Strength Training for Basketball

Why is strength training important for the basketball athlete? In a dynamic game that changes by the instant, athletes need to be conditioned to sustain the highly stressful workloads experienced during practice or a game. For the basketball athlete, that means strength cannot be defined only as a measure of how much weight the person can lift; rather, it is an ability that should be judged by whether it can successfully be applied on the court.

Developed with the expertise of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Strength Training for Basketball shows you how to design resistance training programs that will develop your athletes’ strength on the court—helping them to jump higher, accelerate faster, and abruptly change direction. The book will help you understand the specific physical demands of each position—point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. You will also find the following:

• 20 testing protocols for measuring and assessing athletes’ strength, reactive strength, power, speed, agility, endurance, and anaerobic capacity
• 18 total body exercises with 2 variations
• 19 lower body exercises with 3 variations
• 17 upper body exercises
• 11 anatomical core exercises with 5 variations
• 16 sample programs for off-season, preseason, in-season, and postseason resistance training

Each resistance training exercise consists of a series of photos and a detailed list of primary muscles trained, beginning position and movement phases, breathing guidelines, modifications and variations, and coaching tips to guide you in selecting the right exercises for a program. You’ll also learn how to structure those programs based on the goals and length of each season and for each position.

Backed by the NSCA and the knowledge and experience of successful high school, college, and professional basketball strength and conditioning professionals, Strength Training for Basketball is the authoritative resource for creating basketball-specific resistance training programs to help your athletes optimize their strength and successfully transfer that strength to the basketball court.

Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education course and exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes all the course materials and exam.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the world’s leading organization in the field of sport conditioning. Drawing on the resources and expertise of the most recognized professionals in strength training and conditioning, sport science, performance research, education, and sports medicine, the NSCA is the world’s trusted source of knowledge and training guidelines for coaches and athletes. The NSCA provides the crucial link between the lab and the field.

Javair Gillett, MS, CSCS, RSCC*D, is the head strength and conditioning coach and director of athletic performance for the Houston Rockets. Prior to joining the Rockets, Gillett spent 14 years with the Detroit Tigers, and he has worked with the Orlando Magic, Indiana University, and Penn State University.

Gillett is certified as a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC*D) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has a master of science degree in human movement from A.T. Still University and completed his bachelor’s degree at DePauw University, majoring in health and human performance with an emphasis in exercise science. He lettered four seasons with DePauw University’s baseball team and was given All-Conference honors two of those four years as well as All-American Honorable Mention his final season.

Gillett dedicates himself to sharing his knowledge with youth athletes, parents, and coaches. He has been a speaker at numerous educational events and has published research articles and other educational content for a variety of resources. During the off-season, he resides in Houston with his wife, Erin Counts, and daughter, Anabella Rose.

Bill Burgos, MS, CSCS, RSCC*D, is the former head strength and conditioning coach of the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, immediate past president of the National Basketball Strength & Conditioning Association (NBSCA), and a former member of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Sports Science Committee and the Jr. NBA Leadership Council. His passion for sports performance has driven him to master his craft in this industry; he has worked with technology and traditional sports training, has experience in the field of wearable technology, and has consulted with such companies as Intel and Kinduct.

Burgos has been an invited speaker at several events, including the NFL Technology and Performance Symposium, NBA Health and Performance Summit, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Sports Medicine Symposium, and the Rugby Innovation Summit in London, where he spoke on how technology is currently being used in his program and on the significance of communication among a high-performance staff. Helping to make a mark in the industry, he created an applied exercise science (sport science) course that is offered online at Austin Peay State University.