Basketball training whether it is skill development, strength training, speed training or conditioning is about constant repetition. It requires the players to work over and over and over on the skill until it becomes second nature to them. Basketball training also requires the player and coach to have an extensive plan because without one there is no way to know where you are going.
The idea of planning workouts came to me recently when I was asked about frequently changing the exercises in strength training workouts. Advocates of this type of training feel that this is necessary in order to prevent stagnation; that doing different exercises every time out will prevent your body from adapting to your workouts thereby creating greater results. Although this sounds like a great idea, it is not. This type of training will produce small results, if any, and only leave you a frustrated gym goer.
The same can be said for basketball skill development. Often times the types of skills that are trained and the drills that are used change with every workout. Consequently the player never gets the chance to become successful at the skill that is being worked on, and you ultimately end up with players that are good at some things but never great at anything.
Unfortunately, this is the approach to training that many coaches and players take. Walking into the gym and doing what ever comes to mind on that given day will produce very few positive results. In order to truly produce substantial results it is necessary to plan out your workouts not only for that day but for the week, month, or even the season. It is also necessary to track all achievements in a journal or an Excel spreadsheet so that you can see whether or not you are making progress. Planning out your workouts and charting your progress will ensure that you will attain positive results. If you know how many jumpers you made and took last time you went out and practiced then you know what to shoot for the next time out. The same can be said for charting the amount of weight that you squatted or pressed or cleaned. Charting progress will force you to compete against yourself, and whether you surpass your previous achievement or not, it will get you back in the gym the next day. If you are successful in breaking a previous record, you will want to come back and do it again, and if you are unsuccessful at breaking your previous mark, you will also want to come back and do it again until you have.
Simply walking into the gym and going through some fly-by-night workout cannot produce any noticeable results. You must know what you are going to do at each workout long before you actually do it and each workout must have a specific and measureable goal to focus on. In other words, have a plan, or you should plan to fail.
