Spring as I'm writing this, and basketball workouts are on the top of my coaching list. The season is over, and it was a good season. Both of my teams did well, one winning their division and the other coming a very close second in their division. But lots to work on, lots of areas where we can improve.
The off season is the best time for players to focus on improving their individual skills and abilities. Like the quote says, "Players are made in the off season; teams are made during the season."
Really encourage your players to use the off season not just to play around, but to improve on what they have learned so they can come back next season better ball players. Encourage them to consistently follow good programs throughout the off season to help them become stronger, quicker, and more skillful players.
A solid, comprehensive off season basketball workout really needs to have three components:
1. Aerobic Conditioning. When pre-season starts, the last thing you want to spend time on is getting players in shape. What you do want, and what will produce a strong team right from the beginning, is well-conditioned athletes. Preferably in better condition than when they left you in the Spring.
Set them a program that builds their conditioning, but ensure it is sport-specific. Jogging long distances may help improve cardio-vascular fitness levels, which is good for athletes' overall health, but it won't help players improve on the basketball court - we don't jog up and down the court for an hour at a time. We sprint, stop, then sprint again.
The basketball conditioning workout you set for your players should focus more on speed and quickness, and perhaps agility - all abilities very important to the game of basketball. General aerobic conditioning can play a part - sure, a longer session of jogging once or twice a week will be good for the heart - but the focus of this aspect of off season basketball workouts needs to be on improving quickness.
2. Basketball Skills. Obviously, I suppose. You want to improve on weak points, build on strengths. You want players to come back to you in pre-season with a higher level of skills. I always recommend a good basketball camp as the first choice - either one in your area that you know of and know to be good, or perhaps you can run one yourself - the one-to-one coaching that comes along with that camp will be the best option for improving your players' skills base.
If there is no camp available, then be sure to provide your players with a summer skills workout. I will generally have a couple of weeks of practice sessions in the Spring, during which I will evaluate players weaknesses and review drills they can use on their own to improve their skills. Then I provide them a fairly basic set of drills to do during the off-season. Nothing too complicated, but a series of drills that they can do for about an hour every day that will practice their basic skills.
Don't let them leave for the summer without some form of a basketball workout that focuses on skills development.
3. Strength and Power. If you are coaching varsity or above, you want to build strength as well, and perhaps some bulk for your post players if they need it. During the season you generally train to maintain, but during the off season is when you can train to gain.
A good strength training program can be especially beneficial for your forwards and post players, who will spend time under the hoop and get bumped around a lot. The stronger they are, the more likely they'll be able to stand their ground and perform better in the crush.
The other thing you want to see developed in your post players is their vertical jump. A good basketball workout that focuses on vertical jump training will recognize that developing this skill requires some training on the specific movements involved in jumping, but mostly exercises that develop strength in the right muscles. And like any other strength training program, the time to train for gains on the vertical jump is during the off-season.
Provide your players a chance to develop in all these areas during the off-season - either give your own workout plans, or point your players in the direction of someone who can (e.g., a good program or summer camp) Players will likely play a lot of ball during the off season, pick-up games and summer leagues and such, and that's good. But if they aren't pushing to improve their basic skills and abilities, and then using these games to practice these skills, then they will not be getting the most out of their off season.
You can find more about basketball conditioning workouts including downloadable workout plans for guards and post players on the Basketball Workouts page of my Better Basketball Coaching website.
Gary has been coaching varsity basketball for over fifteen years. Read more of his coaching advice on his website http://betterbasketballcoaching.com/
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