weight room to do some sport-specific upper body exercises. Afterwards, we tried to get to the basket & finish at the rim. The defense endeavoured to pressure the ball & close out shooters. Reflection: Two more players would have been better to keep things moving but the Rate of Perceived Exertion was accurate. Players seemed to enjoy the workout although some reminders …
Spring Basketball Workout #1
Emphasis: footwork, core stability, dribbling against contact, stay hydrated Summary: Today, I was able to get into the gym & weight room with six players today. In the weight room, we did some stairs, core stability & sport-specific exercises with the medecine balls. In the gym, we were able to get some reps dribbling against contact & playing full-court. Reflection: Thanks to the players who came out and put work in. I didn’t quite get to the end of the plan that I had created because instructing some core exercises for the first time took more than anticipated. I think …