Building Stronger, Faster Basketball Players: Strength Training & Conditioning with Kelly Dormandy

with Kelly Dormandy,
USC Director of Women's Basketball Sports Performance;
2025 Elite Eight;
2025 Big Ten Regular Season Champions;
Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) Strength and Conditioning Coach from 2015-2018;
2016 WNBA Championship;
former University of Georgia Women’s Soccer Strength and Conditioning Coach;
Loyola Marymount Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance in 2021 to 2022;
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Championship-level basketball isn’t just about skill—it’s about physical dominance, endurance and injury resilience. If you want to maximize your team’s speed, strength and durability, USC’s Kelly Dormandy provides the blueprint with an expert training program.

This comprehensive strength and conditioning system is designed to keep your athletes performing at their peak all year long—from off-season power development to in-season maintenance and recovery.

What’s Inside?

Off-Season Training: Build the Foundation for Elite Performance!

• Maximize Strength Gains: Utilize progressive resistance training to build explosive power that translates directly to the court.
• Develop Speed & Agility: Train linear, lateral, and multi-directional movement to improve quickness, reaction time, and injury resilience.
• Energy System Development: Implement aerobic and anaerobic conditioning to enhance endurance for high-tempo, transition basketball.
• ACL Injury Prevention: Incorporate movement drills that strengthen stabilizers and improve mechanics, reducing injury risk.

Cardio Circuit Mastery: Learn Dormandy’s five-station anaerobic capacity workout that pushes mental and physical limits, featuring:

• Vicious Versa Climber – Max distance challenges endurance and leg drive
• Plank Core Hip Rotators – Core stabilization under fatigue
• Med Ball Mayhem – Develops upper-body power and explosive movement
• Battle Ropes – Enhances upper-body endurance and grip strength
• Assault Bike – Builds anaerobic power and mental toughness

• Game-Day Recovery Strategies: Prevent soreness and optimize energy levels with active recovery circuits.
• In-Season Strength Maintenance: Keep your athletes strong, durable, and resilient while avoiding overtraining.
• Load Management & Timing: Learn how to adjust rep schemes and intensities to match your team’s game schedule.
• Mental & Physical Toughness: Train your team to handle the grind of a full season and perform when it matters most.

• Single-Leg Squats – Strengthen legs with barefoot training options
• TRX Single-Arm Rows – Improve upper-body pulling strength
• Hanging Mini-Band Hip Flexion – Activate core and hip flexors
• Single-Leg Hip Bridges with Band Instability – Build glute and hamstring control
• Half-Kneeling Kettlebell Bottoms-Up Hold – Enhance shoulder stability and breath control
• Battle Rope Tightrope Walks – Develop foot strength, balance, and coordination

• Accommodating Resistance Training: Use bands and chains to maximize power output while reducing injury risk.
• Power Development Block: Train explosive force production with:
  • 90-90 Hip Mobility Work – Unlock hip mobility for better movement efficiency
  • Trap Bar Power Shrug – Improve vertical force production for rebounding and jumping
  • Adductor Plate Drag – Strengthen inner thigh muscles for better lateral stability

• Primary Strength Block: Develop full-body strength and speed with:
  • Banded Trap Bar Deadlifts – Focus on speed-strength execution
  • Depth Drops – Improve landing mechanics and force absorption
  • Banded Gorilla Rows – Build upper-back and core strength under tension

• Lateral & Core Stability Block: Train real-game movements with:
  • Kettlebell Self-Pass Lateral Lunge – Enhance quick cuts and change of direction
  • Overhead Pallof Press – Develop core and shoulder control under stress
  • Single-Arm Dumbbell Banded Bench Press – Improve upper-body control and durability
  
  
• Auxiliary Recovery & Prehab Block: Prevent injuries and reinforce strength with:
  • TRX Face Pulls with External Rotation – Bulletproof shoulders against common basketball injuries
  • Single-Leg Leaning Calf Raises – Strengthen ankles and Achilles tendons
  • Banded Spanish Squats – Activate quads and improve knee health

If you want your team to outlast, outrun and outcompete every opponent, this proven strength and conditioning system is your winning edge.

Start training smarter, recover faster, and dominate the competition today!

59 minutes. 2025