Ankle Injury Prevention Exercise

Just about any basketball player, let alone any athlete comes across an ankle injury at some point in their career. The easiest way to help avoid injury is to be properly conditioned and engage in injury prevention exercises. Here is a drill you can do at home or in the gym to help strengthen your tendons and build stability:

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An advanced technique factors in using a light 5lb or 10lb dumbbell in your hand as you balance and reach down to touch your foot. I like this exercise because not only is it for injury prevention, but it can also be used for rehab to nurse an injured ankle gradually back to full strength. If you don’t have access to a half ball, you can do this in your own home by folding up a small towel creating a couple of inches in volume and balancing one foot on the towel.

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” Coach John Wooden

Keeping Your Core Solid!

Keeping a solid core is important in sport as well as health- it will allow you to keep optimal body alignment and balance no matter what physical activity you do! Strengthening your core will allow your body to efficiently transfer force from the lower to the upper body and back again, thus ensuring that any force you exert to move your body in a precise direction isn’t counter-productive. Like working any other muscle group, its important to constantly change your routine to maximize your results- here is a great exercise that only takes 3 min and can be performed with no purchased equipment at home, in the gym or in a hotel.

 

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Make sure when performing each step of this routine, you go at a controlled pace, with a straight posture not compromising your technique. It is important to inhale and exhale, as well as flex/squeeze your ab muscles on each ‘crunch.’ The higher the platform, the more force from the incline and the harder the routine will be, so start out low and work your way up as needed. I recommend this exercise 3-4 times per week for 2-3 week as an alternate to your regular core workout.

It’s Pre-game Time!

Pre-game rituals are unique to every competitor, some like to get wound up and others like to stay as calm as possible. Whatever your preference, repetition is key to developing a successful routine of consistency to perform at your max. Many like to take naps, get some some shots up, get a light lift on, eat a certain food, get a massage, play video games, go through video break-down, mentally prepare for different scenarios, listen to music, etc… Some may be superstitious- be the first one/last one on or off the court and some even tie their shoes a certain way! Whatever it may be, figure out a system to get your mind and body right to reach your highest potential.  For me, I would always stay well rested, eat ‘energy foods’, listen to DMX Slippin’ to calm nerves before tip off and go through a particular shooting routine in warm-ups. Lets take a look at Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks to see what he does to get ready for a game.

“Success must be felt within before it can be seen on the outside.” unknown

Get That First Quick Step

The biggest advantage an offensive player has against the defense is that first quick step…not all players are fast like Rajon Rondo, but many like Carmelo Anthony,  are quick and use that first step to create offense. Melo is notoriously known for his mid-range game- he’ll use that quick jab step to brush of a defender for an open jumper or pump fake and take that first step past the defender to explode to the paint. Here is a drill that will keep you light on your feet and help with your first step explosion:

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I like this drill because you can do it by yourself, only requires a resistance band, can be done at the gym or at home and doesn’t break down muscle, so no need for recovery time. I suggest 3 sets of 10 with 30 sec of rest between sets- start of with lower weighted threshold bands and increase the resistance by 5lbs each week, great for a pre-game routine to get loose!

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

Keeping Your Head Right

Attitude is everything, no matter if its school, work or sport- it determines the way you will perceive life on a daily basis. Today, on opening day of the NBA’s regular season, I came across a great tweet from Steve Nash of the Suns (@the_real_nash) ‘The @NBA season starts today! My 15th year and I can’t sleep, still excited like it’s my 1st. Thanks to all the fans who make it fun#GOSUNS‘ …Its refreshing to see someone who loves their craft and still has the enthusiasm, gratefulness and passion after 15 years!

It’s exciting to always kick off a new season in whatever sport. It’s a fresh new start, new goals, new plays, new highlights and new stars to be born. My favorite thing to do is watch the maturation of a player. After the hard work of last season, the experience gained in last post season, the drills, strength & conditioning in the off-season, and coaching/motivation/team chemistry of the pre-season/camps will all be show-cased in the NBA starting tonight. This is where attitude and hard work will pay off- under the lights, in front of the cameras and on the courts. Everyone has their own team/player analysis, which competitors will consistently bring it night after night to get the ring?

