Two days after I posted last week’s blog on the Ankles & Feet, the Wall Street Journal’s David Bideman (coincidentally) wrote a provocative article on why Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash prefer wearing low top sneakers when they play.  Here are a few key points from the article:

 

Kobe Bryant specifically asked Nike to make his latest signature shoe low-cut because “I feel like I can move around better.”  Steve Nash agreed.  When asked why he doesn’t wear high-tops, he said “I feel less mobile.”  They both admit that having their ankles freed up and unencumbered allows them to play better. This is coming from two guys who have combined for 17 All-Star appearances and 19 playoff appearances in the last 10 years alone!

 

The article also offered an eye opening stat to back up my belief that high tops and ankle braces (or tape) do very little to prevent injury. According to NBA statistician Harvey Pollack, NBA players missed 64% more games last season because of foot related injuries than they did 20 years ago. Wow.

 

Also, after seeing my blog and video on the Ankles & Feet, a colleague turned me on to the Ankle Foot Maximizer (www.AFX-Online.com). I ordered one immediately!

 

OK… now on to our topic.

 

I get hundreds of emails per month from youth basketball coaches around the world asking questions about proper training. One of the main topics they ask is about athletic testing. 

 

Should we test?

What tests should we do?

How often should we test? 

 

These are all valid questions.

 

I think proper testing can be a valuable tool for identifying athletic strengths and weaknesses as well as for monitoring progress over time. With that said, you must pick appropriate (standardized) tests, collect accurate and reliable “scores”, and conduct additional follow up tests throughout the year to measure improvement.  And even then, it is only useful if players participate in a comprehensive training program that addresses their specific needs.  Telling a player “their agility score is really low” without giving them the specific means to improve it is absolutely useless.

 

High school basketball players can be tested at the following intervals:

 

·         The end of the school year (now!)

·         The beginning of the school year (to measure their summer off-season improvement)

·         The beginning of the playing season (to measure their pre-season improvement)

·         The end of the playing season (to measure their in-season improvement)

·         The end of the school year (to measure their spring off-season improvement)

 

If you are interested in the athletic testing protocols we use for youth basketball players, please check out http://tinyurl.com/StrongerTeamTesting.  

 

If you really want info from an expert on athletic testing, please visit www.BamTesting.com. Paul Schmidt (BAM Testing – Basic Athletic Measurement), a friend and colleague of mine, is the master of athletic testing.  Last weekend Paul directed the testing portion of the annual NBA Pre-Draft Combine.  As always, he did a phenomenal job. He is a master at his craft and someone I truly respect.

 

However, in my opinion, athletic testing is a much more valuable tool for working with youth basketball players than it is for players on the cusp of the NBA.  For a player who has progressed to the verge of playing professional basketball… the scores from athletic testing become irrelevant.  At that point, all that matters is can he play?! Jonathan Givony of Draft Express wrote a brilliant article a few years ago that I wholeheartedly agree with, http://tinyurl.com/CanHePlay.

 

Athletic tests do NOT predict future success on the court. 

 

If you have ever seen John Wall play, you know he is an exceptional athlete on the court.  He possesses all of the qualities you want in a basketball player - quick, explosive, elusive, and has a motor that doesn’t stop.  From what I was told, he also happened to test very well at the combine. 

 

But what if he hadn’t?  

 

What if his vertical jump, agility shuttle, and ¾ court sprint weren’t so stellar? What if they were mediocre scores? Should that give the Wizards’ some doubt in drafting him? Of course not! Regardless of his scores, John Wall has already proven with his play at Kentucky that he possesses the necessary ability to compete in the NBA.

 

Now that was a hypothetical example because John Wall did test well.  However, if you comb back through the test results from the last few years, you will see numerous examples of players who didn’t test well but have still gone on to become elite NBA players. 

