Basketball Conditioning: Train the Whole Game

Oct 8, 2023

2 min read

Updated: 23 hours ago

Basketball involves repeated accelerations, changes of direction, jumps, skills and recovery between efforts. Calling all longer running futile overlooks the role of aerobic capacity; prescribing only long runs overlooks the game's other demands.

Match the work to a purpose

Conditioning can target different things: building general capacity, practising repeated efforts or integrating movement with decisions and ball skills. Name the purpose before choosing the drill.

Match-play reviews describe varied demands across roles and settings. A session should reflect the athlete's level, recent workload and what practice and games already provide.

Combine tools rather than defend one

An illustrative week might include strength work, a suitable aerobic session and carefully dosed court-based conditioning. The amount depends on the wider programme. This is not a fixed weekly prescription or evidence that one drill is superior for every team.

When a session targets speed or jumping quality, avoid turning it into an endless fatigue challenge. When the target is sustained conditioning, set a manageable intensity and a clear endpoint.

A Tabata timer is just a timer

Using a 20-second work interval does not recreate the original research protocol or guarantee its results. Exercise selection, intensity, recovery and participant capacity determine what the session actually involves.

Review what happens on court

Observe whether you can repeat useful efforts, maintain skills and recover for subsequent training. Record the workload rather than judging conditioning only by how exhausted everyone looks afterwards.

Good conditioning supports the game. It should not regularly leave the athlete unable to practise the skills and movements they are training to improve.