Basketball Player and Strength Training

[bill r]

I recently became a coach at a local high school. I am overwhelmed with the response I am getting from athletes and other coaches, so you might get more than one posting from me until I get the hang of it.

My question is with a freshman basketball player that came to me for help. Here are his stats: bench-245, vertical jump-28'', 40 yard dash-5.2sec, squat-315, body fat-12%, power cleans - he has never done them before and should I add them in? I'm trying to find his strengths and weaknesses so I will know what aspects of his training to prioritize.

Thanks alot.

[George Payan]

Power cleans are of vital importance. The power clean develops explosiveness and aggressiveness. Every muscle is brought into play and when done correctly every muscle will be fired in proper sequence in executing a maximum summation of force. Because of the way the power clean is executed, it is very similar to many athletic movements.

Core lifts are those exercises which are most important for developing athletic potential. Core lifts are the big exercises which work more than one muscle group and require a greater emphasis of time and energy. The basis core lifts are the squat, power clean, bench press, and dead lift. Some coaches do not include the power clean and the dead lift because they cannot teach it and they do not understand it.

Lifting is done twice per week during the in-season. Recommended in-season training:

Day 1
Clean
Squat
Bench Press

Day 2
Squat
Bench Press
Dead Lift

Variations to the core lifts can be done. Secondary lifts are added to the core lifts. Less emphasis is placed on the secondary lifts.

If coaches and athletes put forth the effort, you can gain a big edge on the competition just by including the core lifts into practice.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

[Erich Moreno]

If an athlete cannot execute the power clean or any of the Olympic lifts effectively, I usually replace them with medicine ball throws (underhand vertical, forward and backward). I you do not have bumper plates the medicine ball throws act a good replacement.