Sports in today's world look much different then 10-15 years ago. Training, skill, exposure, time, and motivation are just a few areas in which the game has evolved. One of the toughest questions a player faces is the amount of time they should train and how they do this most efficiently.
The pressure on athletes to succeed in today's athletics is at an all time high. Parents invest incredible amounts of time and money into their kids athletic aspirations. Kids have the ability to essentially train any sport at anytime. Because of this, the level in each sport is rising quickly.
Parents will oftentimes have their kids focus on one sport as they enter high school - also know as "specializing". The thinking is that they will have the chance to earn a scholarship or become a star in the sport.
For some players, playing multiple sports is a must and some kids are able to do it. When an athlete is playing in another sports season, it's very hard to maintain skill and consistency in other sports. If the player wants to be relevant in each sport, many times they will have to figure out how to squeeze in extra sessions during another sport season.
The question remains: what is the best way to do this and how much time should be dedicated to each sport? Here are 3 answers that will help with these questions.
1. EFFICIENT OFF-SEASON TRAINING
For one sport athletes, the off season is a time to rest and also focus on strengthening the weaknesses you may have. For athletes that play multiple sports, this is not always the case. Typically there isn't much rest time and definitely not as much free time to work on weaknesses from other sports. This is where training efficiently comes into play. Some players have time to get on the basketball court and goof around and throw up shots aimlessly for a couple hours a day. But are they really getting better? The goal is to get quality game-like training in especially if you are limited with time. With Dr. Dish shooting machines, players can now get in meaningful workouts that encompass all areas of basketball. This may be a 30 minute workout or even an hour workout but the amount of reps within the complete workout makes it quality training.
2. TRAINING TIME
There isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer to the question of "How long should I train for?". The goal should always be to train efficiently. Players that are single sport athletes have much more free time to pick and choose when to train or rest and typically can train more. Usually these players can play more pick up games or 2 on 2 sessions with their friends. If you are a multi-sport athlete, you typically need time to recover from your current sport so it's important to utilize the open hours you have each week. The goal is to get the most of the time you have and to make sure to rest when you can. Rest is big in preventing injury and staying on the court.
3. CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN
The last thing to remember is to always have fun and challenge yourself. With Dr. Dish Skill Builder, players can set goals for themselves and can also challenge teammates and friends. This will help push you and also make you a better basketball player. Coaches have the ability to design complete workouts that not only work on each player's weaknesses, they also help motivate players to be better through results. It's always good to know where you are at as a player and also have a goal to reach!
Countless number of Division 1 athletes and even professional athletes were multi-sport athletes growing up and throughout high school. Different skills from different sports can also carry over to success in multiple sports. For example, Steve Nash was a high level soccer player and the footwork he learned carried over to the basketball court.
While it's definitely not a requirement to specialize in one sport to earn a scholarship, it is always essential to train hard, train smart, and train with a purpose to maximize your potential.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
For more information on how you can take your basketball training to the next level, please visit our Dr. Dish Basketball Homepage or call 952-873-2633 today!
Check out how Chinese Phenom, Yanhao Zhao, used Dr. Dish to enhance his skill development!
