7Why 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.