WHY IN-SEASON TRAINING IS
NON-NEGOTIABLE
"Wherever the crowd goes, run in the other direction.." - Charles Bukowski.
But I'll have 2 hours of practice
every day? Isn't that enough?
One of the biggest mistakes players make is stopping their skills training as soon as the season starts. The two main reasons this happens is Scheduling and Fatigue. We'll get to how we overcome those, but first I want to explain WHY we want to keep training through the season.
NUMBER 1: The Best Players Do It
Most players will pause their training when the season starts. I don't want you to be "most" players. If you want to be better and on a different level, you have to be willing to do things differently!
One of the biggest shocks when I played in college was the intensity of our practice and our weight lifting on game days. And then I read about how steph curry is in the weight room EVEN on game days. They are warming up on game days for HOURS before the game even starts. I've worked with hundreds of players, and without fail, the best players stay with us throughout the season.
And just think about it logically. If player A trains through the season every year, and Player B does not, that's an extra 4 months of improvement that player A will get. Throughout their high school careers, player A will get an ENTIRE year of extra training compared to player B. So don't be surprised when player A ends up way better than player B.
Now, does that mean training during the season is just as intense as offseason workouts? Definitely not. We bring the physical intensity down to compensate for longer team practices and game schedules, but we can still make really good improvements with an adjusted intensity.
If you want to be on a different level, you have to be willing to BE different.
Number 2: In-Season Adjustments
Team practices are focused on the team. Team coaches are focused on coaching the TEAM. That is their Job.
Once the season starts, they can no longer focus on developing the skills of each player. Their job is to take the skill sets that they have and put them together to win games.
So what can skills training provide during the season?
For the best players, those who are playing a lot, getting minutes, etc, skills training provides a space to work on specific actions they'll see in their games. If they are missing specific game shots, skills training can help them start to make more shots immediately.
If you are on the bench or not playing as much as you want, YOU NEED TO BE IN THE GYM GETTING BETTER. Don't expect anything to change if you are doing the same thing as the players ahead of you. (Again, chances are those better players are doing extra skill work too, so if you aren't you are likely falling even more BEHIND)
Again, 4 months is 33% of a year. That's a LOT of time to not be improving while other players are.
But how do we fit it in during the season?
So let's talk about why most players stop their training, and how you can overcome it.
#1 problem is scheduling. Practice schedules change constantly, and coaches often call team dinners and meetings randomly. Throw in a bunch of homework and it can be hard to get in skills training.
We've already talked about why it's worth it, so let's talk about the how.
We try as much as possible to accommodate for team schedules. Whether that means opening later sessions or more days, we'll do everything we can to work around schedules. It will still require some extra effort, but it's worth it.
#2 problem is fatigue, and we want to be very aware of that. We'll lower the physical intensity of our sessions, but that doesn't take away from the learning we can do in the sessions. We'll still challenge their skills and decision-making without wearing them out too much.
We also won't expect as many at-home workouts to be completed, though we will still encourage you to complete as much as you can, even if its just 10 minutes before or after practice.
In addition, the high school basketball season can be really long and a lot of players start to question their love for the game. One of our goals during the season is to remind players to enjoy the game, and we hope our sessions help them relieve some of the tension and stress that comes with a very intense school season.
It's worth it.
So, in summary: Yes, it's harder to get training in during the season, but it is absolutely worth it. Remember, 4 months of training every year makes a HUGE difference. If your goal is just to have fun and enjoy the season, then you do you. But if your goal is to be the best player you can be, you CANNOT take 4 months off every year and expect to get there.
