Basketball & Football training

Expert Discussion Advanced Sprint Training
1

Was wondering how you all would train speed, agility, and conditioning for these two sports.

Basketball-Charlie mentioned that one would be more focused on weights since it is more power oriented. Sounds good to me since I like the weight room, but if one was to get on the track what would you recommend. I was thinking one day of linear speed development (acc > maxV) and one day of tempo (intensive, right?). There doesn’t seem much of a need for SE or ext. tempo. Where would lateral quickness and agility fit in? Conditioning should be taken care of with playing the game I figure.

Football-Charlie emphasized the speed reserve. You aren’t going to run at high intensities that much, but I supposed if you can increase your intensity that’d be better than working at mainly medium and low intensities.

2

RE football What I meant is that better speed makes all playing at the required speed easier and is the superior of the two options (either more endurance work at the required speed or development of higher speed for greater speed reserve).
In the NBA, the pounding from the game itself makes a lot of the players change their shoes after every game! They dont need more landig shock than they have already. This is why Al Vermiel of the Bulls always concentrated on the weights, especially in the glory years, as they were playing even more games (playoffs and all-star)
Lengthy seasons lead to shorter prep periods, where there is little need for agility work for top players (they already have it and won’t lose it, and don’t need more wear and tear) Off season work should concentrate to the left of the power to endurance continuum, as you suggest.

3

Thanks. I’m in an extended off-season through the end of the summer. With a longer off-season, is there anything you’d focus on track-wise.
Any thought on improving agility other than indirectly from game play? In the archives, I saw Clemson mention monster ball. Other options?

For football, would you use a set-up similar to a sprinter. Regulations might only give 2 sessions per a week…

in addition to 7 on 7, position drills, and weight room work. It seems to be popular to do one speed day with short sprints and one day with 110 yd repeats for insane #'s (LSU does 26 w/ 1 minute RI).

4

agreed, b-ball players get plenty of endurance, agility, and plyometric training from actually playing basketball, so why not work on the opposite end in order to prevent injury and up strength levels which will have a positive effect on all the other aspects
As for football agreed as well, although there must be some element of conditioning in there, but this is adressed with tempo, but was wondering could position specific drills on a field be a substitute for tempo?

5

Obviously during the season spending time in the gym must be very carefully analysyed as the injury and cns stress could become an issue.
Would the volume of weight training rather than the intensity be quite high to prevent cns overload and to strengthen tendons?

6

nah, volume of weights is low ansd intensity is high to improve strength and power without detraction from other elements

7

Yeh - but what impact can high intensity workouts have on athletes mid-season between games already drained from serious game schedules?

I’d imagine the volume would need to be very low and some exceptional monitoring of the athletes strength performance.

8

As far as I know, in-season stuff usually contains one quick lift that’s CNS intensive and muscle maintenance for the rest. 2 sessions if available.

9

So say something like …

1 Strength Session and 1 Power Session per week in the season.

1 Power or Lower Body Limit exercise - squat or Clean
4 sets x 3-5 Reps ?

2 Accessory exercises - such as bench, chin ups etc.
3 sets x 5 Reps ?

How does something like that look?

10

From the athletes training manuals of Portland and Seattle I see more stuctural lifts with moderate loads and moderate volumes…nothing explosive .

11

Yeah, that’s fine. What I saw was more like:
1 oly/speed box squat
1 squat
press+pull around 6-8 reps

DeFranco has written some about in-season workouts on his site. Pretty basic stuff. You could also try really simple complexes I guess.

12

speaking from an australian perspective here!!
In our NRL competition (rugby league) its work work and then work some more i have been invloved with teams for the past 6 seasons as a sprints coach and coming from track background find it very hard to understand how teams will do 3 weights sessions in a week before a grand final or similar game will post a sample week and gym session from end of season games next week.