Basketball: From High School to Professional. LTAD Case Study - Part 1

In 2014 I wrote an article (https://www.jtsstrength.com/training-youth-athletes-long-term-success/) outlining the comprehensive training strategies an athlete I was working with had undertaken to enhance his physical preparation for high school basketball.

After Jarrett’s senior year he was given to opportunity to extend his basketball career into college. This article will outline Jarrett’s four years of physical training in college and the considerations which went into designing and modifying as the competition schedule, academic work, and other outside influences dictated required changes. This would further enhance his skill and physical attributes to compete at a high level in college.

The considerations for the physical preparation of Jarrett’s first college season were multifaceted since he would be redshirting. The goals would be to continue to enhance overall strength, speed, increase his vertical jump, and develop a high level of biological durability to undertake basketball skill development sessions with the least amount of fatigue as possible. During the summer program leading into his freshman season of college we would continue where we left off from his high school preparation.

The first preparation block after a two-week break from any physical training was an introduction back into a structured training plan. The goals during this phase were lowering of resting heart rate through cardiac development (tempo running 2-3 x per week) with volume ranging from 1,000-2,000 yards per session strength training by using traditional barbell lifts of bench press and squat and loading of sub-maximal weights waved from 60-85% of 1RM over an 8-week period. Lastly, speed/power development through maximal short sprints ranging from 10-40 yards with volume of 160-280m per session (2x per week) and power development through jumps and explosive medicine ball throws. Improvements would be monitored through daily, weekly, and monthly assessments. Daily assessments would be conducted by morning assessment of HRV via Omegawave to determine physiological readiness to perform training sessions. In session monitoring would be conducted through visual assessment through movement and talking with athlete of overall well-being and how warmups were looking. Another method of assessing performance was from timing sprints to make sure Jarrett was hitting speeds at 95% of his best times. If multiple sprints were completed <95% then speed session was modified or stopped. Jarrett understood quality of quantity in certain areas of training and had a positive attitude about stopping when needed so he could come back at a higher level when it really counted. Then every 4-8 weeks we would conduct vertical jump testing, 10 second jump test, and a bench press and squat maximum (for these we would do 3 rep max test). Based off these tests, I would build the next training block.

Time spent in this first 8 weeks during the summer was predominantly extensive in the nature of programming, understanding that this first year of college, we could spend enhancing physical qualities and not have to worry or plan for an intensive competition schedule. The balancing act was still understanding the need to have high quality basketball skill sessions and understand inthis a weekly schedule how and when to plan according to when those would happen and have high levels of readiness to perform. As the summer/fall progressed the improvements on physical testing improved at a steady rate.  Jarrett’s vertical jump had increased to 37”, 3 rep max for squat was now 295 lbs and bench press 3 rep max 195 lbs. Body weight was 170 lbs. When basketball practice began in October of 2014 Jarrett would still be going through practices, shoot arounds, and travel with the team. The only thing he would not be doing is playing in the games.

In 2015 physical preparation would be geared towards continuing to increase the physiological characteristics for basketball players, planning on a weekly basis during the off-season key skill sessions and having high readiness levels to perform at a high level. Daily, weekly and monthly monitoring would continue to insure that modifications were made to account for changes in readiness levels. I also needed to take into account Jarrett would be accumulating high levels of competition intensity beginning in November when games begin. The first 4 weeks of training in April consisted of extensive methods in strength, speed, jumps, and cardiac development. Jump volume during the week consisted of 200-300 contacts 2x per week for example. Strength work during this period waved again from 60-85% of 1RM. Speed volume 160-300 per session with nothing longer then 30m. As the training moved into the summer months, more intensive training was introduced with weight increasing to 85-95% of 1RM, contrasting methods of heavy/light, depth jumps, and flying sprints of 30m. Jarrett was performing 2-3 skill sessions per week with a coach, lasting from 30-45 minutes. On these days when skill sessions would be performed in the morning and after a break of 3-4 hours, physical training would take place.

I would like to thank Deb Cameron for her editing of this article.