Oct. 23, 2006

University of Dayton Basketball Strength & Conditioning Philosophy:
Why We Train the Way We Do!

Just a short time ago coaches and athletes believed strength training had little or no place in sport. It was believed that strength training caused an athlete to become "muscle-bound" and "stiff" thus, limiting range of motion and the ability to run, jump and move. Fortunately, time and science has proven that athletic performance depends either directly or indirectly on qualities of muscular strength. For example, if you compare two athletes who have equal technical skills and abilities, the stronger one is always going to win.

Understand the purpose of strength & conditioning training for sport is not to look like a bodybuilder or develop brute strength like a power lifter. Rather, it is purposeful for training the athlete to become stronger and more powerful in an effort to enhance performance and prevent injury.

Basketball itself is a game characterized by continuous, sub-maximal efforts interspersed with periods of short-term, high intense activity. Players are in constant motion as they contest for loose balls, move to support teammates, interchange positions, and move to create space or challenge opponents. Running, jumping, sprinting movements in conjunction with sudden changes of speed and direction dominate the play. As a result of these physical demands, it is important that an athlete posses the power, flexibility, speed, agility and conditioning to compete effectively while abstain from injury.

The principle philosophy in the University of Dayton Basketball Strength and Conditioning Program is improvement in speed-strength. Speed-strength is defined as the combination of maximum speed incorporated with maximum strength, thus producing the greatest amount of power. Power being precisely defined as the time rate of doing work, where work (W) is the product of force exerted on an object and the distance (D) the object moves in direction in which the force (F) is exerted. This is a basic mechanical definition, but there are two applied definitions, which are more useful when describing speed-strength as it relates to sport:

Power = the rate of performing work [i.e., WORK/TIME; where W = F • D] = explosive force production [i.e., FORCE • VELOCITY; where V= D/T]

Speed-strength is achieved through a series of special exercise components: absolute strength, explosive strength, starting strength and reaction strength. Each component depends on the other for maximum athletic performance. An athlete who is sound in all four components will progress in speed and in strength thus, optimizing his or her athletic performance. However, if one area is allowed to lapse, minimum performance and susceptibility to injury will most likely occur.

The University of Dayton Basketball: Four Components of Speed-Strength & Conditioning Program

Explosive Strength- is the greatest amount of force developed in a time frame. Several of the best ways to develop explosive strength are through Olympic weightlifting exercise, jumping, throwing exercises, and drills of an explosive nature, which are known in the sports world as Olympic weightlifting, plyometric and/or agility.

Starting Strength- is the measurement of how fast and forceful the athletic motion is at the beginning of a movement. Starting strength is the individual's instantaneous ability to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible during an initial movement. Moreover, starting strength emphasizes beginning a movement from a dead or static position and trying to explode and accelerate with maximum force and speed. One of the best ways to develop starting strength is for the athlete to make a maximal effort at the concentric phase of any speed-strength training exercise or drill (i.e., clean & jerk, squat, agility, plyometric, sprint training).

Absolute Strength- is the maximum weight you can lift or the ability of a muscle to contract and exert force. Strength is the birthstone upon which athletes build peak performance & speed-strength. If power is to increase, then speed, in conjunction with strength, must be increased. Absolute strength can be developed through the use of maximum strength efforts in weightlifting (i.e., back squat, front squat, bench press, Olympic lifting).

Reaction Strength (quickness)- is the speed in which the initial movement of the body causes an opposite and increased reaction from the second movement that occurs to the follow-through. More simply put; how quick you are? Quickness is the speed with which the eccentric contraction (negative or yielding) switches to concentric contraction (positive or overcoming). An example is stepping off a box landing on the ground is the amortization phase. This time (amortization phase) can be decreased with training and reaction strength improved. This can be seen easily when quick changes of direction are made on the court. Increasing reaction strength through specific plyometric and agility drills will improve "quickness" as well as sprinting speed. Likewise, using combination lifts can also develop reaction strength (i.e., snatch, clean & jerk).

The foundation & focus of our Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program: - Olympic Weightlifting exercises lifts like the clean, jerk, snatch and squat help strength, power and explosion for sport. - Preventative injury exercises that isolate and strengthen a particular muscle group in an effort to lessen the chance or degree of injury. - Core training that encompasses a variety of abdominal and lower back exercises. All the muscles in your mid-section allow you to transfer movement and power from the upper body to lower body and vice versa. If our athletes suffer from poor strength in this muscle region, their ability to generate horizontal, vertical movement or change of direction with optimum power and efficiency is impaired. - Sports-specific conditioning that mimics the physical and metabolic demands of the sport and incorporates aerobic, anaerobic, plyometric and agility training exercises through a systematic means of varied ranges and intensities throughout the week. - Emphasize improvement in strength & performance. The key word being improvement! We are not concerned with how much weight our athletes can lift or how strong they are in relation to their peers. Instead, we are concerned that our athletes perform a given exercise with proper form and technique. Technique is the medium that expresses strength.

Needs Emphasis between Pre-season, In-season, Post-Season & Off-season Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program

Post-season: Emphasis on rehabilitating the body from in-season physical stresses or injuries. Our post-season training is three to four days a week for up to 45 minutes with little or no conditioning. It's a high-volume, low-intensity workout with eight to 10 exercises a session.

Off-season: Emphasis on strength and power development Olympic weightlifting exercises paired with light conditioning. The point of emphasis is to enhance strengths and diminish weaknesses assessed in the post-season coach and athlete evaluation. Our off-season training is four times a week for up to 90 minutes with two to three days of moderate conditioning. It's moderate-volume, moderate to high-intensity training with six to eight exercises a session.

Preseason: At this point, our athletes should be close to peak physical condition. Emphasis is on enhancing power endurance. Exercises are performed at a sub-maximal level with minimal rest (30-45 seconds) between sets. This exercise combination is designed to ease our athletes into the start of individual practices, adjust to increased training volumes outside the weight-room and avoid over-training and over-use injuries. Preseason training is three times a week for up to 45 minutes with two to three days of moderate to heavy conditioning. It's moderate to low-volume, high-intensity training (5-7 exercises/session).

In-season: Athletes are in peak physical condition and ready to handle the mechanical and physical stresses of the long season. Emphasis is strictly strength maintenance and active recovery. This exercise combination is designed to maintain strength and conditioning levels enhanced from off-season and preseason training to avoid injury. During the season, we train two times a week for up to 30 minutes and have no conditioning. It's low-volume, moderate-high intensity training with five to seven exercises a session.