Women's HoopDirt | How To Stay In Game Condition During Quarantine And Why Cardio Makes You Slower
Basketball courts are shut down. Weight rooms are shut down. Literally everywhere in the world gyms are closed. So what do you do to maintain your strength and stay in condition?
For most basketball players across the entire globe their season is over. So their training should be a bit different than, say, a pro player still optimistically eyeing a return to the court this season. So let’s start there. If your season is definitively over and you are looking for an offseason program check out this offering from the author.
To stay in game shape and be as ready as possible to return to the court in as close to game shape as possible we need to briefly talk about energy systems. What most people don’t realize is that moving your body for different durations of time requires the body to use different fuel sources to create energy.
If you think about a basketball game there are a few different scenarios to consider.
These scenarios – or anything in between – make up over 95% of most basketball games. Fast, explosive movements in all three planes of motion, with short – or very short – rest periods then explosive cuts and drives again.
The three main energy systems are anaerobic alactic (commonly called the ATP-CP system), anaerobic lactic (commonly called the glycolytic system) and aerobic. The anaerobic alactic system has energy stores for only a few seconds of work.
The anaerobic lactic system uses glucose or stored glycogen and provides energy dominantly from 10-30 seconds … but still does a lot of the “heavy lifting” up to about ninety seconds. The aerobic system requires oxygen to create energy, and, therefore, isn’t good at providing energy at maximal intensities, but, rather, helps your energy production for longer tasks and at slower speeds.
Now, while that’s a very simplified breakdown of the energy systems one good thing to remember is that all three are always in operation. But depending on the effort you are exerting in a given moment and the amount of time you are working one energy system will be used more dominantly – and effectively – than the others.
In fact, the research shows that a basketball player relies on the anaerobic alactic system for 60% of all effort during a basketball game! The other two energy systems are both called upon for about 20% of all effort during a basketball game.
From this point of view it’s quite clear that basketball players should not be spending their time jogging miles and kilometers to “stay in shape” for basketball but rather training in the energy system that is predominantly used in basketball. Quick sprints, stop-and-go sprints, back peddling and similar work – with frequent rests – will train your body in the energy systems of basketball much better than steady-state cardio like jogging.
“Basketball players should not be spending their time jogging miles and kilometers to ‘stay in shape’ for basketball. ”
In fact, I will go a step further and argue that basketball players should never do cardio of any kind. Cardio in the traditional sense.
Practical takeaway: Train in the energy system that is predominantly used in basketball. Do sprint work, lateral slides and back peddles at maximal or near maximal effort with frequent rests to simulate game conditions.
Nervous System
While most people think training is exclusively for our body, training is even more important for our brain. And what many people don’t realize is that our brain – and nervous system – remember intensity first and foremost. Now, intensity isn’t gusto as in training “balls to the wall grunting the whole time” but rather a measurement against your 1 rep max (RM).
The higher your intensity – or the closer to you get to lifting your absolute heaviest weight for only one repetition – the more motor units your body will have to recruit. A motor unit is a neuron and all the muscle fibers that that neuron innervates. One single muscle will have many motor units. For easier tasks less motor units are called upon. This is the body’s way of conserving energy and creating the path of least resistance. But, trying to jump as high as possible to snag a rebound or sprinting back on defense (every coach reading is now smiling) requires a maximal amount of motor units to be called upon to complete the task.
This is a huge reason why strength training is highly encouraged for basketball players and should be continued throughout this quarantine “offseason”. By training against resistance – a load – your body creates a high level of expertise recruiting many motor units. If you are using ground-based movements like every basketball player should be doing – squats, deadlifts, sled pulls and pushes, etc – those motor units are ready to work for you when your muscles are unloaded – running up the court, jumping, sliding your feet on defense etc.
“Strength should be considered fundamental to all other aspects of training and forms the foundation of most successful return to play approaches. ” 1
Practical takeaway: Continue to weight train as much as possible during this time. It may be just pushups, handstand pushups against a wall, chinups using a tree branch, or whatever creative way you have found to maintain strength – but keep your strength up!
