subject: Training For High School Basketball [print this page] Excelling at sports in high school is key to getting noticed by colleges and professional teams. To be a stand out player, you need to be training both on and off season to push yourself to become the best you possibly can.
Whether you are a boy or a girl in high school, if you want to play this game professionally you need to treat it like a job. You should of course have fun and enjoy playing the game, but you should take it seriously and make it a priority in your life.
You cannot just practice with the team when the season starts and think that that is good enough. You need to be playing during the off season to condition your body to get better.
The game of basketball is undoubtedly an endurance sport, which means you need a strong cardio fitness foundation. You are running up and down the court for an hour, and a good portion of the time it is sprinting.
That means that you need to start running both on and off season to condition your body to have the endurance necessary to keep up with everyone on the court. You should be doing long distance running either on a treadmill, a trail, or just around your neighborhood.
The best part is that running does not cost you any money, unless you want to invest in a treadmill for your convenience. You should also mix in sprints to your routine.
You should jog at a moderate pace for about ten minutes, do a quick set of sprints, and get back to jogging at a moderate pace. Repeat this pattern about four times during your cardio routine.
It may seem like a lot, but you will be sure to hold out longer and run faster than anyone out there. Your body will have the stamina to not only keep up, but to beat everyone to the basket every time.
If you live in a colder climate, you might want to look into getting a treadmill to help you out. If your home has the space and you have the money, it is definitely a worthwhile investment that you will use for years to come.
If you do not have the space, you could get a membership at your local gym or athletic club. Most places even offer a discount for student-athletes to lessen the cost.
Your school might also have exercise equipment available for the use of student-athletes. If that is the case, you should definitely take advantage of that for several reasons.
First off, it is a great way to use free equipment that your school has provided specifically for your use throughout the year. Second, you can train with your friends and teammates, making the workout more fun.
You can also be sure that your teammates will push you to higher level of fitness, and will encourage you to get better. Also, if you are in there consistently, your coach will take notice of you, and that is vitally important to playing time during the games.
If your coach knows you are dedicated and working hard to improve your abilities, they are more likely to turn to you in crunch time, knowing that you are prepared to give it your all. Another important aspect in basketball is strength.
You should be doing single lift repetitions for each set. This means that when you are lifting dumbbells, you should be doing so with one arm, not two.
This allows both sides of your body to get strong individually, instead of allowing your dominant side to pick up the slack of your weak side. This should go the same for your legs: single lift repetitions will make you the strongest and help out your game the most.
Squats are also extremely important for the game of basketball, where you need to get low in order to be a strong defensive and offensive player. Squats allow you to strengthen those same muscles you use in the game when you are blocking low on defense.
Most importantly, you need to be out there playing on the court on a daily basis. The best way to learn is through experience, and the best way to strengthen the muscles is to use them in the exact way you intend to during the game.