 

Don’t believe me? Three years ago, Kevin Durant ranked second to last at the combine (including the inability to bench press 185 even once).  DJ Strawberry, on the other hand, ranked the highest overall.  What has happened since? KD was the 2^nd overall pick in the draft, won Rookie of the Year, and is currently an NBA All-Star and the youngest player in history to lead the league in scoring.  DJ was drafted at the end of the 2^nd round and is currently in the D-League.

 

Their fates were the exact opposite of their combine numbers!  

 

And there are dozens of similar examples. Heck, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade weren’t even the highest rated athletes when they went through the combine. You know who was? Troy Bell.  Who is that? Exactly my point.

 

Using the current combine tests to predict success on the court uses faulty logic.  Look at the bench press as an example. Having long arms is a huge disadvantage when bench pressing.  The longer your arms, the farther you have to move the weight.  That is why the world’s best bench pressers have arms like a Tyrannosaurus Rex!  Yet having long arms is a distinct advantage on the court. Long arms make you a more formidable defender and helps with your ability to shoot, rebound, etc.  So if having long arms is an advantage on the court, why would you have a test where long arms are a disadvantage?  It makes no sense. I have bench pressed 185 lbs as many as 25 times before. Do you think I should be drafted?!

 

Let’s examine this faulty logic from another perspective. Each of the athletic combine tests are closed skills. By definition, closed skills are “performed with a predetermined starting point and finish. They do not require the central nervous system to process feedback from external stimuli in order to properly perform the movement.” Too scientific? Closed skills do not require the player to react, which is an integral ingredient in basketball.  Also, closed skills can be practiced, over and over for thousands of repetitions, until the nervous system has “memorized” the movement.  Meaning yes, if you run through the pro lane agility a million times before the combine, you will improve your score.  But is that time well spent? Does having a fast pro lane agility time guarantee you will be quicker on the court when you have to move and react to the game? No! It's apples and oranges.

 

While the combine tests are closed skills, basketball is a game of open skills. Open skills “require the player to process information from external stimuli and react accordingly.  The player must take this external information, such as the movement of an offensive player, process it and then produce appropriate movements.”  I know, too technical, sorry. Whether going for a rebound, guarding an offensive player, or cutting to the basket to catch a pass – basketball is predicated on being able to read and react. Basketball is a game of open skills. So why do folks place so much emphasis on testing players with a battery of closed skill tests?

 

In order for the combine to predict success on the court, they need to come up with tests that measure reaction, anticipation, basketball IQ, competiveness, leadership, or toughness.  After all, these are traits that will dictate how successful a player will be at the next level.  A player’s college body of work as well as his performance at the individual team workouts should be the most heavily weighted indicators of future success… not his score on the bench press or vertical jump.

 

Same goes for testing kids at the high school level.  Seasonal tests can (and should) be used to make sure players are progressing… but should not be used as a predictor of future success on the court.

 

UPDATE:

 

We have just completed the 8th week of the Can He Dunk? Project (www.CanHeDunk.com). The program is going very well and all 7 participants have made tremendous progress.  We will release the promo video in mid-June and the final webisodes will air in early July (which will include each player’s weekly dunk attempts, player interviews, and highlights from their workouts).

 

Also, this past month I have been working out the key members of the DeMatha Basketball team before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Here is a video clip of our before school strength training workouts: http://tinyurl.com/DeMathaMorningWorkout.

 

If you like motivational quotes, please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. I would be honored to help. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

 

 

 

A basketball player’s feet are important.  Let me rephrase that.  A basketball player’s feet are extremely important. There are approximately 26 bones and 20 muscles in the feet. That fact alone should shed some light on their significance.

 

Basketball is (supposed to be) played standing upright on two feet.  Therefore, every movement a player makes on the court is initiated through their feet.  Everything starts with the feet. Similarly, can you guess what the most common injury is for basketball players at every level?

 

The ankle.

 

Strong and mobile ankles and feet will lessen the occurrence of injury, decrease the time lost if an injury does occur, and will improve performance on the court.

