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How to not get tired when playing basketball
How to not get tired when playing basketball
5 Tips to Build Basketball Endurance and NEVER Get Tired on the Court!
As Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards out of us all.”
And at one time you were so tired that you couldn’t do what your team needed you to do when it mattered most.
Let’s be honest… we have ALL been there.
What if I am to tell you the secret to NEVER getting tired on the basketball court.
Would you be willing to do what it takes?
If so, read further…
First, it takes lots and lots of basketball-related conditioning. That’s obvious.
You may think of a basketball conditioning program as your coach making you run sprints in practice or in the offseason. Either you view it as punishment for doing something wrong or a necessary chore just to succeed in the game.
Stop looking at conditioning as a necessity! Look at it as a skill!
You can be GREAT at conditioning in the same way you can become a great shooter or passer. It takes the same level of focus and effort.![]()
In the same way you practice shooting to perfect your jump shot, you can also practice conditioning habits to perfect your physical condition!
Here are five tips to develop your conditioning on the basketball court.
Tip #1: Have a Specific Pregame Meal
If your body functions as a car, then what do you fuel it with?
Have you thought about that?
The best athletes in the world have a diet so regimented that they view eating and drinking more as a science as opposed to just a daily need.
So what do the world’s best athletes eat?
Everyone has their favorite foods.
Scottie Pippen was famous for having a banana and orange juice at halftime.
LeBron James often likes chicken, fruit, a protein shake, and maybe some pasta before games.
My advice? Stick to your favorite HEALTHY foods! You should WANT to eat the foods that will fuel you for the game.
But generally speaking, you should have a meal with:
- High amounts of carbohydrates, which increases exertion capacity by building up your glycogen levels.
High glycogen levels ultimately lead to better on-court performance!
- Medium amounts of protein, which keeps you full (hunger is ONLY good for metaphors, actual hunger is only going to slow you down). Too much will slow you down, so aim for no more than 15-20 grams of protein in your pregame meal.
- Low amounts of fat and sodium before the game. Meals with a high amount of fat and sodium weigh you down considerably.
- Avoid too many sweets or high-sugar energy drinks. Those may give you a short-term increase in energy, but you WILL crash during the game!
Food is important. Whatever you eat will affect your conditioning on the basketball court. If you eat right, you will feel noticeably faster and stronger.
But a pregame meal would not be complete without a drink!
Tip #2: Drink Water BEFORE the game, Practice, or Training Session
Always start the day with a glass of water. A glass of water to start the day will flush down any of the toxins and sodium accumulated in the previous night’s sleep.
And drink MORE water as the day progresses.
A rule of thumb: if you feel thirsty, you should have gotten a glass of water 30 minutes ago. If sweat is water leaving the body, then you MUST replace those fluids exiting the body.
So the first step is to eat and drink the right way! You will feel much better no matter where your conditioning level is currently.
But what about the tough part? The actual conditioning?
Tip #3: Prioritize Basketball Endurance When Building Muscle
Like passing or shooting, building endurance on the basketball court is a skill to develop. You have to LEARN how to be in great condition in order to be at YOUR best at all times.
And it all starts by building your muscles with the specific intent to play basketball. Not to look like a linebacker in football!
Football players need as much muscle mass as possible to perform high-impact tasks in a split-second time interval – whether it’s blocking, tackling, or even kicking the football.
It’s the exact opposite in basketball. You have to dribble, pass, shoot, and move your feet CONSTANTLY throughout the game.
Too much muscle mass WILL slow you down! But too little WILL get you pushed around!
In basketball, your muscles must perform several rapid-fire tasks over an extended period of time. In the weight room, you have to think of what muscles you need to prioritize.
On the basketball court, you will need to have strong glutes, quads, hamstrings, and adductor muscles to make cuts and defensive slides over and over again.
Core work is ESSENTIAL to keep you from suffering ongoing hamstring, hip, and back issues, which will sap your endurance because more exertion is needed to move at the same pace.
A strong core also gives you the body control and balance necessary to withstand contact when you finish at the basket.
My advice: prioritize core strength, then leg strength, then upper body strength. All three are important, but a strong core should be the top priority.
But strength training alone is not going to get you in great condition.
The next step to take is the cardio itself.
Tip #4: Be Intentional About Cardio
In the offseason between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I had one goal in mind: to become the starting point guard on my junior varsity team.
I reached that goal – and lost 25 pounds in the process! Then I got moved up to varsity midway through the season and was a part of a team that made it all the way to the state semifinals!
How did I get there? It all started in the previous offseason!
