So you play basketball, huh? Yes, me too when I was in school. I was pretty good too. But that doesn’t really matter that much now, does it?
I get asked this question all the time, and I mean ALL the time. Kids ask me what the best drills are for someone who wants to play basketball in high school.
This is a tough question. Basketball requires strength, without a doubt. But it’s not like football, where strength is one of the key components. Basketball requires speed and agility. Centers and forwards must be tall and strong, guards must be quick and agile.
But anyone can get away with not being a strong bodybuilder. Especially at the lower levels like junior varsity.
Of course, all things being equal, the player who is stronger will win most of the time. I get it. But I would really focus on skill over strength. Taller people aren’t known for their upper body strength in high school for the most part. And don’t worry, if you make it to college ball, you’ll be taken right into a weight training program led by highly trained and skilled professionals and physical therapists.
There is one drill that will put you head and shoulders above literally everyone else in your school and division.
What is that exercise? Jogging.
I ran cross country on the team one year and the next basketball season was amazing. I could run rings around EVERYONE, and when everyone else got tired, both in practice and games and throughout the season, I barely ran out of breath.
Running up and down a small basketball court for every other ten or twenty minutes is nothing, and I mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared to running six miles in the sun, non-stop, as fast as you can. The stamina you build up from running such long distances for so many months will help you crush everyone on the basketball court.
And you’ll stand out to the coaches too. When basketball tryout season rolls around, everyone else will be out of shape and gasping for breath and you won’t. You will be standing calm, not even breathing heavily. Coaches notice that kind of thing, and they notice it in a big way.
There is another benefit of jogging… sprinting. At the end of each of our basketball practices, the coach would have us sprint for five minutes or so. I used to DREAD that greatly, until I ran cross country for a while.
After that, those measly five minute sprints were a joke, literally a joke. They didn’t even make me catch my breath, and I was able to run them faster than EVERYONE else on the team. And then when everyone else collapsed to the ground groaning. I stood there without panting.
Coaches notice things like that.
And that’s not to mention once the season fully started and we started playing other teams. I could beat them all. And I wasn’t too tired at the end of games, which is great if the game is closed and in play. In those cases, the team that is less tired usually wins.
So forget the weight room, grab a pair of sneakers instead and join the cross country team for a season. You’ll be glad you did!