Posted by Coach D on May 16th, 2014
School is out: THE OFF SEASON, What It Takes To Be Great! Here's your Tips and Recommendations for the next 110 Days! (Read Time 3 Mins)
The reason I love the off season is because "players are made in the off season." Knowing that the off season has begun, what is your plan? What will make you better than you were last year? What areas do you need to improve on most? Do you know exactly what it takes for you to get to your "next level" as a player? Here are 5 questions you must ask honestly ask yourself before making your plan:
1. What was your greatest weakness as a player last season?
This is where it's important to meet with your coaches and ASK for honest feedback on where you need to improve the most. Think intangibles, basketball IQ, understanding your offensive and defensive strategies, ball handling, shooting, on ball defense, off ball defense, rebounding, passing, ect.
2. Are you stronger than every opponent you will play at your position?
One area I continually see a need for is greater strength. If you look at the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA players today, most of them look like NFL players. As they say, there is no substitute for strength. Nets On Fire is currently working on a strength program for players, but for now, find a great trainer to get you a workout plan. One thing I'd have experiment is to lift 3 days of legs per week...YES I SAID THREE DAYS OF LEGS. The majority of basketball is being able to stay in a stance and your legs are everything. By lifting legs, you will be surprised the amount of good weight you can gain and muscle mass that will come overall as a result.
3. Are you faster than all the opponents you play and fast enough for your "next level"?
I'm a big believer in running sand hills, stadiums, and doing track work. I have seen this help many of the players I have trained in increasing their vertical leap and in helping them be faster on the court. I recommend running on sand or grass more than stadium workouts because its easier on your joints and specifically your knees because its lower impact, however, here is a great stadium, sand, or grass hill workout for you to use: (twice a week recommended)
10-15 "flights" of stairs with the following combinations. (Each "flight" is one trip up, or 1 trip down for drop squats)
a) Center large steps- full speed run
b) Little isle steps- full speed run touching every step
c) Big Steps at a diagonal run
d) Side Hops(you are jumping sideways always) 4 each side, then change to the other side.
e) Center Hops (facing up the hills or stadium) 3 jumps forward, 1 jump back the whole way.
f) Drop Squats (start on top, put one foot off and drop off the step and land in a squat to cushion your fall and work on your basketball posture. Its best to have your hands together as if they were praying right in front of your chest with your shoulders back and butt out)
g) Pushups on the stadium bars with your feet on a large step behind you.
h) Dips on the stadium bars with your feet on a large step in front of you.
4. Are you quicker than your opponents?
Those of you currently using IGNITED understand how much the speed ladder can help improve your quickness and agility. There is a reason why every IGNITED workout includes the speed ladder drills. Dot Drills are another great tool that I highly recommend along with jump rope. I have a player that tells me he gained 3-4 inches on his vertical from ladder and dot drills in one offseason alone! I'd recommend doing these at least 4 days a week.
5. What single skill set do you need to add to your game first?
One example of this was when LeBron James and Kobe Bryant recruited the likes of former great Hakeem Olajuwon to teach them post game. LeBron had just been ridiculed because he has "no post game" and in one offseason he came back with a nice post game. Another example was Michael Jordan being told he didn't play defense, only to win the NBA's Defensive Player Of The Year Award the following season.
Make a plan and stick to it!
The first step is to actually sit down and look at a calendar and plan out your summer off season workout plan. Of the next 110 days before school starts, how many of those days will be spent on developing yourself as a player with actual skill work? How many days are you committed to lifting? How many games will you play and is there an amount that is too many? I say yes, playing TOO MANY is not good. The biggest player transformations I have seen (backup freshman PG to starting VARSITY in one offseason) were carefully planned and precise. Here's an example of an off season workout schedule I recommend:
1. Start doing the PRO Calendar schedule of IGNITED, which is 6 days a week. Commit to being diligent and doing your skills workout first thing in the AM. One current Men's Division 1 basketball player I've trained at UNLV told me he's currently doing 2 IGNITED workouts per day to get better and he gets on the gun to get up shots at night too.
2. Lift 4-5 Days Per Week. I have had the biggest gains from players that will even commit to lift twice a day in the offseason. Now is the time to build strength, so playing too many games may limit the quality of your lifts, so plan carefully.
3. Play Pickup Games and 1 on 1 with Older and Better Players 2-3 times a week. If you are wanting to improve, the only way is the play stronger, older, and better players. Playing at your local rec center against kids you can trash will not make you better, in fact, it may make you worse by forming bad habits. If you can play with pros or current college players, that's ideal. If you are female, play with the boys your age.
4. Play AAU during live sessions, or major events only. One of the biggest downfalls of some AAU teams is that they play way too many games and it takes a toll on players mentally. I have seen elite players lose their edge by getting tired of playing so many games. I feel it's better to get in the gym and work on your game, lift, get quicker, and limit the number of games to keep you hungry, so say no to playing every weekend.
5. Schedule in "dead periods" where you take planned rest weekends. I've been told that Kobe takes a month off from basketball after the long intensity of the NBA season. My high school coach used to make me take 2 weeks off after the season where I couldn't touch a ball. I don't think its necessary to not lift and stay in condition, but I do think its good to stay out of a gym for a while to stay fresh.
