This is probably every players’ least favorite time of the year. Run.. Run.. Run… is what seems to consume their brains. Here’s the thing… Making your mile time, your shuttle time, 17’s, pyramids and all of the NOT fun running drills is only one aspect of conditioning. That is conditioning your endurance. That’s all. Run a lot now so that in the game you won’t get tired so quick. But what about the rest of conditioning? Sometimes coaches forget about the other parts of the game that need to be conditioned as well. For instance, what about conditioning the players to box out when EVERY shot goes up? What about conditioning the guards to run the lanes wide in transition? What about conditioning the post players to jump to the ball of post entries or keeping the ball hi on every rebound (if these are the philosophies)? It’s not just players that don’t understand true conditioning… “championship” conditioning. Some coaches don’t take the necessary time to “drill” in the intangibles, the details, the little things, that will bring you to the playoffs, championship game, or even the title. Being in good shape is only a small part of the game of basketball. Yes, you have to be able to run up and down the court. But what good is it to be a track star on the court but you can’t rebound, you don’t get fast break points, you don’t get paint buckets, you can’t guard a pole (you have no defense), or you can’t hold on to the ball? When you can’t do these things, it doesn’t matter how long you can run without getting tired. So remember, right now is the time to condition, train, and instill the “small” things that will make you a good player, a good teammate and a good team. When the shot goes up, it should be second nature to box out before running to the rim. When you’re guarding the ball and they pass it, you should automatically jump ball side so that you don’t get face cut. (If you don’t know what a face cut is… well, just ask me). There are things that make the game of basketball a little easier, and it starts in the off season.#thinkworkplay #thinkhoopsthursday

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