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All-Access DeMatha Basketball: In-Season Warm-Ups and Strength & Conditioning

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2013

In the latest edition of All-Access, we return to Hyattsville, Maryland for a behind-the-scenes look at a DeMatha Catholic High School boys’ basketball practice. Follow along as team strength and conditioning coach Alan Stein leads the players through a number of vital warm-up drills before heading into the gym for a weight training circuit.

On-Court Warm-Up

Before getting into the bulk of their basketball practice, Coach Stein starts the players with a warm-up designed to loosen up muscles and get the body ready for physical activity.

The first warm-up is called Full Court X, which involves two separate lines of players starting on the baseline (in opposite corners) and then jogging to half court on a diagonal (thus making an X). Later, a defensive slide is implemented as players slide across the baseline and then run the length of the court at 50 percent. On the way back, players will backpedal with their hands held high in the air.

Next, the team moves into lunges. Players spread out across the court and do five reps with each leg. After forward lunges, players switch to lateral lunges before finishing off with diagonal lunges, which is a great stretch to loosen up the groin.

Tips: Take big steps. Keep your foot flat. Keep your torso upright.

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Weight Room Circuit

On one end of the gym, players immediately get into their elevator routine, which consists of a flat bench press, incline, and then steep incline. “On every set you do, make it challenging to get to 10 reps,” Coach Stein says.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the gym, players put sandbags on their shoulders and do one set of 10 lateral lunges on one side, 10 step-ups on each side, and then use smaller sandbags for a stiff leg dead lift.

By the end, everyone will do six sets of upper body workouts and six sets of lower body workouts. In terms of timing, players look to hit 12 minutes on each end.

Tips: Split in pairs and get a spotter for your bench press. Work at your own pace. Make sure you have plenty of room. Do everything to 10 reps and make it challenging each time.

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The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “All Access DeMatha High School Basketball Practice.” To check out more videos in our exclusive All-Access collection, simply visit our basketball library.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: Alan Stein, All Access Basketball Practice, DeMatha Basketball, DeMatha Catholic High School All Access Basketball, Issue #55, Strength & Conditioning for Basketball

Preseason Conditioning: 11 Easy-to-Implement Drills to Improve Player Speed

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The 2012-2013 basketball season is fast approaching, which means it’s perfect time for players to get working on improving their speed, quickness, and agility.

In this week’s player development feature, follow along with renowned strength and conditioning expert Alan Stein as he leads you through nearly a dozen speed and quickness drills that are easy to implement, specifically geared toward basketball players, and extremely effective.

Overview and Tips

Speed is moving from point A to B as fast as possible, such as the full length of a basketball court. But it’s not just about a full sprint. It’s important to be able to back pedal and side sprint at full speed as well. The goal of these drills is to improve player speed. It’s not to focus on running mechanics and technique. Therefore, put more focus on effort and practice running as fast as you can.

Tips: Make sure your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders are facing the direction you are sprinting. Also, keep your arms at 90 degrees and generate movement from the shoulder, not the elbow. Have a slight forward lean when you have reached full speed and look straight ahead. Ensure plenty of recovery time between reps.

Speed Drills: Part I

Drill 1: Speed Progression: Slow to Medium to Fast Progression - Start by running to the first set of cones slow, then medium to the next set, and then fast to the last cone. Have the cones set 10 yards apart down the length of the court.

Drill 2: Speed Progression: Change Tempo – Basketball features a lot of change in tempo. Therefore in this drill, work on going slow to fast to slow to fast.

Drill 3 and Drill 4: Slow to Medium to Fast: Backpedal – These are basically the same two drills as before but now you will be going backwards. Keep the chest over the knees and over the feet going back.

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Speed Drills: Part II

Drill 5: Sprint to Backpedal – It’s key that you are able to change direction at full speed. Start in a sprint and then when you get to first set of cones, turn into a backpedal before peeling off.

Drill 6: Backpedal to Sprint – Now it’s just the reverse of the previous drill

Drill 7: Sprint to Backpedal X 2 – Now things get harder by making this transition every time we reach a set of cones. So the rep will be sprint to backpedal to sprint to backpedal.

Drill 8: Sprint to Right Shoulder Look Back – It’s important that players are always able to make a side run at full speed. Have your shoulders square in one direction while running a different way. The drill goes from a forward sprint to looking back over the right shoulder.

Drill 9: Sprint to Left Shoulder Look Back – This drill is the same as before, but now you are looking over the left soulder.

Drill 10: Right to Left to Right to Left – Every time you hit a set of cones, look over a different shoulder.

Drill 11: Sprint to Deceleration X 3 – Sprint and as you reach a new cone, decelerate until you come to a full stop. Do that at each cone series. Keep your hips nice and low.

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The previous drills can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “130 Pro Power Speed, Quickness, and Reaction Drills.” To browse our entire Strength and Conditioning catalog, click here.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: Agility Training, Alan Stein, BasketballCoach Newsletter, Issue #48, Speed Drills, Strength & Conditioning for Basketball

Effective Offseason Workouts: 11 Key Strength Exercises For Basketball Players

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The summer season is a perfect time for serious basketball players to improve their overall strength. Remember, the stronger a player can become in the weight room, the more explosive they’ll be out on the court.

