Most Strength & Conditioning Coaches do a good job at providing their basketball players with a comprehensive preseason training program.

The great S&C Coaches, however, turn over every stone in the process of helping their hoopers not only build strength and power, but also develop the health and durability needed to withstand the constant demand of in-season play.

That’s what this article is all about. How to physically prepare your basketball players to truly shine on the court, remain durable and be skilled in all multi-directional basketball movements.

We can’t just want our hoopers to perform at high levels – we also need them to remain healthy in the process.

Remember, the word ‘health’ comes before ‘performance’ in the dictionary for a reason.

As a S&C Coach, the top 5 must-do’s that you absolutely need to check off are:

1. Tendon Health
2. Force Facilitators
3. Reactive Ability
4. Overhead Strength
5. Frontal Plane Strength

Tendon Health

Direct (isolated) loading needs to become a thing in S&C and athletic performance.

Exercises that integrate (i.e., squat) are just as important as exercises that isolate (i.e., heel raise) and vice versa. Both exercise types are important, especially when we’re aiming to improve tendon health in our basketball players.

The big players in the lower body from a tendon standpoint are:

• Achilles tendon in the ankles,
• Patella tendon and quadriceps tendon in the knees, and
• Proximal tendon and distal tendon in the hamstrings

Per the current research, we understand as S&C Coaches that tendons respond really well to Heavy Slow Resistance (HSR).

Sure, you can add external load to truly build up to this. However, I think a nice entry point, at least at the beginning, is to use isometrics with body weight.

Once they become too easy, load them up and/or change the exercise to still develop the quality.

I’m a monster fan of using yielding isometrics, specifically, to target all of these areas. In addition, if you can target more than one at once, that’s a win-win.

Here’s what I like to refer to as the Iso Fab Five:

Targets the Achilles tendon, in addition to the calves, hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors.

Targets both of the hamstring tendons, in addition to the hamstrings, calves, glutes and hip flexors.

Targets the groin (adductors), which is a massively under-trained area, in addition to the hip flexors and obliques.

I know that we’re not directly targeting any of the above tendons in the lower body here. However, direct loading to the groin (adductors) goes a long way in terms of healthy knees and hips, which is why I’m always a fan.

Targets the Achilles tendon and both tendons in the knees, in addition to the calves and quadriceps.

Targets the Achilles tendon and both tendons in the knees, in addition to the calves and quadriceps.

Use the Iso Fab Five for direct loading via yielding isometrics for durable tendons in key lower body regions!

Force Facilitators

The best basketball players in the world have the ability to absorb force (deceleration), produce it, and most importantly, re-apply it (acceleration).

Force production and absorption are both important in the sport of basketball (think: jumping and landing). However, most people miss the boat when it comes to deceleration and force absorption.

That’s why it’s important to have some sort of exercise progression series that helps your athletes develop the skills of deceleration and force absorption, which ultimately play into the acceleration-deceleration-reacceleration continuum.

Let’s master the basics first and learn how to decelerate and absorb force:

Sagittal Plane: Band-Resisted Drop Forward Lunge w/Stick

Frontal Plane: Band Resisted Drop Lateral Lunge w/ Stick

Once your hoopers have mastered those skills above, it’s time to increase the overall intensity and teach them how to re-apply the force.

Sagittal Plane: Band Resisted Drop Forward Lunge w/ Rebound

Frontal Plane: Band Resisted Drop Lateral Lunge w/ Rebound

Remember, our job is to always help our athletes build the skills that will eventually translate back into their sport, which is exactly what we’re doing here.

Reactive Ability

All the craze in the world of athletic performance and sport science right now is around Reactive Strength Index (RSI) measurements obtained from a variety of tests, namely, the Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (IMTP).

The IMTP is an overcoming isometric exercise that can provide some feedback related to RSI and how rapidly an athlete can react to an external stimulus.

In other words, RSI allows us to better understand an athlete’s reactive strength.

Why is all of this important?

Well, in addition to a variety of strength training exercises (i.e., heavy squats and deadlifts) and power development exercises (i.e., Countermovement Jump and Broad Jump), it’s also important to actually train reactivity within exercises.

By including a reactive component, it helps to close the loop for your basketball players to ensure that all qualities are being covered in your training program.

Ultimately, in doing so, this will eventually connect to qualities needed in the sport of basketball, such as power, change-of-direction skills, and lastly, reactive agility.

Here’s a handful of my favorite reactive-based exercises in the sagittal and frontal planes, specifically for basketball players:

Overhead Strength

For some reason, people forget that basketball is an overhead sport.

Oh, you don’t think it is?

Well, what about when your basketball players…

• Grab a rebound
• Take a jump shot
• Block a shot or try to disrupt a shot
• Dive for a loose ball with their arms outstretched in front

I’m sure there are countless other examples as well.

The point is, if they need it in their sport, you should train it in the weight room.

Help your basketball players master overhead strength in their upper extremities and core for purposeful rebounding, shot-blocking and defense.

Here’s a handful of some of my favorite training options to help get you started:

Frontal Plane Strength

Remember when we were talking earlier about the groin (adductors) and how they play a big role in overall knee and hip health?

Here’s how we close the loop for you as a S&C from isolation to integration. We did some isolation work earlier with the Floor Knees Bent Copenhagen Plank. Now, I’ll provide you with some ways to integrate, load these up and build strength.

Here’s an exercise progression series for developing frontal plane lower body strength in the knees and hips with the addition of loading the groin (adductors) by way of stationary movements:

And, here’s how to up the ante and incorporate dynamic movements, which will inevitably be more challenging:

It’s time to really lock in and help your basketball players build lower body strength in the frontal plane. Lastly, don’t be afraid to load these movements up with heavy weights!

Conclusion

Don’t leave your basketball players hanging this preseason. Instead, lock in and load them up properly in the following 5 key areas:

1. Tendon Health
2. Force Facilitators
3. Reactive Ability
4. Overhead Strength
5. Frontal Plane Strength

Now, let’s get to work!

Author Bio

Matthew Ibrahim is an experienced Strength & Conditioning Coach, leader, and educator with a demonstrated history and proven track record in this space since 2007.

Currently, he serves as Clinical Coordinator and Instructor of Exercise Science within the School of Sport Science at Endicott College, in addition to a Volunteer Strength & Conditioning Coach within the Athletics & Recreation Department with their NCAA Division III student-athletes.

Matthew also serves as Adjunct Professor of Exercise Science at Maryville University and founder of Athletic Performance University (APU). Academically, he is a Ph.D. Candidate in Human & Sport Performance and M.S. student in Sport Leadership.

As a public speaker, Matthew has presented nationally in over 25 U.S. states, highlighted by his presentations at the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), Perform Better, EXOS inside Google Headquarters, Sports Academy (formerly Mamba Sports Academy), UFC Performance Institute, Parisi Speed School, Duke University, Stanford University, Equinox, and canfitpro, in addition to several international presentations throughout Europe.

His work is featured in Exxentric, Future, HoopStudy, Men’s Journal, NSCA Personal Training Quarterly (PTQ), Science for Sport, Mike Boyle’s StrengthCoach.com, T-Nation, TrainHeroic, and TrueCoach.

As an author, his first book through Human Kinetics on training for athletic performance will be published in late 2023. Follow along on Instagram for weekly S&C content!