 

As obvious as these statements sound, most players and coaches put very littler priority on training the feet properly.  The goal of this blog is to change that. So please, share this with every coach and player you know!

 

Before I go further, let me make it crystal clear that this is not a research project or case study. This is my blog.  My stance on training the feet and my opposition to ankle braces (and tape) is purely my opinion.  I am in no way trying to refute the advice of a qualified athletic trainer or podiatrist or any legit study that has been conducted.  However, my opinion is based on 10+ years of experience in the field, thousands of hours of observations, a firm understanding of the human body and efficient movement, and numerous conversations with colleagues.

 

Basketball shoes are designed to be rigid (with stiff soles) to create as much stability as possible. To further increase stability, many players also wear ankle braces or get their ankles taped. Here lies the problem. By creating so much stability, you drastically limit mobility. Severely limiting mobility will weaken the muscles of the ankles and feet. What happens to a person’s forearm muscle when their arm has been immobilized in a cast from a broken wrist? It atrophies (weakens).  So do the muscles of the feet when they are confined to rigid shoes and ankle braces for long periods of time. I know players who wear basketball shoes and ankle braces 20+ hours per week!

 

I am not opposed to wearing basketball shoes when you are playing.  The stability and support is a necessity.  But you don’t need to wear them when you are training.  And ankle braces?  Tape? With the exception of a player who suffered a previous ankle injury, or someone taking a direct recommendation from a qualified professional… ankle braces (and tape) are absolutely unnecessary when playing and when training.

 

Still not convinced? The other day I flipped on ESPN Classic and saw the 1973 NBA Finals (Game 4) between the Knicks and the Celtics, featuring Hall of Famers Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Dave Cowens. In addition to wearing shorts that looked like boxer briefs, every single player was wearing low top Adidas sneakers. No braces. No tape. And guess what? No injuries!

 

What did players wear before Adidas? Chuck Taylors! Thin canvas and a flat rubber sole. Talk about no ankle support! Despite the archaic footwear, I doubt there was a higher rate of ankle injuries in the 60’s and 70’s than there is today.  You know why? Because players back then had strong, mobile ankles and feet.

 

Ankle braces weaken ankles and limit mobility (not to mention natural movement).  Given how important the feet and ankles are, why would you do something that makes them weaker and less mobile?

 

Every time you run or jump, you do what is called triple extension. That is extension at the ankles, knees, and hips.  If any one of those joints is not working properly (weak or tight), it limits the function of the other two.  So weak, tight ankles limit a player’s ability to run and jump to their potential.  Having weak, tight ankles will also cause the body to compensate in a variety of ways during movement… which can lead to knee and back issues. Remember, everything starts with the feet.

 

So how do you strengthen your ankles and feet?  By setting them free and taking off your shoes!

 

When you work out in your bare feet (or with socks) you can feel all of the intrinsic muscles of your toes, feet, and ankles.  At first, this will feel liberating (and probably awkward) because you rarely get to feel these muscles when wearing basketball shoes and ankle braces.

 

NOTE: I am only suggesting barefoot training for players with healthy feet and no pre-existing conditions (unless cleared by a doctor).  Players with excessively high arches, previous stress fractures, or ankle sprains should avoid barefoot training (or at least make severe modifications) to reduce the chance of injury.

 

How much is the right amount of barefoot training?  Once a player has has been acclimated to some rudimentary barefoot exercises, they should do as many things barefoot as they can in the confines of a safe, controlled training environment.  For most players, 5-15 minutes per workout is a good rule of thumb.

 

If you have been wearing ankle braces regularly for an extended period of time, you need to gradually wean yourself off of them.  Don’t go from wearing them all the time to not at all. Your ankles and feet aren’t ready for that. You are begging for an injury.  You need to begin a progressive, structured ankle and foot strengthening program, while at the same time slowly decreasing your dependence on the braces.

 

What should you do in your bare feet?  Many of the same things you do with shoes on! Squats, lunges, dynamic flexibility movements, and low level hops are all great to do shoeless.

