Basketball Fitness Training: Why Every Basketball Player Should Sprint Downhill
Health FitnessSerious basketball coaches are always looking for ways to get a leg up on the competition, to get an edge. That’s why he spends so much time researching training methods that will make his players faster, stronger, and jump higher, without taking too long to get results.
That’s why I think running uphill sprints (including running steps and stairs) is a must for any basketball player.
This is because uphill sprints provide a number of benefits to the basketball athlete. Here are the top 6:
1. Hill sprints provide the perfect combination of strength and speed training.
It’s like lifting weights and running at the same time. The hill adds resistance to your athlete’s sprints, making them harder and shorter in distance and duration. Including hill sprints in your training program can bring great results in as little as 15 minutes once or twice a week.
2. Hill sprints build stamina.
Stamina is something every basketball player needs, but it’s a special kind of stamina. If you want your athletes to perform at their peak, then low and slow distance types of cardio just won’t do. Your resistance training should mimic the demands of the game. Those needs are: short extremes of intense effort divided by periods of lower intensities.
Hill sprints provide just this type of interval training. They will push your players’ hearts and lungs to intensities far greater than those found in jogging or traditional types of resistance training. Their bodies will get used to reaching these higher levels and will recover quickly between sprints.
More and more scientific studies show that VO2 Max (the traditional measure of aerobic endurance) is improved as much, or more, by using high-intensity interval exercises like sprinting down hills.
Do you want your team to have its “wind” at the end of the match? Mountain’s race.
3. Hill sprints build ankle strength, which helps prevent one of the most common injuries in sports: sprained ankles.
The ankles get stronger due to the need to push harder when running uphill. Due to the incline, more momentum is needed than when running on a flat surface. Improved ankle strength also leads to the ability to push harder during play, benefiting a player’s all-important “first step” and lengthening their stride when running on a breakaway down the pitch.
4. Hill sprints increase the speed and explosiveness of basketball players.
This is because hill training promotes two key factors in running faster and jumping higher. First, it forces the knees to lift properly, which is essential for driving the legs down and back for more power. Second, hill sprinting causes the sprinter to flex his foot back as he runs. The closer the toes get to the shin, the more force they can apply on contact with the ground. Think of dorsiflexion as loading your foot, then landing it on the ground, pushing it forward.
Explosiveness also shows up in the way that hill sprints can increase your players’ vertical jumps, a key measure of power. Jumping is really the same as running: pushing your body forward (or up) against gravity. The more power you can generate with your legs when pushing, the further or higher you will go.
5. Hill sprints provide a safe way to train your athletes.
In addition to protecting your ankles, hill sprinting also protects your athletes from other types of injuries. The last thing you want to do is injure your athletes while conditioning.
Hill sprints provide safety in two ways: One, the slightly shorter stride length while running a hill sprint is a great way to protect your hamstrings. Most hamstring pulls and strains are due to overextension, something that rarely occurs when running uphill.
Second, hill sprints can decrease leg pounding on players. Studies have shown that even a small incline added to sprints can decrease the impact on a runner’s legs by up to 25%. Shin splints, foot problems, and knee pain can be greatly reduced by taking to the hills for sprints.
6. Hill sprints as mental training
In addition to all the physical benefits of hill sprinting, they also promote mental toughness and goal setting behavior in their athletes. Looking up the hill can be daunting when your players are tired and nearing the end of their sprint session. By using the hill as a metaphor, you can show them the importance of having a goal (the top of the hill), taking the necessary steps to reach it (one step at a time up the hill), and celebrating their success when they do. reach his goal (his own impression of Rocky on top of the hill). Looking back after their training, your athletes can feel the satisfaction of accomplishing something that seemed like an impossible hurdle.
With all these benefits to your basketball team, adding hill sprints to your training schedule should be at the top of your to-do list. Not coincidentally, we found out that this year’s NCAA Player of the Year Kevin Durant made hill sprints a key part of his training. You can develop your own “special” players in the same way.
Make your athletes stronger, faster, better conditioned, injury resistant, and mentally tough with this “old school” workout. You, your team, and your fans will be glad you did.