In this week’s player development feature, follow along with renowned strength and conditioning expert Alan Stein as he takes you through a series of lateral plank exercises and med ball slams specifically beneficial to basketball players.

Lateral Plank Exercises

This set of lateral exercises really works the obliques and muscles on the side of the body. Start by getting into a side plank position. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. You can stack or stagger your feet as well. Meanwhile, get your ankles, knees, and shoulders in a straight line. Raise up.

Hip Raises – Put your hand on your hip, drop the hip to the ground, and raise the hip back up to the sky. Repeat. Do six of these.

Shoulder Rotation – From this same lateral position, do a shoulder rotation. With this move, reach back underneath of your body as far as you can and then open the shoulders up. Do six of these.

Medicine Ball Exercises

The med ball is a great tool for working the core. Plus, you can go through any range of motion, but particularly rotational motions, which is very important and specific to basketball.

Med Ball Slam – Pick up the ball over your head and then slam the ball down as hard as you can. The goal here is to get the ball to bounce as high as it can. Get a two-foot stance and get a two-foot throw. Look to make five slams as hard as you can.

Tip: Generate power using your core, not the arms.

Med Ball Slam, One Foot – The next progression is about balancing and stabilizing the muscles of your ankle, knee and hip. All the while, you’re working key core muscles. Get five in a row on one leg. Then switch.

Side Slam – Start with the ball over your head and keep those ankles, knees, and hips facing forward. All of your turning will be with the core. Turn and slam the ball on the left side first and then turn and slam the ball on the right side. For variation, you can also slam and bounce or slam and catch the ball.

Side Slam, One Foot – Now do the same exact thing, except this time use just one foot.

Twist Pass – Start with the ball in your right hand just like a triple threat position. Then take it and deliver a push pass to your partner’s right hand. Get about five feet apart. Look to decelerate to catch it and then accelerate with the pass.

Underhand Twist – Next, the ball starts just outside the knees. Throw it outside the body and aim for your partner’s hip. Get as much twist as you can.

Overhead Throw

Keep in mind that all of these med ball exercises can be tweaked. For instance, you can change the way you throw the ball by changing your feet, using an athletic stance or split stance, or even implementing a lunge technique.

Overhead Throw – This time, instead of throwing the ball down to the ground, throw the ball off a concrete wall and try to hit the same block every time. The ball should bounce once on the ground before you catch it. Repeat. Now try it again but alternate your feet.

Overhead Lunge Throw – Get into a lunge position with one knee bent and the other on the ground. Now do the same thing as before in this lunge position. Throw the ball as hard as you can. Don’t forget to switch your feet.

One Arm Push Pass – Now switch the way you throw the ball. Get into a triple threat position and make a one arm push pass. Look for more of a rotation out of this. Start by passing it each time with your left. Remember, don’t hold back on your med ball throws! Don’t be afraid to throw them as hard as you can.

The previous exercises can be viewed on Championship Productions’ DVD “Alan Stein’s DeMatha Basketball: Strength and Power.” To browse our entire Strength and Conditioning catalog, click here.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: Alan Stein, BasketballCoach Newsletter, DeMatha, Issue #43, Strength & Conditioning for Basketball, Strength Drills

14 Lunge and Step-Up Exercises to Build Lower Body Strength

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, November 2, 2011

According to renowned strength and conditioning coach Alan Stein, the stronger and more powerful a player can become in the weight room, the more explosive they’ll be on the court. And with the 2011-12 basketball season right around the corner, it’s important that players make use of the weight room and an effective strength and conditioning program.

In this week’s player development feature, follow along with Stein as he takes you through some dynamic lower body exercises focusing on lunges and step-ups. Hopefully by implementing some of these workouts, your players will lessen the occurrence of injury and improve their performance on the court.

Lower Body Overview

One of the key components to being a more explosive player on the court is strengthening up your lower body and core. Lunges, squats and step-ups make up the bulk of what we do from a lower body standpoint. It’s key that we try to challenge players with as much variety as we can, too.

Lunges

In this situation, the left foot will be the pivot foot. The left foot won’t move here, just like on the court. There are six different lunges we can do. First, start with just body weight, but then you can progress to dumbbells or medicine balls.

1) Front Lunge – Ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders should stay facing forward.

2) Lateral Lunge – Should start 90 degrees to the right. When stepping to the right, the left foot should stay flat. Make sure your ankle doesn’t roll over. Still keep those ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders facing forward. This workout is great for strengthening the hips and groin.

3) 135 degree Lunge – Keep your left foot facing forward. Your entire left leg will face forward here. Also, you will rotate your hips and shoulders and aim for back diagonal at 135 degrees.

4) Step Back Lunge – This is almost identical to a forward lunge, but now we will step back with our right foot.

5) Step Behind Lunge – With your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders facing forward, take your right leg and reach it back as far as you can to the left side, dropping that knee as far as possible. Then step back. If you have some discomfort, you can piviot that left foot a bit.