 

If you want to see several dozen exercises we use to strengthen our player’s feet and ankles, check out: http://tinyurl.com/StrongFeet

 

We don’t do all of these exercises every workout.  We pick a few and rotate them. Some are geared towards strengthening the feet, while others are more focused on the ankle.  We begin with the most basic exercises and have the player progress as they become acclimated and their feet become stronger.  We perform our barefoot exercises on an appropriate surface (cautious of impact, slipping, etc.).  Our goal is to improve foot and ankle strength, mobility, and proprioception (the body’s perception of movement and special awareness).

 

In addition to adding some barefoot training to your regimen, our 12-Week Basketball Off-Season Agility & Conditioning Program will available very soon. It was designed to be done in conjunction with the strength & power portion (currently for sale). You will be able to purchase it at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.  These two programs are exactly what a player needs to get stronger, quicker, more explosive and in great basketball shape.  Remember, the best players are in the best shape!

 

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

 

I have added two new FREE sections to the Media Gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com (please use Internet Explorer to view):

 

Coaching Nuggets: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=20

 

A collection of tidbits and handouts I have compiled over the years from some brilliant coaching minds. I am not the original author of any of these nor have I edited them in any fashion. I will add one new coaching nugget per week!

 

Exercise Library: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=23

A vast library of exercises for basketball coaches and players. Clips fall under one of ten categories: pre-hab, warm-up, dynamic flexibility, plyos, agility, core, lower body, upper body, finisher, and cool down. Included is the intro (explanation) for each section. I will add one clip per day for 100 straight days. I began on May 1, 2010).

 

If you like motivational quotes, please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. I would be honored to help. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

It is time to start thinking about making your off-season as productive as possible.  What you do this spring and summer will determine how successful you are next season. Championship programs and elite level players are built in the off-season!  That is why THE BEST PLAYERS ARE IN THE BEST SHAPE!

 

The primary goal of Stronger Team is to provide the latest basketball specific strength & conditioning information, concepts, and drills to help coaches and players of all levels maximize their basketball potential.

This post is an update to the blog I posted last week called “Random Stuff.”  I wanted to post an update because several of the launch dates of our products and programs have been delayed. I know many of you are anxiously awaiting our two specific off-season downloads:

 

·         12 Week Off-Season Strength & Power Program for Basketball ($39.99)

·         12 Week Off-Season Agility & Conditioning Program for Basketball ($39.99)

I sincerely apologize for the delay in releasing them. My team and I are (literally) working around the clock to get them finished!  We aimed to have them ready by April 1^st, but finalizing them is taking much longer than we anticipated.  I give you my word we will have them ready absolutely as soon as we possibly can.  And believe me… they will be well worth the wait! We will send out an announcement upon their release.

 

In the meantime, here are six NEW instant downloads to guide your off-season training that will be ready by the end of this week. You can purchase them at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com:

 

·         8 Week ACL Injury Prevention Program for Basketball ($29.99) – a must for all female players/coaches!

·         Medicine Ball Workouts for Basketball Players ($24.99)

·         Vertimax Program for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         Treadmill Conditioning Program for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         Recovery and Regeneration for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         Athletic Testing and Evaluation for Basketball Players ($19.99)

Here are a few previous instant downloads that are very applicable to the off-season:

 

·         Metabolic Conditioning Workouts for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         On Court Strength Workout for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         Pre/Post Workout Stretches for Basketball Players ($19.99)

·         Nutritional Guidelines for Basketball Players ($19.99)

In addition to our instant downloads and DVDs, here are 5 FREE resources we have to help you this off-season:

 

1)    “Coaching Nuggets” – many of you received the initial batches of coaching tidbits, hand-outs, and stories. Now we plan to send one new “coaching nugget” per month.  To receive the April Stronger Team Coaching Nugget, you must subscribe to our email list at www.StrongerTeam.com. We are creating a new section on our website to archive all of the previous Coaching Nuggets (in case you missed them).

