Offseason Training: Skill Development Is King

By Danny McLarty, CSCS

I'll let the video below provide the majority of the information. But briefly...

Quite often athletes get too caught up in, "harder is better." i.e. "if I don't put in three hours on the court working on my game, I'm not going to be the best player that I can be." OR, "if I don't leave the court feeling like I'm about to puke, I didn't go hard enough."

I like this mindset, as I know you are thinking, "I'll do WHATEVER it takes to be the best player that I can be." BUT, there are many aspects of your game that help you to become a great player—skill, heart, discipline, conditioning, strength, staying healthy, coachability, etc. etc. And let me tell you, in the offseason, conditioning is NOT very important. I'm obviously not saying that you should sit on the couch all day eating doritos and turn into a slob. But when you head to the gym to work on your game, emphasize skill development. Conditioning will become a higher priority as tryouts in October approaches. But for now, focus on improving your skills!

And oh yeah, get in the weight room, will ya? Check out the video below as I go over two very important factors in getting the most out of your game: Efficiency and the "hierarchy" of offseason training for basketball.

Now, go get in the gym and work on those handles, your pull-up J, and work to expand the range on your shot. And remember, do everything with a purpose! For every dribble, every shot, and every move, I want you to visualize that you are being guarded by the best defender in your conference. Go get it!