How to Prepare for Basketball Season With Preseason Training

Preseason is when players turn preparation into performance. Before the games start, you have an opportunity to build your conditioning, sharpen your skills, and develop the confidence that comes from knowing your work is translating into results.

But getting shots up isn’t enough. The goal is to make every rep count.

That’s where the Dr. Dish Home (DDH) can help.

With the Dr. Dish basketball shooting machine for home, you can get game-like reps, challenge yourself with competitive workouts, and use performance data to understand how you’re actually progressing. Not just how many shots you took.

1. Start With a Preseason Baseline

Before you build your preseason routine, establish where your game is today.

Use the DDH to complete a few workouts and pay attention to your results. Look at your shooting percentage, makes, attempts, and performance from different areas of the court.

This gives you a starting point.

Instead of saying, “I need to become a better shooter,” you can identify specific areas to work on:

• Where is your shooting percentage lowest?
• Which spots on the floor need more attention?
• How does your accuracy change as you get tired?
• How many quality reps are you getting?
• Are your numbers improving over time?

Your preseason training becomes much more effective when you know exactly what you’re working toward.

2. Stop Shooting Blind

One of the biggest advantages of training with the DDH is the ability to track your work.

You can shoot hundreds of shots on your own, but without data, it can be difficult to know whether those reps are actually making you better.

DDH workouts provide measurable feedback so you can see how you performed and track your progress over time.

Don’t just count your shots. Track your results.

For example, if you consistently struggle from the corners, make that a focus of your next workouts. If your shooting percentage drops significantly when you're moving quickly between spots, incorporate more movement-based shooting.

The data helps turn your workouts from “I got shots up today” into “I improved this part of my game today.”

3. Build Game-Like Reps

Preseason training shouldn't look like standing in one spot and casually shooting jumpers.

Games are unpredictable. You’re moving, changing directions, reacting to situations, and shooting while fatigued.

Use DDH workouts to recreate those demands.

Mix in:

• Catch-and-shoot reps
• Movement shooting
• Shots from multiple areas of the court
• Game-speed workouts
• Competitive challenges
• Conditioning-based shooting
• Pressure situations

The goal is to train your body and mind to execute when the game gets fast.

4. Use Competitive Workouts to Add Pressure

Being able to knock down shots in an empty gym is one thing. Making them when you’re tired, under pressure, or racing against the clock is another.

DDH gives you the opportunity to add competition to your individual workouts through interactive games and challenges.

• Green Light Challenge
• Me vs Me
• Knockdown
• Multiplayer

Set a target. Try to beat your previous score. Challenge a teammate. Track your progress.

When you make your workouts competitive, you can create a level of pressure that helps prepare you for the demands of the season.

5. Train Your Weaknesses, Not Just Your Strengths

It’s easy to spend your offseason taking the shots you already make.

But preseason is the perfect time to attack the areas of your game that need the most work.

Use your DDH data to identify opportunities for improvement, then build workouts around them.

If your left-side shooting percentage is lower than your right, get more reps there.

If your accuracy drops when you’re moving, incorporate more movement shooting.

If you struggle to maintain your percentage late in workouts, challenge yourself to make shots while fatigued.

Your data can tell you where to work. Your workouts give you the opportunity to improve.

6. Track Your Progress Throughout Preseason

Preseason training isn't about having one great workout. It's about building consistency.

Continue checking your DDH data throughout your training period. Compare your results from week to week and look for trends.

Are you making more shots?

Is your shooting percentage improving?

Are you performing better in game-like workouts?

Are you maintaining your accuracy as workouts become more difficult?

Those improvements give you something more valuable than a high shot count: proof that your training is working.

7. Take Your Training Into the Season

The work you put in during preseason should prepare you for what happens when the games begin.

By using the DDH to combine high-quality reps, game-like training, competition, and measurable data, you can build a more intentional approach to your preparation.

Don't just walk into the gym and shoot.

Have a plan. Get your reps. Track your results. Find your weaknesses. Then attack them.

Because when preseason training is purposeful, you’re not just preparing to play.

You're preparing to perform.

Ready to Make Every Rep Count?

With the Dr. Dish Home, you can bring structured, data-driven basketball training into your own gym, driveway, or home setup. Get more purposeful reps and see how your game is progressing with every workout.

Train smarter. Track your progress. Be ready when the season starts.