To all those that believe in 100% TRUE GAME, keep up the fight! You will get there!
Coach D
The reason I love the off season is because "players are made in the off season." Knowing that the off season has begun, what is your plan? What will make you better than you were last year? What areas do you need to improve on most? Do you know exactly what it takes for you to get to your "next level" as a player? Here are 5 questions you must ask honestly ask yourself before making your plan:
1. What was your greatest weakness as a player last season?
This is where it's important to meet with your coaches and ASK for honest feedback on where you need to improve the most. Think intangibles, basketball IQ, understanding your offensive and defensive strategies, ball handling, shooting, on ball defense, off ball defense, rebounding, passing, ect.
2. Are you stronger than every opponent you will play at your position?
One area I continually see a need for is greater strength. If you look at the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA players today, most of them look like NFL players. As they say, there is no substitute for strength. Nets On Fire is currently working on a strength program for players, but for now, find a great trainer to get you a workout plan. One thing I'd have experiment is to lift 3 days of legs per week...YES I SAID THREE DAYS OF LEGS. The majority of basketball is being able to stay in a stance and your legs are everything. By lifting legs, you will be surprised the amount of good weight you can gain and muscle mass that will come overall as a result.
3. Are you faster than all the opponents you play and fast enough for your "next level"?
I'm a big believer in running sand hills, stadiums, and doing track work. I have seen this help many of the players I have trained in increasing their vertical leap and in helping them be faster on the court. I recommend running on sand or grass more than stadium workouts because its easier on your joints and specifically your knees because its lower impact, however, here is a great stadium, sand, or grass hill workout for you to use: (twice a week recommended)
10-15 "flights" of stairs with the following combinations. (Each "flight" is one trip up, or 1 trip down for drop squats)
a) Center large steps- full speed run
b) Little isle steps- full speed run touching every step
c) Big Steps at a diagonal run
d) Side Hops(you are jumping sideways always) 4 each side, then change to the other side.
e) Center Hops (facing up the hills or stadium) 3 jumps forward, 1 jump back the whole way.
f) Drop Squats (start on top, put one foot off and drop off the step and land in a squat to cushion your fall and work on your basketball posture. Its best to have your hands together as if they were praying right in front of your chest with your shoulders back and butt out)
g) Pushups on the stadium bars with your feet on a large step behind you.
h) Dips on the stadium bars with your feet on a large step in front of you.
4. Are you quicker than your opponents?
Those of you currently using IGNITED understand how much the speed ladder can help improve your quickness and agility. There is a reason why every IGNITED workout includes the speed ladder drills. Dot Drills are another great tool that I highly recommend along with jump rope. I have a player that tells me he gained 3-4 inches on his vertical from ladder and dot drills in one offseason alone! I'd recommend doing these at least 4 days a week.
5. What single skill set do you need to add to your game first?
One example of this was when LeBron James and Kobe Bryant recruited the likes of former great Hakeem Olajuwon to teach them post game. LeBron had just been ridiculed because he has "no post game" and in one offseason he came back with a nice post game. Another example was Michael Jordan being told he didn't play defense, only to win the NBA's Defensive Player Of The Year Award the following season.
Make a plan and stick to it!
The first step is to actually sit down and look at a calendar and plan out your summer off season workout plan. Of the next 110 days before school starts, how many of those days will be spent on developing yourself as a player with actual skill work? How many days are you committed to lifting? How many games will you play and is there an amount that is too many? I say yes, playing TOO MANY is not good. The biggest player transformations I have seen (backup freshman PG to starting VARSITY in one offseason) were carefully planned and precise. Here's an example of an off season workout schedule I recommend:
1. Start doing the PRO Calendar schedule of IGNITED, which is 6 days a week. Commit to being diligent and doing your skills workout first thing in the AM. One current Men's Division 1 basketball player I've trained at UNLV told me he's currently doing 2 IGNITED workouts per day to get better and he gets on the gun to get up shots at night too.
2. Lift 4-5 Days Per Week. I have had the biggest gains from players that will even commit to lift twice a day in the offseason. Now is the time to build strength, so playing too many games may limit the quality of your lifts, so plan carefully.
3. Play Pickup Games and 1 on 1 with Older and Better Players 2-3 times a week. If you are wanting to improve, the only way is the play stronger, older, and better players. Playing at your local rec center against kids you can trash will not make you better, in fact, it may make you worse by forming bad habits. If you can play with pros or current college players, that's ideal. If you are female, play with the boys your age.
4. Play AAU during live sessions, or major events only. One of the biggest downfalls of some AAU teams is that they play way too many games and it takes a toll on players mentally. I have seen elite players lose their edge by getting tired of playing so many games. I feel it's better to get in the gym and work on your game, lift, get quicker, and limit the number of games to keep you hungry, so say no to playing every weekend.
5. Schedule in "dead periods" where you take planned rest weekends. I've been told that Kobe takes a month off from basketball after the long intensity of the NBA season. My high school coach used to make me take 2 weeks off after the season where I couldn't touch a ball. I don't think its necessary to not lift and stay in condition, but I do think its good to stay out of a gym for a while to stay fresh.
To all those that believe in 100% TRUE GAME, keep up the fight! You will get there!
Coach D
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