 

2)    YouTube – free videos of team workouts, motivational speeches, and behind the scenes looks at the McDonalds All-American game, Jordan All-American Classic, and the Nike Skills Academies (www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom).  

 

3)    Can He Dunk? – Want to see if I can get six high school players to dunk after 10 weeks of training?  We are currently in the second week of training and are documenting everything on film.  We plan to air the entire Can He Dunk? Series (5 episodes) this summer (probably in July).  Start date TBA.

 

4)    Twitter – for daily motivational quotes and insight from elite camps and events (www.Twitter.com/AlanStein).    

 

5)     100 Exercises in 100 Days – in a few weeks I will begin to upload one video a day for one hundred straight days, creating a vast library of basketball training exercises and drills. This content will be added to the media gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com. Start date TBA.

I hope you find this info helpful and I wish you the absolute best this off-season! Please forward this email to any coach or player you think would benefit and don’t hesitate to let me know how I can be of service to you or your program.

 

Remember this:

 

“Champions do not become champions on the court. They become recognized on the court.  They become champions because of their daily routine and commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.”

 

Train hard. Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

 

Wow, what an amazing NCAA Championship game!  Congrats to Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils.  I also want to congratulate Coach Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs for an amazing season.

A lot has happened since my last blog post.

Jack and Luke came home from the hospital and are doing very well.  They have each gained a pound since birth, which is funny because my usual recommendation for weight gain for high school basketball players looking to add muscle in the off-season is to try and gain a pound a week!  Looks like my boys are already on the program.

Despite having newborns, my wonderful wife allowed me to sneak off to Columbus, OH to work my 5^th straight McDonalds All-American Game.  It is such an honor to work that event each year and a real pleasure to re-connect with many of the players I worked with this past summer.  The McDonalds folks bring me in to conduct warm-ups before each practice (and the game) and to serve as a strength & conditioning resource for the players and coaches who don’t have such expertise at home.

Here is a video of one of the warm-ups I took the players through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ufai44l1ic

I also posted a video of the halftime show, a talented group of exhibition dunkers called Team Flight Brothers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eDilgrA820

After the McDonald’s game I flew back in time to join Montrose for our game against Montverde Academy in the 2^nd Annual ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.  For those who weren’t there or didn’t see it on ESPNU, we lost a heartbreaker by 2 points.  We led most of the second half until Montverde’s point guard hit an off-balance lay-up with 2 seconds left in the game.  While I would have certainly preferred to win, I am at peace with the loss because our team played very well.  We played hard, played smart, and we played together.  We just came up a bit short… very similar to the way Butler did.  Butler has nothing to feel bad about and neither do we.

Here is one final update on a variety of resources to help you this off-season:

For those of you on my email subscription list, you will be receiving an email at the beginning of next week announcing the release of several new off-season training products.  There will be a dozen new downloadable PDF documents for sale, including a comprehensive, detailed 12 Week Off-Season Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program. This program will outline exactly what needs to be done this off-season – exercise by exercise, day by day, and week by week.  It will be available next week at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.

In addition to info on these cutting edge training products, I will also be sending a few FREE “coaching nuggets.” These “coaching nuggets” are handouts, notes, and stories I have accumulated from some brilliant basketball minds.  I plan to send out a “coaching nugget” or two every month, so make sure you join our email subscription list at www.StrongerTeam.com.  You can sign up directly under the menu bar on the left side of the homepage. 

Last week I selected the 6 participants for our new series called “Can He Dunk?” I chose 6 local high school age players who can’t currently dunk. I will document their training program and see if I can get them to dunk by the end of the 10 weeks!  Their workouts begin this week and I will air the videos at the end of May or beginning of June. Make sure you subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom so you don’t miss any of the action.

I was all ready to launch my 100 Exercises in 100 Days promotion on April 1^st, but hit a slight snag with the production company that did the filming.  I am still waiting on the final clips.  As soon as I receive those I will post one clip a day for one hundred straight days.  This exercise library will be an asset to any player or coach (and it’s FREE)!

