need more details for various season

A MONTH OFF IS WAY TO MUCH TO TAKE OFF, I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T AND HAVE NOT EVER PLAYED BASKETBALL, YOU ARE JUST AS STUPID AS THE REST OF THE IDIOTS ON THE INTERNET THAT THINK THEY NOW STUFF ABOUT BASKETBALL. I WILL NEVER USE THIS SITE AGAIN.

Hi Devin,

Actually, the person who wrote this article played at the college level and has coached/scouted/managed/developed players for over 25 years at the high school, college, and NBA level.

If you understand periodization, you'll understand the if you constantly use the same muscles, they are going to become fatigued and that often results in injury. Why do you think so many players in the NBA that played in the Olympics are suffering from injuries now? Many NBA GM's are against their players playing summer basketball, because they know and understand that a player's body can not take that much abuse and hold up.

Not to mention, many players become mentally fatigued after a long season and need the break to avoid burnout as well.

I've experienced both physical injury and mental burnout from playing basketball, so I completely agree with the author.

I don't really think you will be missed on this site Devan. If you do ever decide to take time off maybe you should work on your grammar skills. To play in high school and college you have to pass your classes.

I coach high school and have found a similar off-season program to be beneficial. I developed our program with input from several ACC players and former coaches. Our guys look forward to a planned program.
Thanks Joe...

How do this work for those trying to do AAU over the summer. It seems that practice for the summer doesn''t give them a three to four week rest period.

Our season ends 2 and a half months before the end of school. We have a 4 week break before we have " open gym", which is an after school session where anyone can play in a loosely structured program. The other schools and we play in a Spring League that is very low-key. We gradually begin to increase playing time only, going to 1 camp in June. Our guys then have the rest of the summer for AAU or anything else they enjoy.

Thanks, Charles.

Roosevelt, one other thing to consider is that you want to be careful with AAU ball. So many kids get burnt out on playing too much basketball during the summer.

You also have to worry about fatiguing the players. If you don't give them enough time off, they can get injured.

Not to mention, too many teams are playing too much summer games. When are they supposed to improve their skills? The really good players get about 30 to 40 touches and 10 to 15 shots per game. In a practice session about 45 minutes to an hour, the player touches the ball over 500 times and can shoot the ball 300+ times.

Can't improve as a player without practice. That's what the summer is for.

I'm a young player and I carry my team on my shoulders. I guess you could say that i need to work on everything-I'm a bit overwhelmed and need a quick and easy workout for the offseason...considering im just worn out- help!

Love the article. But our season ended about 2 months ago and the day right after it ended, i was in the gym working and doin drills. Since then (January 18 to be exact) i havent tooken one day off. Im either playing ball in 5 on 5 pickup games at the gym until night or doing drills. I play non stop and it's like im addicted to the game. I want to make Varsity next year so im working hard but do you think it is too much or should i do "periodization" like u said

Hi Dennise & William,

My first advice would be to read Tip #1. Take some time off. If you feel worn out already, imagine how you'll feel at the beginning of October.

I would also advise to read this article on some tips to develop a workout: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/developing-a-basketball-workout-for-high-school-college-tryouts/

Hi Dennise , William.... As coaches ,we always appreciate when players show the desire to improve.
When our guys lift weights, they will often want to " get back in the weight room" thinking that, the more they lift, the stronger they will become. Our bodies have a logical sequence for growth; " lift, recover, grow". You can't force your body or your skills to skip over the " recover" part of the sequence. Give your skills time to " grow".
Coach Haefner is right, take time off. Your game and your skills WILL improve.

i am coaching under-14&16 yrs girls & boys team. with the help of your tips we learn so many things our teams are performing very well.we won many interschool tournaments. now i have to go for advance coaching for the period of two months(May-June) and in month of july copetition period will start. during my absence my colleauge will take care of team. so how to go through during this period. help.

Ummm.... Devan I agree with tip #1 and think you should follow it, then and take a chill pill. I hate it when people think they know everything about basketball(i'm great at basketball and i dont even know everything about the sport). Unless you are in the NBA you dont know everything. I'm 100% sure you aren't in the NBA.

I go outside and i take between 200-300 shots per day every other day, not including free throws. Some people say that I spend to much time in the gym or outside playing basketball, does anyone else agree.

This article is so helpful, especially since my season was just cut to an unexpected end. I was just wondering if there are any coaches out there if you have any tips for girls basketball?

Quan- ABSOLUTLEY NOT! I not only admire but respect you for such dedication to the game! I was wondering if you have any other tips for girls basketball?

Hi Sam,

I think a lot of the tips on this website would be helpful to you. I don't think it matters if you are a boy or a girl. Take a look at this section: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/players/players.html

Joe whats the quickest way to develop the skills needed to dribble at a point guard level?

Joe, I wished I would have read this one earlier..... Devin, YOU are way out of line. You need to show a little respect for other people... especially the people ( Jeff & Joe ) who have put this great site together.
Let me ask you a question - do you have a job? Don't you look forward to a vacation from your place of business?
Everyone needs to take a break from what they are doing and sports are no different. There are some people that are having young kids play the same sport all year long.... and once they get to the high school level, they are burned out, not to mention the injury factor.
Talk to some coaches that have the KIDS best interests at heart..... Don't forget that some kids play multiple sports so they have to balance, academics, home life and sports... and STILL have some time to just be a kid!
That is exactly why some High School associations limit the contact days (26 in our area) over the summer.

The basketball training tips outlined in this article are specifically written for kids playing organized basketball for the first time. Many parents erroneously believe that when they sign their child up to participate in a basketball league that skill development is part of the deal.

This article was written for players in high school and college. Although it does apply to middle school as well. It was NOT written for first time players.

I'm sure it's true that some parents sign up for basketball leagues and incorrectly think skill development is part of the deal. However, some leagues do teach skill. League administrators should make it very clear on what player do and do not get. They should also offer opportunities for players to develop skill.

thank you breakthrough basketball, you really helped me start to think about how im going to plan my offseason.

you also answered my question with these 12 nifty tips.

thanks again =)

Many basketball coaches will have first hand knowledge of the game before trying to coach their teams. But it is possible to use other coaching techniques to teach basketball players effectively. Here are a few of those techniques.

Hey guys, I had a very bad season last year... I play in Spain and this year I went to a new team in a higher level and that costed me a lot of injuries because maybe I wasn''t physically prepared for that level during the first months of the season....
Now I''ve being resting about 2 months because of the stress my muscles suffered and also hip and left knee.
What do you recommend for me to recover from injuries and at the same time improve my skills and be ready for the next season?
Is it a good idea to try doing some bike riding and soft running before I totally recover or is it a bad idea?
I had knee tendonitis and a hip tendonitis as well.....the major pain has gone away but I am still not at 100%
Thank you guys, and this is a great website.
Very helpful for bball players

Eduardo - You'll need to ask your doctor about your injury. That's not something we can give advice about. For skills you can do stationary dribbling (standing or sitting in a chair) while you're waiting to heal. You can also study film and do everything you can to learn about the game.