- By Joe Haefner
SHARES
Learn how to consistently surprise and pounce on your opponents with quick 4 to 8 point leads. At the same time, develop injury resistant players who can jump out of the gym and move quickly.
If you do the traditional lay up and shooting lines, do stretching on the basketball court, and don't use drills with defenders in your warm ups, there are some big changes you want to make. These changes can have a dramatic impact on your season and possibly even your coaching career.
Check out the tips below...
1 - Prepare the body to move before you step on the court to reduce injuries, improve quickness, and develop better jumpers.
You should dedicate at least 15 to 20 minutes to prepare your body to move before you step on the court.
However, I often see players doing movement preparation exercises on the basketball court during their allotted warm up time. This is a complete waste of time. This can easily be done elsewhere like in the hallway, locker room, any other space.
All of your court time during the warm up should be dedicated to basketball drills. Drills that get you ready to play.
Additionally, a well-designed movement preparation program should:
- Reduce injuries which will result in more wins - You can't improve if your players are hurt. Actually, most recovery time is spent just getting back to where you were before the injury.
- Develop better athletes - If your warm up isn't improving balance, coordination, speed, jumping, and other athletic qualities, you need to modify your warm up.
Sample Of Movement Preparation & Athletic Development Exercises
Diving into the details of a proper movement preparation would make this article far too long. I've modeled the first part of my warm up after Vern Gambetta's and Gary Gray's teachings.
Here is a quick sample (emphasis on the sample). There are variations, regressions, and progressions.
- 2 Minutes Warm Up - Jump Rope
- Leg Swings - Forward and Back, Side to Side
- Reaches - Alternate up, Alternate up and over, Alternate rotating
- Minibands - Sidestep, Walk forwards and backwards, carioca, monster walk
- Single leg squat - forward and side
- Balance exercises - Step or do a little jump, then hold position.
- Lunge and reach - Lunge forward, lunge to the side, lunge rotationally backwards. And do these three reaches for each lunge. Reach up, reach down (touch toes), reach opposite (twist).
- Jackknife Crawl
- Hurdle walk - Sideways over and under (Might need to use imagination if you don't have hurdles.)
- Quick skip
- Lateral skip
- Side step with arm swing
- Carioca - long and low
- Backwards to forward run
- Forwards to backward run
Then I add basketball specific movements to the tail end of it... pivoting, jump stops, hip turns, shuffles, and different jumping variations.
A little tip for practices: I also take this same approach with practices. If my court time starts at 6:00 PM, I will start practice anywhere between 5:30 PM and 5:40 PM.
2 - Use court time to wake up the brain, improve decision-making, and shock the competition at the beginning of the game.
From watching thousands of games at the youth and high school level, I can tell you that very few teams do what I'm about to tell you. From a competitive standpoint, this is awesome for you and me.
While the first part of a great warm up is to prepare the body to move, you also need to wake up your brain! Just going through two line lay up drills or the same shooting drills that you see in every gym is not going to accomplish this.
Your players need to be ready to make game decisions quickly from the opening tip. So you need to do plenty of drills with live defenders.
That way, there isn't a mental warm up period at the beginning of the game that turns into a huge disadvantage for you.
And if your opponents are like most of the teams I've seen, it will give you an edge at the beginning of every game. Even if you only get an advantage of two points per game, this can still have a big impact on your season.
Additionally, your team could spend an additional 10 to 20 hours each season of getting more high-intensity practice time. Tiny little improvements for each game can lead to big improvements over time.
Sample Of Warm Up On The Court
So I will do some of these drills that are based on my philosophies and system. Here is my outline:
Note: I do not do all of these drills in one warm up. These are just examples.
- High-rep shooting drills - These do not include defenders, but I still think they are important at the beginning of a warm up.
- 1v1 close out drills
- 1v1 finishing drills
- Dribble attack drills with 1v1 and 2v1 (with second defender trailing)
- No dribble - (3v3, 4v4, or 5v5)
- Lay Ups Only for first 10 passes
- 2 post touches before a jump shot
- 2 dribble limit on each catch
- Cut throat
- Overload Defense Drill - (4v3 or 5v4)
1v1, 2v1, 2v2 Drills
If I'm limited on time, I will just go straight to mini scrimmages. I will try to do as much basketball skill work off the court.
If your team comes out lethargic even after doing this, another tactic is to full court press for the first few possessions.
3 - Use non-court time to warm up basketball skills
You can have your players kneel and shoot against a wall. You can have them do pound dribbles. You can do constrained one on one drills. Basically, do anything in your space that will help you warm up your basketball skills before you get on the court.
