by Chris Jansen, on Jul 12, 2024 8:00:00 AM
You spend countless hours during the season grinding through practices, traveling long distances, and putting your body to the test in hard fought games. So when the off-season finally rolls around, all you want to do is take a long break and relax until the season starts up again.
But, why is it so important to push beyond this mindset and put work in during the summer too? Take a look below at why off-season training supports great basketball players.
During our recent Basketball Parent Survey, we asked over 500 parents if they noticed any significant benefits or improvements in their child’s skills as a result of off-season training. 97% of parents said they saw significant improvement in basketball skills and/or overall athleticism and fitness. Why?
Conditioning
During the season - it’s difficult to push yourself past what you’re already comfortable with. You need to keep your stamina up and get optimal rest in the downtime so you can perform at a high level during games. High intensity training really isn’t an option in-season besides playing in the game.
In the off-season, you have no obligations outside of pushing yourself to get better. You can go past your previous limits and expand your gas tank from long runs, interval sprinting, and extended cardio sessions. This will help you in the final minutes of a tough game when everyone else is starting to fatigue.
In order to get better, going further than what you thought was possible with your body is a must. Keep going when you think you can’t - and you’ll be surprised with the results!
Strength Building
When you're focusing on team practices and games during the season, it’s difficult to pack on extra muscle and strength at such a calorie deficit.
During the off-season you can really focus on getting stronger in the gym with more time available. Make sure you are performing lifts that will functionally improve your performance and not detract from it.
If you’re looking for a resource or a sheet to guide your lifting journey, be sure to download our FREE Off-Season Player Guide for proven workout logs and pro advice.
Focused Skills Training
Did you struggle going left last season? Or maybe your free throws weren’t dropping? Whatever the case may be, the off-season is the time to iron out these issues so they don’t arise again as.
Specialized skill training is essential to improving what you're skills you're lacking in, and build upon what is already great in your game. It’s not just how many reps you can get up, but rather how many “focused” reps you can - so it’s more than just going through the motions.
We have a variety of great drills you can utilize to work on improving your skills this off-season. If you want to learn more, checkout our YouTube channel for countless drills and workouts from professional athletes, trainers, and coaches.
Visualizing Success
The game moves really fast. And it can be hard to process little details when you're in the middle of it. Taking a step back to study and re-familiarize yourself with your team’s system, your role, etc. in the off-season is essential for your basketball IQ.
Watching your own tape if possible, or even any high level professional game will help you understand the intricacies of this.
Another level to this is pickup runs with your team, or open gyms. Really focus on blending your skill sets into the system, and doing the little things right. This can go a long way in developing a certain level of comfortability with your teammates and the offense/defense.
Room to Make Errors
In the game - it’s generally frowned upon to make a bad play. Luckily in practice, no one is keeping score. You can make an effort to try new things, learn new moves, and reach new heights.
This is good for development. Everything is not meant to be perfect in practice - if it is, then you might not be pushing yourself to be a better player. As the great Michael Jordan says, “failure is the key to success.”
Injury Prevention
There are two parts to injury prevention:
1. Getting the optimal rest and rehab you need after the season is over to heal from any major or nagging injuries. Take a look at our 4 part rehab series with FIBA Trainer Justus Bejno for more guidance on proper rest.
2. Engaging in exercises that help prevent future injury for next season. Whether it’s a specialized program from a doctor or athletic trainer, or simply strength training, any weightlifting is usually good to “bulletproof” your body.
Training in the off-season has a variety of benefits that will help you become a better basketball player the next time the season rolls around. Make sure you are training hard, and with a purpose during this time period. There’s always someone trying to be better than you on the other team.
If you’re looking for off-season resources, checkout our FREE Dr. Dish Off-Season Player Guide which features instructional videos, drills, advice, and everything in between.
Not only will your basketball game level up on the court, but off the court as well. We brought in professional-level trainers to help you with your strength and conditioning, and to give you a plan to get ahead of what the competition is doing.
