College Basketball Training Programs

College Basketball Training Program
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College Basketball Training Programs
Completing a successful college basketball season requires strategic inputs into one's physical fitness. A basketballer needs to be strong and fast to match the physical demands of the game. Developing an effective strength and conditioning strategy is, hence, a vital element for the success of a basketballer. However, it is worth remarking that multiple factors contribute to the quality and quantity of inputs that professionals allocate such programs. Time and resources are of the essence when instilling the programs. To a college basketballer, emphasis must be put on balancing the games and the resting durations. This paper focuses on designing an effective one year-long training program for a point guard in college football. This program's value is marked by its emphasis on the primary elements of strength and conditioning for a point guard, including weight training, plyometrics, endurance, speed, and flexibility, while also focusing on the key variables, including time and resources.
Off-Season
A basketball player must understand that his/her conditioning in the off-season plays a vital role in adapting to the new season. The off-season for a college basketball player should take 8=12 weeks. During this period, the player needs to restore the imbalances that basketball instills on the musculoskeletal system. Remarkably, this is also a period when a player should be focused more on resting. However, resting does not mean doing nothing. Taking a long rest will imply the player taking the majority of his/her time preparing when the season begins.
The off-season should focus on three primary fitness aspects. The first aspect is aerobic conditioning, in which the player takes 2-3 days every week executing low-intensity cardiovascular exercises. During this time, the player should avoid basketball and intensive running, even if for recreational purposes (Belski et al., 2017). The player should also focus on strength conditioning, especially with the less-demanding college basketball, as opposed to NBA. The work should emphasize stabilizing the muscle groups neglected during the activities of the season. The last aspect of off-season training should be flexibility conditioning, where the player performs stretching exercises at least three times a week. Flexibility conditioning should be accompanied by a thorough warm-up for muscle preparation.
The following table shows a one week sample for a college basketball point guard in the offseason:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Duration

Aerobic Conditioning

Cycling/swimming

Cycling/swimming

Cycling/swimming

20-30 mins

Flexibility Conditioning

Stretching

Bounds: 3x20 meters

Falling starts: 3x20 meter

10 mins

Strength Conditioning

50-60% 1 rep max

50-60% 2 rep max

50-60% 3 rep max

10 mins

Pre-Season
Pre-season marks the onset of intensive training for most basketball point guards. It is the season characterized by punishing training as the player prepares to enter the season with the necessary fitness. While some sense of urgency characterizes this period, the player must begin the sessions gently as he builds the intensity through the weeks. Effective pre-season training should limit the player's susceptibility to muscle injuries, especially at the beginning of the season.
The point guard should focus on specific elements of training in pre-season if he is to manifest a stable beginning. The player should focus on strength training, emphasizing calves, supermans, good mornings, split squats, and deadlifts (Nambiet al., 2020). Three sessions should be adequate, and the strength sessions should be limited to two days per week. The guard should begin to lift heavier weights, up to 90-95% one rep max, with 2-6 repetitions. The player can also be encouraged to participate in power training. Aspects including counter-movement jump, clapping pushups, and behind back overhead medicine ball through.
The following is a 1-week pre-season sample:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Duration 30-45 mins per session.

Strength Training

Deadlifts, split squats, good mornings, calves, and supermans.
3x12-15@70%

-

-

Deadlifts, split squats, good mornings, calves, and supermans.
3x12-15@75%

-

Plyometric/Power

Include counter-movement jump and standing triple jump
10 jumps or throws

15 jumps or throws

20 jumps or throws

30 jumps or throws

-

Conditioning

1 time through

2 times through, rest 1 minute between circuits

3 times through, rest 1 minute between circuits

3 times through, rest 45 seconds between circuits

-

Early Season
The early season builds on the intensity of the pre-season. The early season focuses on power, balance, and flexibility. The player should also begin to showcase high levels of strength, bearing the intensity of the games and escalating. Training in the early season is not easy, takes longer, and focuses on making the player injury-free for the entire duration of the active season (Rajšp, Fister, & Jr., 2020). General aerobic conditioning is eliminated at this stage for more basketball-specific conditioning. Basketball endurance drills are instilled intensively at this stage. That is because basketball is a highly multi-sprint sport that escalates lactic acid accu...