The year 2008 is winding down and it’s now time to reflect, make resolutions and just maybe follow the this year.
Let me ask you, did you do everything you wanted to do this year? Did you improve your vertical, get stronger or improve your game in general?
I know you’re probably getting a bit depressed because I sure am. I personally didn’t improve my game to the degree I wanted to and I know this is probably the case with you. The reason for this is pretty simple actually: You need guidance.
Michael Jordan didn’t go from a kid on the block to the Big Leagues without any guidance. He got advice, tips, techniques and blueprints to allow him to achieve his goal faster. Michael didn’t want to waste the time in trial and error and neither should you. So, to help you cut through all the crap and clutter out there on how to get a monstrous vertical, I would like to introduce you to Luke Lowery and his Double Your Vertical Program. Luke is best known for “The Verticle Jump Bible”.
To help basketball players all over the world, he is revealing the secrets behind his Double Your Vertical System over hours and hours of recorded teleseminars with his top clients answering their specific questions on how to get a “50-inch Vertical”.
Head over there and get a taste of what you have been missing and how to really jump with the best of them.
PS: If you think this is just another Jump 6 inches higher in 6 days’” vertical program, you are mistaken. Luke even makes his clients sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement so that his secret techniques aren’t stolen by imitators. Check it out: Double Your Vertical.
December 22, 2008 at 11:56 pm · Filed under Conditioning
As a basketball player, the worst opponent is fatigue. In general, fatigue can result from many sources but the main source is dehydration. Dehydration is simply when there aren’t enough fluids being consumed to replenish the body’s nutrients and thus the effects of dehydration. What we’re going to talk about today are ways to consume fluids that will allows peak performance and the little things you can do daily to keep yourself in the optimal condition.
Dehydration causes fatigue and that’s a fact but the effects of that fatigue can destroy your shooting percentage, prevent you to run up and down the court and trying to guard a guy whose hands are moving so fast it’s a blur, yeah right; throw in the towel. At that point in the game, there is not much you can do. So instead of going to the game feeling defeated, you can learn how to stay active and awake by hydrating your body. Throughout the day, you should keep yourself hydrated. I recommend drinking at least 64 ounces per day or for my Canadian friends, that’s 2litres. So what exactly does that mean? Simple, just get a bottle that has an index on the side that lets you measure how much fluid is in the bottle. You can these bottles from a nutritional store or a sports shop such as GNC, Sportschek, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc. Keep that bottle near you while at work, school, playing PS3…whatever and keep drinking it.
One game days, if you don’t keep yourself hydrated, you’re a dead man. Here is what you do:
Pre-Game
Two (2) hours before a game, drink 16oz or 0.5L. Like I said, it’s better to keep a bottle with you so it doesn’t feel like a chore. Then, 30 minutes before a game, drink 4 oz or 0.2 L. This isn’t a lot but keeps your body fresh and ready to kill the opposition. Let me hear you: Rrrrrr! (That’s a growling sound by the way)
During The Game
During the game, it’s important to keep yourself well hydrated so you can give that extra effort and hustle to jump on a loose ball. Sport drinks were created for use during a game because of the salt intake; take advantage of this. It has been proven in a study where a runner was tested to drink water and the next test was with a sports drink to get hydrated. The sports drink outperformed the water. So, during a game, you should be consuming anywhere from 32 – 62 oz or 1-1.8L of water but preferably sports drinks. If you are playing a lot of minutes or just aren’t feeling it that day, try a small snack during halftime such as nutrition bar, figs or my favourite, oranges. We’ll leave the nutritional information out of this article but keep a look out for that one. Nonetheless, keep yourself hydrated and make it a habit to drink a specific bottle or cup during the game.
Post-Game
This is the recovery period and don’t take this part lightly. There is a good chance that games are back-to-back during tournaments and there are practices…with suicides that are going to leave you huffing and puffing. After games, drink another 4oz or 0.2L to get yourself back to normal.
Action Tips:
* Buy a bottle that is not plastic that has measuring index on the side.
* Keep that bottle with you at all times and aim to drink 64oz or 2L a day.
* Have a quick nutritional snack during the game with high carbohydrates and low protein.
Ex: Nutrition Bar
PS: Do you keep a water bottle on you? And if you do, do you think it helps you or it’s just whatever? If you don’t have a water bottle, David Stern isn’t going to hand you one of a silver platter. Go Get One!
Training your legs for an increased vertical is a necessity for your basketball strength training system. I haven’t heard from one basketball player who doesn’t want to jump higher, faster and explode quicker. Today, I want to explain what muscles to train for a higher vertical and how you can jump higher with the use of proper plyometric systems.