Clips will be posted in the Stronger Team media gallery: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?g=album&aid=5

Last but not least, below is my spring schedule, with the contact info for each event.  I will be conducting clinics and group workouts in Wisconsin, Maryland, Ohio, Utah, Texas, New York, Michigan, Virginia, Missouri, and Iowa. I hope to see you there!

If you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Train hard. Train smart. Deserve success.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

 

Alan Stein 2010 Spring Event Schedule:

 

Clinic Features:

• Movement Preparation

• Dynamic Flexibility

• Reaction, Quickness, Agility & Footwork

• Core Strengthening Exercises

• Basketball Specific Conditioning

• Motivational Life Lessons

 

Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in Dells, WI (April 24)

http://www.basketballcoach.com/cgi-bin/basketball/clinics/2010/wisconsindells-wi-basketball-clinic.html

 

Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Clinic in Madison, WI (April 24)

Email Mr. Seneca Blue at blue24553@aol.com  

 

Alexander Basketball Academy Clinic in Frederick, MD (May 1)

Email Mr. John Alexander at John@ABasketballAcademy.com  

 

Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Clinic in Cleveland, OH (May 2)

Email Mr. Sean O’Toole at SOToole@Ignatius.edu  

 

The Big Game Fundamentals Conference (with Stronger Woman Basketball) in Lehi, UT (May 6-7)

Email Ms. Steph Wood at StrongerWomanBasketball@gmail.com  

 

Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Clinic in Dallas, TX (May 8)

Email Mr. David Kilpatrick at David_Kilpatrick@sbcglobal.net  

 

Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in Verona, NY (May 15)

http://www.basketballcoach.com/cgi-bin/basketball/clinics/2010/verona-ny-basketball-clinic.html

 

Smarter Team Training Clinic in Wixom, MI (May 22)

Email Mr. Rob Taylor at RPTaylor@loyola.edu  

 

Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Clinic in Richmond, VA (May 23)

Email Mr. Kevin Brooks at KBrooks@modis.com  

 

Pure Sweat Basketball Clinic in St. Louis, MO (May 29-30)

Email Mr. Jason Frye at JasonF@smtcstl.com  

 

Kingdom Hoops Basketball Clinic in Ankeny, IA (June 9)

Email Mr. Julian Seay at JulianSeay@gmail.com  

 

1 on 1 Basketball Camp in Germantown, MD (August 2-6)

Email Mr. Brett Isaacson at Brett@1on1Basketball.com  

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we (Montrose Christian) are currently preparing to play in the 2^nd Annual ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.  We drew the 8^th seed and will play the tournament’s #1 seed, Montverde Academy (ranked 9^th in the nation by ESPN) at Coppin State (Baltimore) on ESPN U at 2:00pm on Thursday, April 1^st. 

Montverde Academy, coached by the brilliant Kevin Sutton, beat us in late January by 2 points… which in retrospect was the exact moment our season began to unravel (considering we lost our next two games).  So we are excited to have the opportunity to play them again!  National powers Oak Hill (VA), Findlay Prep (NV), Winter Park (FL), and Christ School (NC) are also playing, making this the nation’s top post-season high school tournament.

Our coaching staff decided to take an entirely different approach to our preparation for this tournament. We wanted to shake things up, start anew, and put this past season’s adversities behind us.

To initiate this “new beginning”, on our first day back we decided to have the team come over to my training facility for a team workout, instead of having a normal practice.  We felt this change of scenery and break from the norm would help get their competitive juices flowing and set the tone for the next couple of weeks. We were right! 

I put the team through an intense circuit training workout. I filmed the workout and have posted it as three separate videos on our YouTube channel.

Montrose Basketball Team Warm-up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1azoC95MU

Montrose Basketball Team Circuit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDXmpfX4V6A 

Montrose Basketball Team Competition "> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irg4LNkn3T0     

You have to see these videos!  

