How Do You Condition for Basketball?
“Get on the line.”
If you’ve ever played organized basketball, chances are you’ve heard this line from your coach at some point. During that time, you find yourself running a drill that has been passed down or adapted from one place to the next.
However, in this realm of line touches and full-court lengths, what are the norms for basketball conditioning? What has been studied and revealed as the pinnacle of fitness on the hardwood?
That is our issue. There isn’t one universally accepted drill for conditioning in basketball. Research provides many different adaptations of other sports drills and some methods try to incorporate elements from the sport itself. We end up left with a multitude of confusing patterns and shapes around the court in an effort to hit the most specific form of energy system assessment for the sport.
I’ve come across two different articles that outline and detail how to assess the physical elements in basketball. They discuss the importance of limb length, height, strength, agility, speed and conditioning. In one article, aerobic conditioning includes a myriad of tests that show promise but don’t give a clear indication of which is best. (It should be noted that this article is not designed to give you the best practical application but to cover all the important factors of assessing basketball players.) The second article describes a drill that is similar to the YoYo Intermittent Recovery Test in soccer. Unfortunately, the method of testing isn’t clearly laid out for the reader, so it’s hard to get a sense of how to run it. Not to mention you would need to create or find a sound timer that gives athletes an indication of whether or not they are on pace for the test.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01626-3
“Validity of an On-Court Lactate Threshold Test in Young Basketball Players”
Where does this leave us?
Well, unfortunately, there isn’t a clear answer. It might take a lot of deep diving to find the norms (applicable data - how many reps to pass, how far to run, how many seconds to get there) for any basketball conditioning.
It is important to remember that “common practice” is not always the best practice. So, just because it’s been done in the past doesn’t mean that it’s appropriate in the current situation. As coaches, we should be diligent in finding what is going to get us the best results for our athletes, not what is conveniently in our back pocket.
Conclusion:
Do your best to find the right solution for your particular situation.
I would look into an assessment I’ve heard of from the college ranks called “22’s”. I know several coaches running this assessment.
The good news is that I have the details of this assessment so please reach out if you’re interested in hearing more. It’s a good assessment of anaerobic conditioning over multiple reps.
-Zack Wallace
ACES Nation Athletic Performance Specialist