6) Cross Over Lunge – Same principles as before, but now we will step across and in front. Keep your chest square to the direction you are facing.

Step-Ups

First, start by putting your right foot on top of the steps or box. Make sure that your entire foot is on top of the step (no heel hanging off).

1) Front Step-Up – Make a right leg step, then drive the left knee up to the sky. Do 2-3 reps with right leg. Leave your right leg up each time.

2) Front Step-Up: Hip Flexor – This workout is the same thing as before, but this time take your foot off the step each time.

3) Step-Up Lunge – Step up and drive your knee up, and when you step back down, lunge back with your right leg/foot. Repeat.

4) Lateral Step Ups – Stand lateral to the step/box. Put one foot on and keep it parallel. You want to pull yourself up using your groin. Just raise the left knee; you don’t have to twist at the top.

5) 135 Step Up – Put your leg perpendicular to the step/box now (i.e. your right foot should face to the right but your body is facing out front). At the top, you will turn and face to the right (or a different direction) and raise your knee in the air.

6) Cross Over Step Up – Stand lateral to the box. Step across with the left foot and on top of the step/box. The right foot never touches the box. Take off your left foot each time and then come to square one.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Alan Stein’s DeMatha Basketball: Strength and Power.” To check out our entire Strength and Conditioning catalog, click here.

Filed in Basketball • Tags: Alan Stein, BasketballCoach eNewsletter, Core Exercises, Lower Body Workouts, Strength & Conditioning for Basketball, Strength Training

12 Effective Exercises to Improve Dynamic Flexibility

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Many of our player development features this summer have focused on helpful tips, workouts, and drills that players can use during the offseason – no matter if they have access to a lacrosse field or not. When it comes to getting the body prepared for the rigors of the lacrosse season, there are a number of useful exercises and workouts players can turn to.

In this week’s player development feature, we highlight 12 easy drills to improve dynamic flexibility. The drills — led by renowned strength & conditioning coach Alan Stein — are easy to implement and most can be done at the gym or on the field.

Drills Overview

By incorporating dynamic flexibility exercises to your workouts, your athletes will be well prepared for competition. The following exercises will help your players with their Achilles, hip flexors, low back, hamstrings, calf muscles, and core.

Drill 1: Knee Hug in Place

Stay in place. Hug your knee to your chest. Stay stationary. Go for about 10-12 seconds. Switch knees each time.

Drill 2: Quad Stretch in Place

Stay in place. Be sure to hug your heel on the backside.

Drill 3: Pointers in Place

Toes should go up toward the nose. Reach down and touch your opposite foot that’s stretched out. Switch and stand up in between. Stretch those hamstrings and calf muscles.

Drill 4: Side-to-Side Lunge in Place

Start with a lateral lunge to the left and then back to the right. Keep your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders always facing forward.

Drill 5: Lateral Lunge, Lunge in Place

Now add a crossover step. Lunge to the left, step right over left, and bend straight down. Then lunge to the right, step left over right, and bend straight down.

Drill 6: Eagle to Hamstring

Get down in a catcher’s position. Keep your heels on the ground and put all 10 fingers on the ground. Raise your hips up as high as you can (legs straight) and don’t let your fingers leave the ground. Go low to high each time and then back to low.

Drill 7: Leg Swings Side-to-Side

Start by leaning into a wall at a 45-degree angle. The foot that’s on the ground should stay stationary. The tendency is to open it up – but don’t do that. Then, swing across with the opposite leg and go high on each swing. Open your hips up as far as you can. The foot on the ground stays stationary. Go with the right leg first, so the left foot is planted firmly on the ground.

Drill 8: Leg Swings Front to Back

Now stand parallel to the wall. Now, use your inside leg and swing from front to back. This really works that hip flexor. Do 10 reps on each side.

Drill 9: Leg Swings open Hips

Face forward and try to swing across like before, but this time open your hips up and out. You will actually move your leg behind you, but the other leg will stay completely stationary.

Drill 10: Scorpion

Lay face down on the ground. Your arms should be at a T with your palms on the ground. Take your left heel and try and bring it all the way up to your right hand. Keep your hands and shoulders as close to the ground as you can. Then bring them back to center and repeat on the other side. Do three on each side.

Drill 11: Windshield Wipers

Your back should be flat on the ground. Your arms are at a T again. Meanwhile, your arms and legs are 90 degrees so that your heels are pointed up to the sky. Do a set of wipers. Bring your legs down on one side and touch the floor. Then bring them back up and touch on the other side. Repeat. Do 3-4 on each side. Keep those arms and shoulders down.

Drill 12: Lunge with Reachback

These are stationary lunges. Your right foot will remain stationary the entire time. Step forward and reach back. Every time go back to center. Then go forward and reach back. Do 4 reps on each side. Be sure to reach straight back and look back, too.

The previous exercises can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “130 Pro Power Strength, Power, and Explosiveness Drills” with Alan Stein. To check out more videos in our extensive video training library, click here.