Fitness is a very important component of success in basketball. Of course you generally need to be tall and have good skills, but you also need the right physical fitness attributes. Players require excellent strength and power, running speed, balance and agility, as well as a good level of aerobic endurance fitness. See more on the fitness components for basketball.
Training Fitness
Regular training is needed for all areas of fitness to at least maintain current fitness levels. For an effective training program you need a good plan. The training should be aimed at achieving specific goals and be individualized to maximize the physical capabilities of particular players. In order to improve, the physical load needs to be increased over time as the players get fitter. By using cross training and by incorporating fitness into the training drills it will keep training interesting and maintain the motivation of the players. There is more information about training for sports.
Assessing Fitness
Regular fitness assessments are required to monitor training improvements and to determine which areas are best to concentrate on. We have a discussion of the fitness components of basketball. There are also some basketball specific fitness tests and others that can be used to test the overall fitness of players. There is much more information about fitness testing for basketball, a big part of the NBA combine.
Related Pages
- A discussion of the fitness components for basketball
- Comparing the Fitness of Basketball and Tennis Players
- POLL: Who are fitter - basketball players or tennis players?
- What makes a Great Basketball Player
- Warm-up for basketball
- About the NBA combine.
- Fitness testing for basketball
- Sports Nutrition for Basketball
- Basketball Polls