How to get better at basketball in 2 weeks

How to Get in Basketball Shape in 2 Weeks

Basketball is a great cardio exercise.

Image Credit: AleksandarGeorgiev/E+/GettyImages

Playing basketball is a cardiovascular activity, so it counts toward your active minutes in a day. However, not everyone can hit the court right away. If you want to play basketball, two weeks may not be enough time to get into basketball shape, but with some work you can improve your fitness.

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How Intense Is Basketball?

Exercise experts measure calories burned and intensity of exercise using a unit of measurement called "metabolic equivalents" (METs). Simply put, a MET is the of energy you burn when you are not active. This can include when you are watching TV, reading or when you are lying down.

According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, you burn 1 calorie an hour for every 2.2 pounds of your body's weight. This means that if you weigh 125 pounds, you naturally burn about 57 calories an hour when you are at rest.

The number of calories you burn increases as you increase your activity level. If you participate in a moderate-intensity exercise, such as shooting baskets or walking briskly, you can expect to burn 3 to 6 METs per hour. If you do a high-intensity activity, such as playing a basketball game, you can expect to burn 6 or more METs an hour.

Read more: The Relationship Between Heart Rate and Exercise Intensity

In other words, if you are shooting baskets with minimal running and jumping and you weigh about 125 pounds, you can expect to burn between 175 and 340 calories an hour. However, if you are playing a game of basketball with friends or as part of a competition, you will burn at least 340 calories with each hour of play.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) provides a calorie calculator based on certain activities. According to their calculator, if you weigh 125 pounds and play a basketball game for one hour, you could burn 453 calories. However, if you are just shooting baskets, you will likely burn around 255 calories in an hour.

Getting Basketball-Ready

If you live a sedentary life, you are almost certainly not going to be able to get ready for an intense game of basketball in two weeks. You will need to build up your endurance and strength to help avoid injury.

The first step to playing a game of basketball is building up your general fitness and endurance levels through a solid exercise routine. Doing cardio like brisk walking, jogging or interval workouts will help you build your endurance. Resistance training, especially exercises like squats that target the lower body, as well as core work, can help you build the strength you need to play basketball.

Read more: How to Get Started Working Out at Home

There are many beginner exercise routines available. ACE recommends any beginner start by walking briskly for 15 minutes. As time goes on, you can gradually increase the amount of time you walk or your speed or intensity. Eventually, you will be able to run while talking. At this point, you are probably fit enough to play a game of basketball. If you were already pretty fit, you may find you are able to play basketball sooner than someone who is starting as a beginner.

Do not try to rush your fitness. If you push too hard, too soon you run a risk of injuring yourself. If you have any questions, you should talk to a personal trainer. You should also talk to your doctor prior to starting any new exercise program.

Realistic Time Frame and Routines

While two weeks may not be enough time to take you from the couch to the court, you can make some serious strides in your fitness levels after just two weeks of training with more intense training.

A study published in the July 2018 issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health followed 13 sedentary people who started doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts or moderate-intensity continuous cardio. Both groups saw improvements in heart rate variability at the end of two weeks but the HIIT training group saw more dramatic improvements in their cardiovascular fitness.

However, two weeks may not be enough to get you into competitive basketball shape. Even ACE recommends people give their bodies at least four to six weeks to adapt to a new exercise routine. If you are in good shape already, you may not need that long, but if you've never played a sport before or are new to basketball, give yourself at least that long to get yourself basketball-ready.

How to Get in Basketball Shape in 2 Weeks

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Getting in shape for basketball in two weeks is a challenge, and can be even harder if you are not already in decent shape. There are certain things that you can do to make the most of your time by getting your body ready to play the game. Focus on the basketball skills that are most important, such as speed, accuracy, control and tactical maneuvering. Your body and mind will continue to get into shape as you begin the basketball season and start playing with others regularly.