Muscle Fiber Recruitment
On top of training in the wrong energy system when you spend time doing cardio you are actually training your muscles to adapt to a more slow-twitch dominance. While most humans are predominantly fast-twitch in nature, some are slow twitch. But we all have some muscle fibers that can go either way depending on the way we train our body. So if you want to be an explosive athlete with a quick first step and great vertical jump, jogging, spending time on the elliptical or riding a stationary bike endlessly will only make you a slower, less-explosive basketball player.
“If you want to be an explosive athlete with a quick first step and great vertical jump stop jogging. It will only make you a slower, less-explosive basketball player. ”
The SAID principle is one of the oldest – and most important – principles of training. It simply states that our bodies adapt to the demands that we impose on them3. If you go jogging (or cruise on an elliptical or bike, etc) you improve your ability to move at that speed. If you sprint and cut and jump you will improve your ability to sprint and cut and jump.
It’s that simple. Yet so many coaches still use a 1-mile time (or something similar) as a pre-season test for their basketball players. Coaches, when in a game do your players make significant plays at a jogging speed and jogging intensity?
The answer is no, they don’t.
Fast-twitch fibers can be recruited one of two ways – moving fast or moving something heavy. As we’ve seen above, fast twitch fibers are the predominant muscle fibers used in basketball due to the predominant energy systems and intensity of basketball movements. This is why strength training is critical for basketball players. The heavier objects we move the more motor units we recruit. And the more motor units we recruit the more muscle fibers we will recruit2. Translation? You’ll get bigger, faster and stronger. And when you get stronger the greater force you’ll be able to apply to the ground with the end product being you’ll be able to jump higher and run faster.
“Strength training is critical for basketball players.”
So it stands to reason that your training should resemble game situations. Yes, it’s tough without equipment – but there are things you can do that are superior to simply running a long distance at medium effort. This does not help you become a better basketball player in any way.
There is one exception, however. If you are coming off of an injury or are completely untrained it is good to establish a base of conditioning. Two to three weeks tops is really all you need though. Yes, in that short of time your body will adapt and the training stimulus of jogging disappears. After that you are wasting your time. Especially if you were already a high level basketball player before your injury.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your conditioning should be relative to the sport you are training for. Being a basketball player you shouldn’t be trying to improve your conditioning on a bike or swimming. You should be running. Running forwards, backwards, adding in defensive slides and similar movement related to basketball.
When you are conditioning, your body learns to supply blood to the working muscles, remove waste product from them, and fire those muscles in their appropriate sequence. Doing another form of conditioning – like swimming or biking – to get in shape for basketball is not ideal. Your body will get efficient at those modalities. I’m not saying you can’t do those things for enjoyment or as a form of cross-training. But for basketball purposes you are much better served on your feet pushing off of the ground, like you do in a basketball game.
Phil Gephart is a strength coach in Austin, Texas. He played professional basketball and specializes in working with basketball players during the offseason. For more information on his training programs – both in-person and online – check out his basketball offseason program and the basics of his athlete development training.
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.
Training for the development of general physical endurance
Author: Maxim Gordienko
Hello, dear visitors of the site " Basketball Lessons ". Continuing the theme of skills that are vital for every self-respecting basketball player, it is very difficult to ignore endurance .
Endurance is one of the main components of basketball. Endurance - the ability to perform any activity for a long time without reducing its effectiveness. The level of development of endurance is determined primarily by the functional capabilities of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, the level of metabolic processes, as well as the coordination of the activities of various organs and systems. In addition, endurance is influenced by the level of development of coordination of movements, the strength of mental processes and volitional qualities.
Development of endurance in basketball players
General endurance is understood as endurance in long-term work of moderate intensity ( as twisted ). Well-developed endurance is the foundation of sportsmanship. Special endurance is endurance to a certain activity. And if to maintain a good physical shape it is enough for an ordinary person to climb into an orbitrek (for example - https://www.elitesport.com.ua/catalog/2/kardiotrenazheri/orbitreki-dom), then basketball player needs speed endurance, which allows him to maintain high speed throughout the game.