I made it a point to do one of these three things daily in the gym:
- 30-45 minutes on the Stairmaster
- Running 8-10 miles a day on the treadmill
- Doing several wind sprints on the basketball courts before I got my shots up.
It was a very intense regimen! My focus was solely to get in the best shape possible.
And that should be your focus too!
But looking back, I would do things differently!
I overextended myself and tore my hip flexor during my sophomore season.
As a result, I was unable to build up the same level of conditioning for the next two seasons.
If I had to do it differently, here is how I would have done it:
Warm-up first! Like in practice or in a game, you should ALWAYS warm up before a cardio session. NOT doing this puts you at heightened risk for injury such as basketball shin splints.
Do long-range cardio for 30-45 minutes three times per week.
Long-range cardio is needed to build up the lung capacity and slow twitch muscles needed to stay on the basketball court as long as possible.
Low impact cardio such as swimming and biking is MUCH better than running because running all those miles will eventually impact your joints and cause you to be a further risk of injury.
If you are on an exercise bike or another cardio machine, then I would strongly advise you watch a basketball instructional video in order to learn a new skill.
But what about short-range cardio? The sprints that your coach makes you run?
Run those no more than two times per week.
The goal is to alternate between long range and short range cardio.
Don’t just sprint up and down the court! Multi-task your training!
Add a basketball or a defensive component to your workout. Get better at basketball conditioning and your overall skills!
For example, you can:
- Aim to make 10 full-court layups in less than a minute (REALLY TOUGH)
- Sprint down the court 10 times and do a closeout at the end of each sprint
Or better yet, find the nearest hill and sprint up and back 10-12 times! Those hill runs WILL build up your fast twitch muscles which allows you to sprint multiple times during a game.
I guarantee running up hills will build up your endurance for ANY sport, not just basketball.
But what REALLY sets you apart is how you prepare for the NEXT day.
Tip #5: Immediately Stretch & Ice Your Legs After EVERY Workout
Next day soreness always slows you down! You cannot go as hard today as you did yesterday because you pushed yourself too hard!
So what exactly causes next day soreness?
Next day soreness is your body telling you that you need to rest.
Your body has micro tears in your muscles that have not yet been fully built back up.
So what slows down the recovery process?
Lactic acid! Your body replaces yesterday’s oxygen with today’s lactic acid. Lactic acid causes muscle cramps and soreness throughout the muscles exercised.
So here are three key components to mitigate next day soreness:
- Drinking plenty of water – water helps flushes out the lactic acid that builds up shortly after a workout
- Stretching after EVERY workout – static stretches will accelerate rebuilding the microtears in the muscles that naturally build up during the workout
- Taking an ice bath or cold shower after you stretch – cold water constricts the blood vessels, flushing out much of the lactic acid inside the affected muscle tissues
Properly recovering from a workout is equally as important as the workout itself.
Conclusion
If you REALLY want to build endurance, no step in this process should be skipped.
You WILL feel tired and discouraged at first. But over time, just like when you became a great shooter or defender, you will also become great at basketball conditioning.
How to Be Less Fatigued in Basketball | Live Healthy
By Kim Nunley
Basketball is an intense and challenging sport to play because you’ve got to have the endurance to be able to handle the 40-plus minutes of competition as well as be able to sprint, jump and change directions quickly. To condition for the sport, you’ve got to fit in workouts outside of your regular practices. Your conditioning workouts should include different types of sprints as well as sport-specific conditioning drills that mimic what you’ll be doing during games. In addition, take care of your body so it’s properly fueled and hydrated.
Conditioning Workouts
Do your conditioning workout three days per week. Give yourself one to two days off in between each conditioning workout. Begin each workout with a 10- to 15-minute dynamic warm-up to prepare your body for activity.
Complete three sets of 17s. The 17’s drill requires you to run from sideline to sideline a total of 17 times. If you don’t have a court, set out two cones about 30 yards apart and sprint back and forth between the two. Rest for about 90 seconds in between each set.
Complete three sets of the X-out drill. Start in one corner of the basketball court and begin by sprinting diagonally to the opposite corner. Once you get to the corner, defensive slide down the baseline to the corner on the other side of the court. Turn and sprint back diagonally to the opposite corner again and then defensive slide back to the corner where you started. Rest about 60 seconds in between each set.
Perform three sets of the elbow lay-up conditioning drill. Grab a basketball and stand at the elbow of the free-throw lane, facing the basket. Explode toward the basket, dribbling and completing a lay-up. Get your own rebound and sprint to the opposite elbow and then turn and perform a lay-up from the other side.
Continue until you make 15 lay-ups. Rest 90 seconds in between each set.