Before engaging in ANY sort of activity, such as strength training or playing basketball, you should always warm up. Stretching and warming up is absolutely necessary because if the body is not warmed up for the activity, there is a high chance that the player will get injured. This article isn’t about stretching and warming up in general but I want to tell you that there are two types of stretches: ballistic and static. Static stretches are the stretches where there is little movement of the muscle being stretch where ballistic stretches are done where there is a lot of movement to ease the muscle and get it warmed up.
Now, once you are warmed up, you can begin your plyometric workout. There are 4 (four) main body parts active when doing plyometrics or when jumping in a basketball game:
1)Quadriceps (Thighs)
2) Hamstrings
3) Calves
4) Abs
Many people will disagree that abs don’t affect the results of plyometric workouts but I beg to differ. When an athlete goes from an athletic stance, knees bend with back straight and ready to move, to jumping up to block an opponent, there is a lot of energy used to move the player and allow him/her to explode quickly.
I will give you exercises that you can use for each muscle and get them stronger but remember, you must cool down after the workout. I want to engrain this in to your head, the importance of warm-up and cool down sessions when participating in any activity.
Here are some exercises for each muscle:
1)Quads: Jump Squats - Get into a squat position with or without weights in your hands and jump up in squat position. It’s important to keep stability and balance when doing this exercise or you will injure yourself. Start out with no weights and work your way up. I suggest doing three(3) sets with 10, then 8, then 6 repetition.
2)Hamstrings: Hamstring Curl - Lie Down on a Hamstring Curl Machine and choose the weights that will allow you to perform 6 repetitions. Once you have chosen the weight, place your legs under the leg pads and curl your legs up while having control. Then slowly bring your legs down with control. I would suggest to perform three (3) sets with sic (6) repetitions.
3)Calves:Calve Raises – Stand on the Calve Raise machine with the balls of your feet and adjust the height of the shoulder rests until you feel a stretch in your calves. Choose a weight that suits your strength level. Using the balls of your feet, lift yourself up and slowly bring yourself down to starting position. Three (3) sets of 15, then 13, then 11 is what I suggest. This is best done at a gym with the machines available but can also be done at home.
4)Abs:Lying Leg Raises – Lie down on the ground, preferably on a mat. Keeping your hands on the straight on sides, raise your legs straight up using the abs only. It is hard the first couple of times but after your abs begin to strengthen; it will be easier to lift your legs.
I have given you some simple yet powerful exercises to help build-up the main muscles that will allow you to have an explosive vertical. Remember, these are just outlines. There are many programs out there and I highly suggest you try Athletic Advantage . I have personally used this program and saw great results. But keep in mind, you only see results if you stick with the program. As soon as you stop training, working out or playing basketball, you will lose some skill, no-duh, but you must stick with the program to get the results.
PS:What part of your lower body have you been having difficulties training? Is it your calves, hamstrings or quads?
Basketball training isn’t much different from other forms of sports training except some tweaks here and there. But, before jumping into high octane basketball training, you must understand the benefits of basketball training.
There are many benefits of basketball training but the two that stand out are athletic performance and injury prevention.
Strengthening your core, quads, calves, biceps, back and chest allow you to jump higher, take it to the hole stronger and provides more stability when taking more contact. Vince Carter is a great example in this situation. Imagine if Carter didn’t workout in any way shape or form. You have to realize that guys his size would be eating him up like sweet potato pie. But, with the extensive training that NBA professionals do allows him to jump and stay in the air for longer than his opponents and still manage to dunk OVER them; Sorry Alonzo Mourning. As a person who resides in Toronto, Ontario, home of the Raptors and as much as I hate Carter (as a player), that kind of performance is jaw dropping.
As you can see basketball training can add to your game instantly and as you progress in the training by lifting more, the benefits of basketball training will become more apparent.
Something that many basketball players don’t care is the importance of injury prevention. As a player, it is critical to realize that if your hand is broken, you cannot play basketball! It sounds stupid that way but if you’re training long and hard for something, you should do everything in your power to prevent that effort going to waste.
Basketball is a contact sport and it gets under the boards for a rebound, setting picks and screens and sometimes, the game just gets physical in the heat of moment. Basketball training allows you to take some of the damage due to the new muscle on your body. It is a good practice to stretch for 5 minutes before and after your workouts and especially if you’re playing ball.
PS: Strength Training does wonders for your game. What was something you experienced when you started training for basketball?