As mentioned before, it's important that you use most of your court time to get the brain ready to make good decisions on the floor.
So you might need 30 minutes to prepare the body to move and do basic skill warm ups prior to the game. If you want, you can even spend more time.
4 - Incorporate shootarounds
If you have the option, use your facilities for shootarounds on game day. Even if it's a few hours before the game, getting 100 shots up in 15 to 30 minutes will help prepare your players to shoot in the game. Your players will need less time to find their shooting rhythm during the warm up.
Additionally, doing this 20 to 30 times throughout the year may result in residual improvements in shooting that can make a big difference.
On a side note, I almost added a fifth tip that has to do with mentality, but I'm still looking into this. Hopefully, I have some really cool new information in a future newsletter that could have a big impact on reducing anxiety and improving game performance.
So an ideal structure for your warm ups would be:
Earlier in the day - Shootaround for 30 minutes
30 minutes prior to court time - Movement preparation
10 minutes prior to court time - Basketball skill work
Court time - Game-like drills
A note for tournament settings:
If you play two or three games a day, my first warm up of the day will be the "long warm up" as mentioned above.
After that the warm ups are much shorter, I will just take 5 to 10 minutes to do running movements before each game. Carioca, Backwards to forward run, forward to backwards run, jumping exercises, then basketball specific movements.
Stretching?
I'm not a big fan of static stretching before practices and games. However, you might do this afterward.
If you have a tight area, you may do some massage work like foam rolling and light stretching prior to the warm up.
However, I would not hold a stretch for more than 10 seconds. The longer you hold stretches, the more it relaxes your body. Instead, you need your body activated and ready to move.
Well, I hope that these changes to your warm up will help you and your team.
SHARES
What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...
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As an experienced basketball coach with a deep understanding of player development and warm-up strategies, I can confidently dissect the key concepts presented in Joe Haefner's article. My expertise is grounded in years of coaching experience, studying basketball training methodologies, and a commitment to staying abreast of the latest trends in the sport. Now, let's delve into the crucial points outlined in the article.
Key Concepts from Joe Haefner's Article:
1. Movement Preparation & Athletic Development:
- Importance: Dedicate 15 to 20 minutes before stepping on the court to prepare the body. A well-designed movement preparation program reduces injuries and develops better athletes.
- Sample Exercises:
- Jump Rope (2 minutes)
- Leg Swings (Forward and Back, Side to Side)
- Reaches (Alternate up, Alternate up and over, Alternate rotating)
- Minibands (Sidestep, Walk forwards and backward, carioca, monster walk)
- Single Leg Squat (forward and side)
- Balance exercises, Lunge and reach, Jackknife Crawl, Hurdle walk, Quick skip, etc.
- Basketball-specific movements: pivoting, jump stops, hip turns, shuffles, and different jumping variations.
2. On-Court Warm-Up for Brain Activation:
- Importance: Wake up the brain, improve decision-making, and gain a competitive edge from the beginning of the game.
- Recommended Drills:
- High-rep shooting drills
- 1v1, 2v1, 2v2 Drills
- Dribble attack drills with 1v1 and 2v1
- Mini scrimmages with constraints (e.g., No dribble, Lay Ups Only, 2 post touches before a jump shot)
3. Non-Court Time for Basketball Skills Warm-Up:
- Activities:
- Players can warm up basketball skills off the court, such as shooting against a wall, pound dribbles, and constrained one-on-one drills.
4. Incorporate Shootarounds:
- Timing: Utilize facilities for shootarounds on game day, even a few hours before the game. Getting 100 shots up in 15 to 30 minutes helps players find their shooting rhythm.
5. Ideal Structure for Warm-Ups:
- Sequence:
- Earlier in the day: Shootaround for 30 minutes
- 30 minutes prior to court time: Movement preparation
- 10 minutes prior to court time: Basketball skill work
- Court time: Game-like drills
6. Tournament Settings:
- Adaptations: In tournaments with multiple games a day, start with a longer warm-up and shorten subsequent warm-ups to 5 to 10 minutes, focusing on running movements and basketball-specific actions.
7. Static Stretching:
- Recommendation: Not a big fan of static stretching before practices and games. Suggests focusing on massage work like foam rolling and light stretching before the warm-up, avoiding stretches held for more than 10 seconds.
8. Continuous Improvement:
- Mental Aspect: The author hints at exploring a fifth tip related to mentality, suggesting potential future insights to impact anxiety reduction and game performance.
In conclusion, implementing these warm-up strategies can lead to improved player performance, reduced injuries, and a competitive advantage at the start of each game. These recommendations are not only theoretically sound but have practical application, backed by my extensive coaching experience and knowledge of basketball training principles.