When developing endurance, the following sequence of task setting is necessary:
education of general endurance
education of speed and speed-strength endurance
game endurance training
long continuous exercise methods with uniform and variable load (in practice, they are often abbreviated as "uniform training method" and "variable training method). A characteristic feature of this method is, in the first case, performance of cyclic exercise with a long duration, depending on preparedness, from 30 min. up to 2 hours and, in the second case, in the process of performing a cyclic exercise, a basketball player performs several exercises with a load on other muscle groups. For example, cross-country running from 40 minutes to 1 hour, during which several jumping exercises or several accelerations are performed at various distances. This method is typical for the education of general endurance.
interval training method is also characterized by two variants. In one and the other options, the work is done in series, but in one case, the same amount of work is done in each series, and the rest time between series is reduced. In the second variant, the amount of work increases, while the rest time remains constant. This method is typical for training of special endurance .
Exercises for developing endurance in basketball players
1) Speed dribble 1-2 balls in pairs (shuttle):
from the end line to the penalty area and back;
to the center and back;
to the opposite penalty area and back;
to the opposite front and back.
2) Complicated version of - hitting the ring each time.
3) The exercise is being executed by a thread. Basketball players are lined up one by one, the first three have the ball (if there are enough balls, then each). The first student starts the exercise - passing and catching the ball into the wall without dribbling the ball moving forward, throwing with one hand from above in motion, picking up the ball, dribbling to the side, jumping with two (one) pushes while simultaneously rotating the ball around the body (or dribbling around the body with the right and left) to the center line, dribbling with turns or changing direction in front of you, a throw from a place or a free kick, the ball is passed to the next or the basketball player becomes at the end of the column. As soon as the player has completed the passes in motion, the drill begins the next one.
4) Competitors stand in column one at a time at the intersection of the side and end lines. The first one sends the ball forward, accelerates and as soon as the ball hits the court once, catches it with both hands, switches to dribbling, dribbles the ball at maximum speed, throws into the ring after two steps. After the throw, they pick up the ball and go to the opposite corner of the site and start the exercise again. So the player goes 7-10 laps.
5) Crouched stop, ball down. Moving forward in a straight line, rolling the ball with hands (two balls, three balls)
6) Basketball game 6 halves of 10 minutes. Rest between the first and second half 5 minutes, between the second and third 4 minutes, between the third and fourth 3 minutes, between the fourth and fifth 2 minutes. between the fifth and sixth 1 min.
That's the end of recommendations for the development of endurance from A. Gomelsky. What is true, I want to write an article that will reveal more aspects of endurance development for athletes, because this one seems to me not quite complete ( article is ready! go to: endurance training and development ). In the meantime, these exercises are a good base for the first steps towards endurance training. Good luck with your training and see you soon on the pages of this site!
Endurance and its development — All about basketball
Endurance
Endurance is one of the main components of basketball. Endurance - the ability to perform any activity for a long time without reducing its effectiveness. The level of development of endurance is determined primarily by the functional capabilities of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, the level of metabolic processes, as well as the coordination of the activities of various organs and systems. In addition, endurance is influenced by the level of development of coordination of movements, the strength of mental processes and volitional qualities.
General endurance refers to endurance in long-term work of moderate intensity. Well-developed endurance is the foundation of sportsmanship.
Special endurance is the endurance to a specific activity. A basketball player needs speed endurance, which allows them to maintain high speed throughout the game.
