Basketball - Cardio/Conditioning

xtainla · April 1st, 2006, 05:38 PM

Hi All,

Well I've just recently started playing basketball again (pickups at the park) and I am really thinking about trying to walk-on to a local junior college team. I used to play in HS...I was pretty good. I averaged around 12-15 points a game, a steal or two, a couple of rebounds.

I am very serious about pursuing this. I've started my training by waking up at 6 and going to the park to work on my jumpshot. I probably shoot about 300 shots, then work on my free throws.

What I really need to figure out though is how I should start my stamina/conditioning training. I've put on a couple pounds since HS. I used to be about 145-150...I am now 170. I am about 6'0...a little short for your average basketball player, but since I am a guard I can get away with it.

I was thinking I'd start with just running a couple days a week...maybe 2-3 miles? I'd like to do this for a week or two just to get used to it again, then I'd start doing stairs or bleachers, uphills, sprints, etc.

I also purchased a pair of strength shoes that I should be receiving next week. Hopefully this will help my vertical and speed.

Does anyone have any specific plans or workouts they'd recommend to help me get my conditioning/stamina back to what it used to be? My goal is to be ready to approach the coach by July/August, and by this time I'd like to be physically fit and ready to prove myself.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me

(Oh, and I did search and find some topics...I took plenty of notes, but I still didn't find anything really specific to basketball aside from plyometrics information)

xtainla · April 3rd, 2006, 11:58 PM

Okay, well can anyone just give me an idea for a general plan? I went running today...but I mean should I just go out there and start running every other day or so?

**ItalianStallion** · April 4th, 2006, 01:20 AM

Im a soccer player, so Im just gonna give u sum runnin hints, maybe it can help...
Id start off runnin as much as u can, maybe even twice a day, but not too much...maybe like a mile in mornin n mile at nite....start off easy n then increase when u feel ur body can go more.
For sprintin, u can do suicides,either on bball court or wherever, go touchline to free throw...then touchline 3pt....then touchline midcourt...touchline to 3pt other side, touchline to free throw line other side..then touchline to touchline. I would imagine this to increase ur stamina/ sprinting.
You can do that maybe 3 times a day, resting few mins in between if u want to....but not too long, u want ur body to have to recooperate quickly, get the heartbeat down fast, so less rest is betta, but it will eventually be good if just keep up wit it.
If you run outside, you will be able to adapt to the "weather" but playin indoors prob wont matter that much, however running in hot weather will make it easier when its not so hot....but if u get into the running condition then everything will be easier down the line..
After u r rdy to increase training, n u runnin few miles a day, u can start running hills n bleachers, this will increase leg strength while conditioning, if u have a hill to run or bleacher, start with there easy, n then work ur way to u doin it with sum sort of ease, all this stuff will take time, so u have to get thru the pain n tough parts,n then u will be able to regain ur glory.
Hope this helped in sum way, let me know if i can help nemore

xtainla · April 4th, 2006, 10:34 PM

That definitely helps, thanks.

xtainla · April 14th, 2006, 04:47 AM

Well it's look like I've got a lot of hard training ahead of me. This is about my second week of running and I decided to time myself running a mile yesterday. It took me 9 minutes. That's not too good. I know it's average, but if I want to be a basketball player I'm going to have to pick that up. I felt like I could have gone faster though. I think I'll time myself again next week and hopefully I'll do better.

indz00 · April 15th, 2006, 12:41 PM

I played division II myself. During our conditioning, our coach made us run what he called "6's". Sort of like suicides, but more running involved. It's real simple. Start at the end of the court, run to the other end, and come right back. Down and back once is one, hence, a 6 would be down and back 6 times in a row. The thing that would kill us is that we were timed. Try to do within a minute and a half. The first time you're fresh it's pretty easy. When you're done, wait two minutes and go again. I'd say trying this after you've run a couple of miles should help.

xtainla · April 15th, 2006, 09:32 PM

indz00: Yeah, that sounds like a tough drill. In highschool we did suicides pretty much every practice session, except for like a day before a game. Division II...I'd be happy if I could make it to Div. II. Would you say that was the hardest conditioning that you went through, or there was there anything else harder?

xtainla · April 17th, 2006, 07:22 PM

I need to come up with a strength/weight program for my legs to combine with my plyometrics. I know of the basic exercises, squats, lunges, etc.

I need to know how I should plan/work these into my program.

Should I be doing stretches/warm-up, plyometrics, and then weight training....or are plyometrics and weight training to be done on separate days?

**illiniballfan112** · April 18th, 2006, 10:59 AM

I've been playing basketball my whole life and honestly the only way i really see to get into shape for basketball is to play. play 4-5 times a week, and you should play for a couple hours a session. i know it sounds like alot, but basketball is a very explosive sport and it's just hard to duplicate that kind of conditioning by running alone. you could hire a trainer or spend hours on performbetter.com learning how to do several different plyometric exercises and what kind of sequences and all that. i'd just play. play all the time, and play hard.

when you're playing in pickup games, it is important to play hard defensively. i mean, being in proper position, challenging shots, staying in front of your man. in most pickup games people slack off defensively, but if you're playing for a coach he will demand defensive intensity. it's hard to be in shape to play defense and offense if you only practice playing offense.

as far as exercises go, weight training is important but you don't have to go all out. squats and any core exercises are most important, then you should work body parts focusing more on what is closer to the center of your body (hips and abs) and work your way out. you're not a bodybuilder so it's ok to only do 3 sets of bis and tris but do 8 or 10 of legs. if you got the time though, i would recommend training like a bodybuilder, those mussles come in handy!!

xtainla · April 18th, 2006, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illiniballfan112

I've been playing basketball my whole life and honestly the only way i really see to get into shape for basketball is to play. play 4-5 times a week, and you should play for a couple hours a session. i know it sounds like alot, but basketball is a very explosive sport and it's just hard to duplicate that kind of conditioning by running alone. you could hire a trainer or spend hours on performbetter.com learning how to do several different plyometric exercises and what kind of sequences and all that. i'd just play. play all the time, and play hard.

when you're playing in pickup games, it is important to play hard defensively. i mean, being in proper position, challenging shots, staying in front of your man. in most pickup games people slack off defensively, but if you're playing for a coach he will demand defensive intensity. it's hard to be in shape to play defense and offense if you only practice playing offense.

as far as exercises go, weight training is important but you don't have to go all out. squats and any core exercises are most important, then you should work body parts focusing more on what is closer to the center of your body (hips and abs) and work your way out. you're not a bodybuilder so it's ok to only do 3 sets of bis and tris but do 8 or 10 of legs. if you got the time though, i would recommend training like a bodybuilder, those mussles come in handy!!

I agree with you on playing. I play pickups at least twice a week. At night I'll usually go around 7:00 and play pickups until 10:00 (lights out) and Sunday morning I play from about 8:30 or 9:00 until Noon. I always play aggressive D, stay with my man and challenge all shots. I even play tought down in the post and go for rebounds too. I think as of right now I've been doing okay on these things.

I will also start doing drills which involve sprinting, and I will start doing more high intensity workouts soon as well. (Suicides, bleachers/stairs, accelerations, etc.)

What I really need help with is coming up with a weight training program that I can combine with the plyometric program that I have, and how they should be scheduled. For example: Do I do plyometrics, then go hit the gym and do squats, lunges, etc. all in the same day? Or do I do plyometrics one day, then weight training the next?