Training
   
 

Seven-Point Basketball Training Program

There are four basic types of basketball trainer:

  • Shooting coaches teach the art of shooting and help players improve their shooting mechanics.
  • Skills/Position coaches work on all of a player's basic skills, e.g., shooting, ball handling, post moves, footwork, defense, etc.
  • Performance trainers specialize in either speed training or plyometrics.
  • Conditioning coaches use basketball drills to keep players in shape during the off-season.

It is rare to find a single coach who embodies the qualities necessary to deliver all four types of coaching effectively. Young players need a logical progression of skills and instruction to excel at the game. They need to learn correct shooting technique and they need to improve their quickness and strength in a structured program.

A good shooting coach, skills trainer and/or performance coach is more like a golf pro or a pitching coach than a personal trainer - a teacher rather than a drill sergeant. TopGame coaches are experts in their field. We understand teaching methodology and we have developed a unique 7-point program designed to bring an athlete to their optimal performance level. Each athlete receives a personalized program specifically designed to meet their needs and goals.

Our 7-point program includes the following areas:

 

1. Cardiovascular Training

Cardio training is any exercise that elevates your heart rate to a range between 60 to 85 percent of your maximum rate (fastest your heart could possibly beat). When you're in this heart rate range, you're training in an "cardiovascular" or "aerobic" state. Cardiovascular fitness can be defined simply as your body's ability to get oxygen and blood to the muscles. We call it "wind".

TopGame uses cardio training because:

  • Cardio training is good for your heart.
  • Cardio training will help improve muscle mass.
  • Cardio training burns fat.
  • Cardio training revs up your metabolism.
  • Cardio training improves your immune system.
  • Cardio training improves your mental state.
  • Cardio training will increase your life expectancy.

  

2. Functional Flexibility

Flexibility for sports is more than maximal lengthening of soft tissue. It is about movement and control of multiple positions that must occur rapidly to meet the demands of an athlete’s sport. It is a very important component of sport performance that can be significantly improved if approached correctly.

Sport-specific flexibility requires an integrated expression of joint stability, strength, movement awareness, and soft tissue extensibility. The muscles must be flexible, but they must also be able to initiate and control the athletic actions sports demand.

TopGame has incorporated drills and exercises in our 7-point program that promote soft tissue flexibility while maintaining joint stability. The athlete will develop supple muscles that will be able to control segmental body weight as the athlete fights gravity. The overall effect will be to enhance the athlete's functional flexibility and improve their performance level.

 

3. Core Training

Whether you are walking, running, jumping, or sitting at a desk, your core muscles are the foundation for all movement, power and strength in your body.

Core stability training is essential to sports performance and injury prevention. The body's core muscles are the foundation for all other movement. Training the muscles of the core corrects postural imbalances that can lead to injuries. The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness - that is, fitness that is essential to both daily living and regular activities.

TopGame's main concepts of core strengthening programs involve using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating a specific joint as in most weight lifting, TopGame's stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

 
 

4. Balance Training

Balance is the basic skill needed in every sport where changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency. The technical term is agility.

Agility is what allows us to move gracefully, wasting little motion. It enables your joints to move through the full range of motion smoothly and confidently.

At the outset TopGame balance training may require your entire focused attention remain on the drill to avoid falling, but after several sessions you will notice that you are more confident in your ability to adjust to balance challenges. The drill will become easier and you won't need to pay such strict attention to every movement. This is because you will have increased your kinesthetic coordination, and in turn, improved your balance.

Kinesthetic awareness is the ability to know where your body parts are in 3-dimensional space and is required for every movement we make. Good balance can be learned, challenged, and improved. TopGame balance training is focused on training your body to improve the kinesthetic awareness within your body through a variety of drills and challenges.

 

5. Reactive Training

Reactive training, often referred to as plyometrics, includes various types of hopping, bounding, and jumping exercises which train your muscles to generate more force more quickly. The goal, of course, is to develop more power.

Reactive training fosters a high degree of strength in the muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones, since the impact forces are usually higher than they are during regular workouts. Reactive training also stretches muscles, tendons and ligaments vigorously, promoting greater elasticity and efficiency of movement.

TopGame's reactive training regimen is built on a foundation of specific strength training and starts slowly with low-level bounding, hopping and jumping, and progressing to more explosive jump training. The overall goal is to develop more power while preventing injuries.

 

6. Speed-Agility-Quickness (SAQ) Training

SAQ Training is a system of progressive exercises and instruction aimed at developing fundamental motor ability to enhance the capability of athletes to be more skillful at faster speeds and with greater precision.

SAQ training plays an important role in motor, coordination, acceleration, balance, agility and reaction development at all ages and at all levels.

 

7. Strength Training

Most people think that strength training is something carried out in a weight room or gym utilizing equipment like barbells, dumbbells, weight machines, etc.. However, the truth is that strength training is any physical activity that emphasises the application of resistance to the muscular system.

As young athletes strive toward achieving their personal best, we need to be able to guide them so they can reach their goals without injuring themselves. One way to prevent injuries is having the athlete train to increase strength and flexibility of muscles through a strength training program.

Strength training is a method of conditioning designed to increase an individual's ability to exert or resist force. Generally, strength training uses resistance methods like free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or a person's own weight to build muscles and strength. TopGame's goal is to improve the athlete's musculoskeletal strength through weightless strength training methods.