There are many key things basketball players need to incorporate into their training to ensure they're training hard, training smart, and training with a purpose. There is always room for improvement and we know our Dr. Dish Fam strives to Be Better Every Day! Check out some of the most common mistakes players make when training and how you can combat them below.
1. Not setting goals
Players might not set goals for a variety of reasons. They don't want to share or be held accountable for fear of failure, teams or coaches haven't placed an emphasis on goal setting, or they don't know where to begin.
It's important that players understand goals need to be challenging but not unattainable. Using a template like SMART goals to set specific, measurable, results-focused, and time-bound goals can assist with the process. Goals can help guide your off-season training, help your coach know what areas you're looking to develop in, and ultimately build your confidence as you achieve and set future goals!
2. Training at one speed
Training at one speed is not realistic to game situations. Pace is extremely important in training because the game of basketball is unpredictable at times requiring players to change direction, different plays, running the floor, slowing down the offense and more!
It's easier for a defender to guard a player that doesn't change pace often. The hardest players to guard are the ones that can explode on a drop of a dime or the ones that utilize their speed at the right moments. When training make sure to shoot the basketball in a variety of situations and work on changing pace so that its realistic to game action.
3. Not tracking progress
How will you know if you're making progress towards your goal of shooting 10,000 or 30,000 reps in the off-season if you don't keep track?! Once you've established your goals, it's important to define how you'll hold yourself accountable.
Using Dr. Dish shooting machines while training is a great way to keep track of your stats. Whether you're looking to improve your FG%, shooting from a specific area on the court, or just overall reps you'll get instant feedback on all your workouts revealing makes, takes, percentage, heat maps and more!
4. Not focusing on recovery
Players may be working hard on the court but there is plenty to do off the court to ensure they're making progress and avoiding injury. Proper stretching and mobility before and after workouts is key to injury prevention. Other small details that shouldn't be neglected are nutrition, proper sleep, and staying on top of academics! These are all areas that athletes can also set goals in to help stay on track.
5. Forgetting fundamentals
Fundamentals provide strong foundations for players to build on and improve their skills. It's important to incorporate them into everyday training so it's second nature in a game. Although they aren't always the most exciting components of training, mastering them will lead to athletes being capable of more advanced movements and drills. Check out the list of five core fundamentals below and make sure to include them in your workout routine
- Ball Handling: All players benefit from being a good ball handler. Focus on changing pace with different movements, crossovers, in-and-out, between the legs, two balls and more!
- Rebounding: A crucial skill all players should learn regardless of position, focus on creating space between you and the defender, attack the basketball, and secure it.
- Finishing: layups on both sides with proper form, floaters, reverse layups, and more.
- Shooting: start with form shooting, focus on technique, work your way out, reps on reps on reps!
- Footwork: footwork is necessary in every aspect of the game. Moves that should feel like second nature: jump stops, pivots, jab steps, triple threat, and box-outs.
Make sure you're aware of these 5 training mistakes. Each of these requires players to train intentionally so they can reach their goals and Be Better Every Day. Also, be sure to check out our Dr. Dish Shooting Machines to see how any one of our models can enhance your training and practices. We've specifically created these machines to help accelerate skill development which will in turn help players of all ages reach their full potential!