When developing endurance, the following sequence of task setting is necessary: 1) Education of total endurance 2) Education of high-speed and high-speed-blue endurance 3) Education of game endurance
Methods of cultivation Methods of prolonged continuous exercise with equal loads (in practice they are often called red uniform training method" and "variable training method). A characteristic feature of this method is, in the first case, the performance of a cyclic exercise with a long duration, depending on preparedness, from 30 minutes to 30 minutes. up to 2 hours and, in the second case, in the process of performing a cyclic exercise, a basketball player performs several exercises with a load on other muscle groups. For example, cross-country running 40 min.-1 hour, during which several jumping exercises or several accelerations are performed at various distances. This method is typical for the education of general endurance. INTERVAL TRAINING METHOD is also characterized by two variants. In one and the other variants, work is performed in series, but in one case, the same amount of work is performed in each series, and the rest time between series is reduced. In the second variant, the amount of work increases, while the rest time remains constant. This method is typical for the education of special endurance. ENDURANCE EXERCISES 1. Speed dribbling 1-2 balls in pairs (shuttle) a) from the end line to the penalty box and back; b) to the center and back; c) to the opposite penalty area and back; d) to the opposite front and back. 2. Complicated variant - each time hitting the ring
3. The exercise is performed by a stream. Basketball players are built in a column one at a time, the first three have a ball (if there are enough balls, then each). The first student starts the exercise - passing and catching the ball into the wall without dribbling the ball moving forward, throwing with one hand from above in motion, picking up the ball, dribbling to the side, jumping with two (one) pushes while simultaneously rotating the ball around the body (or dribbling around the body with the right and left) to the center line, dribbling with turns or changing direction in front of you, a throw from a place or a free kick, the ball is passed to the next or the basketball player becomes at the end of the column. As soon as the player has completed the passes in motion, the drill begins the next one..
4. Students stand in a column one by one at the intersection of the side and end lines. The first one sends the ball forward, accelerates and as soon as the ball hits the court once, catches it with both hands, switches to dribbling, dribbles the ball at maximum speed, throws into the ring after two steps.
But depending on the effort you are exerting in a given moment and the amount of time you are working one energy system will be used more dominantly – and effectively – than the others.
”
One single muscle will have many motor units. For easier tasks less motor units are called upon. This is the body’s way of conserving energy and creating the path of least resistance. But, trying to jump as high as possible to snag a rebound or sprinting back on defense (every coach reading is now smiling) requires a maximal amount of motor units to be called upon to complete the task.
” 1
”
And the more motor units we recruit the more muscle fibers we will recruit2. Translation? You’ll get bigger, faster and stronger. And when you get stronger the greater force you’ll be able to apply to the ground with the end product being you’ll be able to jump higher and run faster.
ncbi.nlm.nih.
That’s obvious.
In addition, endurance is influenced by the level of development of coordination of movements, the strength of mental processes and volitional qualities. 
A characteristic feature of this method is, in the first case, performance of cyclic exercise with a long duration, depending on preparedness, from 30 min. up to 2 hours and, in the second case, in the process of performing a cyclic exercise, a basketball player performs several exercises with a load on other muscle groups. For example, cross-country running from 40 minutes to 1 hour, during which several jumping exercises or several accelerations are performed at various distances. This method is typical for the education of general endurance. 
As soon as the player has completed the passes in motion, the drill begins the next one. 
Gomelsky. What is true, I want to write an article that will reveal more aspects of endurance development for athletes, because this one seems to me not quite complete ( article is ready! go to: endurance training and development ). In the meantime, these exercises are a good base for the first steps towards endurance training. Good luck with your training and see you soon on the pages of this site! 
For example, cross-country running 40 min.-1 hour, during which several jumping exercises or several accelerations are performed at various distances. This method is typical for the education of general endurance. 
The exercise is performed by a stream. Basketball players are built in a column one at a time, the first three have a ball (if there are enough balls, then each). The first student starts the exercise - passing and catching the ball into the wall without dribbling the ball moving forward, throwing with one hand from above in motion, picking up the ball, dribbling to the side, jumping with two (one) pushes while simultaneously rotating the ball around the body (or dribbling around the body with the right and left) to the center line, dribbling with turns or changing direction in front of you, a throw from a place or a free kick, the ball is passed to the next or the basketball player becomes at the end of the column. As soon as the player has completed the passes in motion, the drill begins the next one.. 