Taking Care of Your Body
Get eight hours of sleep every night. According to researchers at Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic, the amount of sleep you get will make a significant impact on your sprint time and shooting accuracy.
Stay hydrated by drinking water before, during and after your workouts, practices and games. Dehydration will cause you to become fatigued and also adversely affect your performance. The American Council on Fitness recommends taking in 17 to 20 ounces two to three hours before your workout and then another 8 ounces 30 minutes right beforehand. During your workout, take in 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes and then 8 ounces immediately after you’re finished.
Consume enough food so your body is properly fueled for competition. Take in a meal of carbohydrates and lean protein two to four hours before a workout, practice or game. Immediately after your games, increase recovery time by taking in a meal of carbohydrates and protein.
References
- Perform Better: Pre-season Conditioning for College Basketball
- Stack: Elevate Your Game With Four Basketball Conditioning Drills
- Technology Review: Extra Sleep Boosts Basketball Players' Prowess
- FamilyDoctor.org: Athletes: The Importance of Good Hydration
- Atlantic Coast Conference: Fueling the Fastbreak: Basketball Nutrition
Tips
- Once your basketball season starts, reduce your conditioning workout frequency to two times per week. Avoid scheduling conditioning workouts the day before a game.
Warnings
- Visit a doctor to get a physical before beginning a conditioning or workout program.
Writer Bio
Kim Nunley has been screenwriting and working as an online health and fitness writer since 2005. She’s had multiple short screenplays produced and her feature scripts have placed at the Austin Film Festival. Prior to writing full-time, she worked as a strength coach, athletic coach and college instructor.
She holds a master's degree in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton.
Basketball coaching hacks: how to score goals for beginners
Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.
Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners
1. Hands up
In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!
2. Make shield rolls
Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard.
If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!
3. Look at the ring, not at the ball
Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.
4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only
The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.
5. Throw with one hand
If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket.
All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.
6. Do not jump when protecting the ring
Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.
7. Don't look back
When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).
8. Bring the throw to automatism
Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw at first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.
Throw the ball with all fives and jump
Throwing Rules:
- Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
- Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
- A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
- The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
- Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.
The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).
Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.
How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball
How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.
9. Copy masters and play as a team
Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.
10. Do not throw in a straight line
The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.
11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand
This is the biggest newbie mistake!
Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time.
When squatting, keep the elbow of the throwing arm close to the body and towards the ring.
The jump will give momentum to the ball and will allow you not to make sudden movements with the brush.
***
And to be a long-term player, do not forget about your health: take care of your joints and muscles, use tapes, do a warm-up. And be sure to strengthen your arms, legs and shoulder girdle, develop coordination. Regular exercises on uneven bars and horizontal bars will help you with this.
How to protect yourself from injuries when playing basketball
2 minutes to read
Basketball is a contact and dynamic game, where contact with an opponent, work with the body and legs are inevitable. In terms of the number of injuries, basketball is second only to martial arts. The knees, ankles, and Achilles tendons are most commonly injured. This does not mean that you can no longer play your favorite game. It is important to follow a few guidelines to reduce the risk of injury and continue to play for fun.
Body temperature at rest is lower than during physical activity. That is why it is necessary to prepare the ligamentous apparatus, muscles and tendons for the upcoming loads. Pay attention to every part of the body, especially the arms, legs and back. The warm-up may include light jogging, joint exercises, and ball exercises. Basketball has a lot of short explosive runs and not warming up before them will increase the risk of injury.
There are always jumps in the game of basketball players - during shots, rebounds, block shots. Shoes soften impacts from landings, reduce the load on the joints and give additional jumping ability. Basketball shoes have non-slip soles so that movements on the floor are clear and stable. Additional ankle support will help with a weak ligamentous apparatus.
Models with a Concept Power Frame system under the insole reduce the risk of foot dislocation. Often shoes are tied with both laces and Velcro to fix the legs.
You can play basketball both indoors and outdoors. When playing in the hall, opt for loose shorts and a T-shirt. Clothing should not restrict movement or interfere. You can wear two pairs of thin socks to avoid blisters and chafing.
Basketball has long used compression underwear, shirts and sleeves that improve blood flow, wick away sweat and create a second skin effect. The underwear is made without seams and will not rub the skin during the game.
During the game, basketball players can contact not only other players, but also the surface of the court. To soften the force of blows and give additional protection, protection for the knees, wrists and elbows, as the most common places of injury, allows. To fix the ligaments and support the joints, special bandages are used, which allow you to distribute the load due to compression and avoid injuries during the game.
There are also more substantial options - foam knee pads.
