What to Discover or Recall:
Physical Conditioning"Your only as good as your legs." Superior conditioning does not just happen nor is it acquired quickly. It is the result of a well thought out and executed program of exercise, rest, and diet. With rest and diet just as important as exercise. To be successful, each player as well as the team collectively, must be possessed with the desire and determination to develop superior physical condition. Throughout the course of the season most teams will be pushed and trained hard. However, what is done off the court is as important as what is done on it. It is going to be up to each individual to see that their maximum physical condition is achieved and maintained. Anything less is a violation of a trust. | Guidelines | Physiological Benefits | Learning Benefits | Conditioning Drills | Conditioning GuidelinesHave patience and do not rush your conditioning program. It is important to work up to strenuous exercise. Avoid straining and pushing players to the extent that they become over fatigued.
Physiological Benefits of Conditioning
Brain Boosting Benefits of Cardio ExerciseThere may be much more to being in shape than just gaining a physical advantage. Breaking a sweat on a regular basis can get your players into amazing shape, but new research has shown it can make them smarter too. Physical workouts will not only increase their muscular, respiratory and cardiovascular capabilities, it will also improve their smarts and productivity. Even a 30 minute workout pumps extra blood to the brain, delivering vital oxygen and nutrients it requires to perform at maximum efficiency. Cardiovascular workouts provide the brain with chemicals that enhance functions such as memory, problem solving and decision making. All which are critical to a successful basketball performance. Working Out the Brain at the Same Time as Your HeartAccording to clinical psychologist and memory researcher, Thomas Crook, PH. D, “cardiovascular health is more important than any other single factor in preserving and improving learning and memory. During exercise, all that extra blood bathes your brain cells with oxygen and glucose which they need to function. The more oxygen the brain gets, the better it performs.” Muscles also send hormones to your brain. These hormones mix with a chemical, called brain-derived neurotrophoic factor or BDNF, which plays a role in brain cell growth, mood regulation and learning. John, Rately, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says, “BDNF is like fertilizer for the brain. Without it, our brains can’t take in new information or make new cells.” He goes on to state that exercise has another vital role in signaling the release of several key hormones that not only affects learning and attention, but also influences attention, perception and motivation. By elevating these hormones in the brain, it helps keeps us in focus, feeling better and releases tension.” Importance of Practicing at Game SpeedIntensity of the workout does make a difference. A study in Neurobiolgy of Learning and Memory has found that people learned vocabulary words 20% faster after intense exercise than after low-intense exercising. Those who under take a more demanding exercise, experienced higher levels of BDNF, dopamine and epinephrine in their brains afterwards. Therefore, the more you challenge your body physically, the more the brain benefits. By being in great physical shape, it will not only allow your players to play harder and faster for longer periods of time, but will also enable them to think quicker and make better decisions.
Conditioning DrillsCondition with the Ball! Basketball is not cross country. Condition with the ball. Use fast break and full court drills for conditioning. Being able to execute at high speeds when tired is vital to a successful performance. Proven fast break and conditioning drills:
Don't expect players to condition at the same rate. Players condition at different rates. One size fits all does not apply to basketball. Do not expect your "Bigs" to condition at the same speed as the "Smalls." As a general rule, Smalls need to develop more physical strength while the Bigs need to work on improving their conditioning.
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