Step 1

Work on your speed and endurance by jogging six days a week for the two weeks before basketball season. Alternate between jogging normally and running sprints to help you with both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. A sprint is when you run as fast as you can for a given period of time, anywhere from 15 seconds to two minutes. Spend 30 to 60 minutes per session jogging and running sprints, depending on how you feel and your physical fitness level. Stretch before and after each workout to help prevent sore muscles from forming.

Step 2

Use a basketball and basketball hoop to practice making 10 lay-ups or dunks in a row, depending on your current skill level. Run near the left side of the basket while dribbling the ball from the half-court line. Shoot the ball into the basket, retrieve the ball, and begin again from the half-court line. Repeat from the right side of the basket.

Step 3

Practice shooting from different spots on the court. Have a partner assist you, if possible, by retrieving the ball after you shoot it and throwing it back to you. Shoot from the three-point line, the free-throw line, the left side of the basket, the right side of the basket and anywhere else you need additional practice shooting from. Perform this exercise for 10 minutes at a time, at least once or twice per day.

Step 4

Find a partner and practice passing to one another with control and accuracy. Do this while moving around the court as you would if you were actually playing a basketball game. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes every day.

Step 5

Add strength training to your workout regimen by using weights to increase your upper and lower body strength. Switch major muscle groups each day, focusing in particular on the upper or lower body. Work out for 20 to 45 minutes, but be sure not to overdo it, as you do not want to be overly sore for the start of basketball season. In addition, take one complete day off each week from practice. Watch games or talk to others about basketball on this day, but avoid physical activity. This will give your body some time to recover and grow stronger.

References

• Power Basketball: Proper Conditioning for Basketball Players
• Sneac State Community College: Snead State 2011 Women's Basketball Strength and Conditioning Program

Image Credit

Martin Poole/Photodisc/Getty Images

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How can a basketball player develop without access to the gym?

4 tips to become a better player, athlete and personality

It happens to everyone that you want to train, move forward, progress, but there is no access to the court and the gym. This article contains 4 recommendations for this case. Read and apply.

1. Start monitoring your nutrition and sleep

One of the most important components of progress and development on the site is recovery, and nutrition and sleep are its foundation. Without this, stretching, contrast showers and everything else make little sense.

So you can not sit if you sleep 4 hours a day

2. Work on your body

This does not always require a basketball hall or even a gym. Charging, yoga and stretching, some other recovery procedures (only with a really heavy load), core is the minimum that can be done at home.

In fact, at the initial stage, it is possible to exercise effectively and beneficially for the body at home. Add this and you will already become the best around, because you will train more.

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3. Analyze matches

This will help you better understand the game and increase your basketball IQ. Analyze your game and the game of professionals you want to be like, analyze your opponent. And always pay attention to details.

Kobe Bryant was a crazy basketball player down to the last detail. He watched the matches and noticed the details so much that he knew how his opponent would act in any situation. In his book, he described a moment where, thanks to analysis, Kobe dunked through the center opponent, because he knew how he would put his hand to resist, and was able to remove it.

Curry said that when he watches his games, he pauses and notes what decisions he can make. Then he chooses the best and turns on the tape to test himself in the game. You can do that too.

You can also look at professionals. You turn on the match of a player you are similar in style to and follow his every move.

Kobe does not waste time and watches the game during the flight

4. Learn

Read books, watch educational and useful videos, be interested in something else. You may not become a professional basketball player, but you can always become a good person.

To be successful in the game, one must not only have good athleticism and skills. Knowledge in psychology will help you better understand the actions of opponents. Communication skills will help build better relationships with teammates. Good time management will allow you to use your time more efficiently. A successful career consists not only of playing on the court, but also of acting outside of it.

We add material and tools to the online school that help not only in basketball, but also in life. Some guys start to study better and do more things in a day, because they become more disciplined and learn a lot of new things. This is important because life does not end with basketball.

LeBron has been using the slogan "More than an athlete" for several years now. Because basketball goes beyond the sport where everything ends in the hall. Now this is life.

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