The Strong Will Survive

Hello,

Only a couple weeks remain and 2008 will be in the books. I am so looking forward to 2009 and all the events that will come with it. I hope you are preparing yourself for a great 2009 as well.

Weekly Tip: Condition with the Ball:

Skill: Handling the basketball with great control under fatigue

Drill: Full court dribbling

Execution: Each trip up and back equals one repetition. You will perform 5 repetitions. Start off by doing a right hand up and left hand back dribble at a high controlled speed, go into crossover dribbles up and back, then spin dribbles, followed by pull back dribbles (at the foul lines, and 1/2 court stop and perform 2 pull back dribbles and then go forward), and finish with around the back and through the legs combo. So, you will perform each of these dribbles up and back to make one set. You will take a 2 minute break and shoot foul shots and perform again. Your goal is to work up to 5 sets. Initially you may need to only perform 2-3 sets and gradually add. The key is to go hard all the time.

The Strong Will Survive:

If you look at today's player you can obviously see that most of them spend quality time in the wt room. It is so important to have strength in the game of basketball. You are able to defend better, dribble past defenders with great control, rebound better, and of course shoot better.

The real key to strength for a basketball player though is to have usable and applicable strength. In other words if the strength you have in the wt room can't be applied will on the court then it won't help you.

When basketball concentrate on developing size and not really focusing n movement that is when they get in trouble. In other words; bicep curls are not a bad exercise and do serve a purpose of elbow and shoulder health but if they are only being performed to improve the size of the bicep the exercise won't help basketball players. But if the player performs squats with dumbbells, go into a bicep curl on the way up from the squat and finishes with a push press... now the player will get some use from this exercise. It is a total body combination lift that's emphasis is on strength through the movement pattern.

I think of someone like Rip Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons. He is not a big man but he is a strong player on the court. He uses his strength to get open and to get shots off quickly. His strength allows him to defend well and stay healthy.

When you are working on strength be sure that it has a purpose, or I should say a few purposes. First, to stay healthy. Second, to increase physical play and be able to hold your own, and thirdly, be able to use it to help your style of play.

Get Strong, Get Better, Get Results.

Play Hard,

Lee Taft

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