Basketball

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Pre-Season Conditioning for College Basketball

by Glenn Harris

The general purpose for pre-season basketball training is to prepare the athletes for the demands of the up coming season. It is the job of the Strength and Conditioning coach to get the athlete in the best shape possible to cope with the rigorous practice and game schedule that will follow. The basketball season often begins with the traditional midnight practice about the 15th of October and continues until March. This six-month season is very demanding, even for highly trained athletes. Often the first three to four weeks of the season include double sessions. This sheer volume of training is severe. Once the regular season begins, the on-court volume often decreases. The main objective of pre-season conditioning is to get the players ready for the middle of October and to help them maintain that level of conditioning throughout the season.

To successfully prepare the team for the season, you must investigate and appreciate the conditioning demands of basketball. Does basketball require a great deal of low intensity distance running?  Or, is basketball a series of high intensity short sprints that require numerous changes of direction? Remember, a basketball court is only approximately 30 yards in length. Also important to consider is the fact that slower teams usually lose.  The focus of the training should be on speed, agility and anaerobic conditioning.

The period from the beginning of the school semester to the first practice of the season is approximately five weeks. The objective is to design a sport specific conditioning program that will successfully prepare the team for the season. Hard work and a great effort are expected of every player.  Training must be a five day a week effort splitting the time between strength training and conditioning. As you can see, the focus of our training is on specific conditioning for basketball. Agility,...