Coaches’ Views: Approach To Pre-Season

1. Approach to training players during pre-season?

Vinoth’s Answer

Pre-season resistance training should simulate game-like conditions.

Players finishing their off-season and stepping into pre-season should focus more on strength, explosiveness, & endurance.

Volume and intensity during pre-season will be the inverse of off-season training (high volume + low intensity)

The duration of work will be reduced as intensity increases due to players increasing the volume of skill/game-specific practice as the season nears.

This is important so that players are not overtraining 

A study conducted by Balabinis – 2003 in that findings the concurrent training method can be the most beneficial way to increase strength, power, and aerobic endurance during the preseason.

Your training should be position specific

Example

• Guards – focus on speed endurance, quickness, and agility.
• Shooting Guard/ Small Forward- focus on linear speed & acceleration and dynamic balance.
• Power Forwards / Centers – focus on dynamic and static strength, vertical power.

2. How do you get players to buy into the importance of Strength and Conditioning?

Vinoth’s Answer

1. Listening to feedback on areas players wish to improve such eg: as being quicker or jumping higher. We are able to use the feedback given to educate and promote the importance of speed, and explosiveness in the weight room
2. Focusing and prioritizing one goal at a time 
3. Testing periodically (at suitable times) to track progress helps players stay motivated and reinforces the importance of strength and conditioning training

3. How can coaches implement/reinforce important aspects of strength and conditioning in practices? What may this look like in a practice?

Vinoth’s Answer

I use a few drills which incorporate things we focus on in the weight room onto the basketball court

• 1. One dribble layup from the perimeter with a mini hurdle. Explanation – jumping over a mini hurdle just before taking a layup. Progress by increasing the hurdle height.

• 2. Quick Reaction + Acceleration. Explanation – player stands in front of a partner who is five meters away, the partner holds the tennis ball at shoulder height, the partner drops the tennis ball, and the player must catch the ball before the 2nd bounce. This drill can be used during a warm-up or with ball handling.

• 3. Strength and power drill. Explanation – player partner up with each other shoulder to shoulder, players make contact with each other while holding their position. Can be used as a warm-up drill or added into boxing out / rebounding or power lay-up drills.