“Things do not change. We change.” Henry David Thoreau

Quick Jump Drill

This is an effective way to create explosion in your jump. Whether you can jump out of the gym like Vince Carter or jump quick, re-cooperate and and get back up rapidly like Shawn Marion, jumping is a necessary skill in basketball…and the further you take your career, the more you will realize to get to the next level requires playing above the rim.

 

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Either at the gym or on the court, all you need is: a resistance band, a medicine ball and a partner. This drill can be performed either against a wall or preferably (if you can reach) against a backboard. I prefer 10 jumps per set, 3-5 sets per session (with 30 sec rest in between sets), 3 times per week.

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” John Wooden

 

New Shoe Technology: Cheating or not?

Throughout the years, new technology has enhanced the training efforts of the modern athlete. Players have become bigger, stronger and more mentally focused…but where is the line crossed into the grey area of- is that cheating? Supplements, drills/techniques and conditioning all follow under the classification of ‘training.’ Results can be achieved through hard work and rewarded in competition. However, instant results that don’t really require training and can be used during competition are another story.

A lot of controversy has come up today with the NBA’s first ban of a sneaker. The researchers of APL, have produced a basketball shoe described to ‘enhance athletic performance’ by increasing vertical leap. This isn’t a piece of equipment to train with to help develop leaping ability through practice, it is a shoe you can wear during competition that gives you ‘instant results.’ Results so instant that the NBA confirms the company’s claims that this ballin sneaker, with its Load ‘N Launch^TM Technology, performs as advertised and provides an “unfair competitive advantage.” It will be interesting to see if leagues from the college level on down follow the NBA’s path or if young athletes are given a choice. A choice to take advantage of what ever advancement they may get to stay ahead of the pack in a world where college tuitions are going up and athletic scholarships are becoming more and more prized.

I am not endorsing this product, although it would be interesting to see if the shoes actually work versus a placebo effect. I would love to hear any feedback for those who have tried them…

Mentors and Role-models

No matter what stage you are at your game, there is always room for improvement! Even the best of the best become the best through striving to get better- I love this recent video of Dwight Howard in a private session with The Dream, Hakeem Olajuwon this past off-season. This is a perfect example of no matter how good you may think you are, there is always an opportunity to improve through learning from others’ experiences.

I think Hakeem’s best words of advice in offense are to plan your next move before you even get the ball, know your arsenal of tricks to counterpart what the defense gives you and execute quickly. An offenses advantage is the difference in time it takes for the defense to react!

“You give what you give, what you don’t give is lost forever, this day will never come again.” unknown

Upper-Body/Core Explosiveness

Conditioning is a necessity among any athlete, but even more so in the off-season. This is the time to work on your strength, endurance, explosiveness and fundamentals to improve each season. Every player should make it a goal to work on at least one aspect of the game to become a more complete, all-around basketball star. As you go through the season and work on basketball drills and team sets, conditioning however is the key to endurance to perform throughout the season and prevent injury.

The NBA’s best have this regiment down to a science- whether in season or in the off-season, just look at Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant (courtesy of Rick Reilly at ESPN) http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4068270

Here is a good exercise I like to do to build chest, create explosiveness in the arms and stabilize your core. Do 3-5 sets and remember the key to improving endurance is having short rests of 30-45 sec of rest in between.

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“It’s a lifestyle, train like there’s no finshline.” unknown

Motivation to Success

Whether its sport, business or the classroom- life is about striving to succeed…to be the best you can be by motivating yourself to be better than the next. Leaders- coaches, bosses, teachers etc. use tactics such as goal setting, competition and quotes to follow to pave the path for success and achieve the maximum potential out of their pupil.

In starting this blog, I not only want to include different workouts for basketball, I want to give motive and meaning to each session to strive to get better. Internal motivation is what possess the best of the best in their craft. My college coach at the beginning of each practice would address a quote, dig deep into its meaning and relate it to our team to get the most out of us each day…here are a few to start out:

“Obsessed is the word the lazy use to describe the dedicated” unkown

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.” – Muhammad Ali

“The act of taking the first step is what separates the winners from the losers.” – Brian Tracy