Here is a description of the workout:

Team Warm-up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1azoC95MU

We began with an active warm-up:

·         Movement series

o   Walk backwards with long strides, walk backwards staying low, “awkward” walk forward, stationary step behind lunge, and stationary crossover lunge.

·         Medicine ball series

o   Front pivots (rip the ball through high for 5 and low for 5) (10 pivots each foot)

o   One foot balance and reach (Reach to the front, left, right, back) (3 reaches each direction / each foot)

o   Triple threat first step (long jab / first step) (10 long steps each foot)

·         Tire pushes (with partner) (10 pushes with two feet, 10 pushes on one foot / each foot)

·         Rope hops (full rope with both feet and half the rope with each foot individually)

Team Circuit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDXmpfX4V6A 

We set up a metabolic conditioning circuit for the upper and lower body.  There were 10 stations.  Each player worked for 1:00 and then rested for 1:00 (when they switched stations).

1.    High step up with 75 lb. sandbag (med ball substitute)

2.    Tire flips and pogo jumps (two different size tires: 300-400 lb and a 500-600 lb)

3.    Medicine ball defensive slide and throw (12 lb ball)

4.    Vertimax rim touches / dunks (heavy cord, level one)

5.    Rope climb with elevated feet (2” diameter rope)

6.    Kettlebell Turkish get-ups (15 lb and 25 lb Kettlebells)

7.    Band high pulls / low pulls (heavy resistance cord)

8.    High bar jump pull-ups (one bar set at 10’ and one set at 9’ 6”)

9.    Band push-ups (medium resistance band)

10. Sled pulls (150 lbs)

Team Competition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irg4LNkn3T0

Once the circuit was complete we did three competitive drills where the players accumulated points (overall winner was awarded a prize).  WARNING: two of these drills our players hadn’t done since elementary school! But they loved it!

·         Freeze tag: we made a 25’ x 25’ box and played tag with 4 players (1 person was “it”).  They had 10 seconds to tag all three players.  They got one point for each person they tagged.  Each group took 40 seconds (all 4 people were “it”).  We went through it twice. 

·         Card catch: I had a standard deck of playing cards and would throw them in the air and the players tried to catch them before they hit the ground.  This is very, very difficult as the cards flutter around unpredictably. It is an awesome drill for hand/eye coordination and lateral movement.  They got one point for each catch (I threw 10 cards per player).  Once all 10 ten cards had been thrown, they had to sprint/slide and touch each card as fast as possible.

·         Tug of war: I divided the team into two, 5-man groups and let them play good old fashioned tug of war.  We did the best two out of three.  The winning team each got 2 points.  Even though it was mid-March, we were lucky enough to have a beautiful 65 degree day… hence the reason we finished outdoors.

I think injecting a workout like this into your off-season program once a month is ideal.

If you need additional help or guidance with your off-season program, I am currently finalizing a comprehensive, detailed 12 Week Off-Season Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program. This program will outline exactly what needs to be done this off-season – exercise by exercise, day by day, and week by week.  It will be available the first week of April at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.

Also, as a reminder I am launching a YouTube series called “Can He Dunk?,” where I will document a rigorous training program for a select group of high school players… and see if I can get them to dunk after 10 weeks of training! Make sure you subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom so you don’t miss any of the action.

On a personal note, my beautiful wife gave birth to our twin boys (Jack and Luke) earlier this week.  Granted I am biased, but they are both pretty handsome.  Several scouting services already have them ranked in the Top 5 of the Class of 2028!  All kidding aside, I am so very thankful for these new additions and am so excited for this new chapter in my life.  I look forward to the joy (and challenge) of being a parent!

If you would like to receive FREE monthly “coaching nuggets” please make sure you join our email list at www.StrongerTeam.com.  You can sign up directly under the menu bar on the left side of the homepage.  These “coaching nuggets” are handouts, notes, and stories I have accumulated from some brilliant basketball minds.

 

If you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com