With limited court time in the pre-season, we as a staff focus on three areas: weight lifting, basketball I.Q., and mental skills training. Our team is in the weight room four days a week for an eight-week building cycle to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.
To build our player’s basketball I.Q., I will watch game film with positional groupings during our common lunch periods. Specifically, we watch last year’s game film to identify player strengths and areas of growth for open gym.
To strengthen our player’s mental preparedness we assign various chapters to read from the book The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think Train & Thrive by Jim Afremow. Mental skills training is something a player can do year round to boost confidence and develop strategies for self-correction.