7 things to do before you play basketball

Disclaimer: You see those flashy internet gimmicks of advertising some magic claiming to boost athleticism instantly. This is NOT one of those.

Before you throw that pass over that yelling opponent and before you play that crucial basketball match, there are 7 points you should keep in mind to rock the floor with your charisma. Basketball, a game that relies not only on your fitness and agility but also on the strength of your joints, tendons and joints.
For newbies, High school athletes, collegiate players; the best thing to do is to prepare their body adequately before they step on the hooping ground.

 Here are the 7 things to do before you play basketball.

1.Fitness and BMI:

 Not that I intend to offend anyone but fitness is one of the prime requirement for this game otherwise you might end up injuring yourself (slowly or a traumatizing one). It's always good to weigh yourself first. Calculate your Body Mass Index

                                                 BMI =  Your weight (in Kgs)
                                                             (height (in metres))² 

for every 1 point increase in your BMI, your chances of joint injury increases by 10% (that's a lot actually). Simple way to fix this is to prepare your body for the game.
A. Do 2 German Drills in a day for 4 days a week.
B. Doing Warm up before every exercise session as vital as heart to a body. The warm ups are aimed at stretching your ligaments, tendons and muscles into activity. To increase your agility and control of your body, you need to consistently do reaction exercises and stretches.
C. Plyometrics or jumping drill is the key to not only increasing your jump over certain period of time but also a way to accustom your knees and ankles to land properly. Single Handed or Double handed ball tapping on the board is the best thing to do to build up your jump and 'mysterious' stay in mid-air. More on it later as and when you request.

2.Shoes:

 Buying a good pair of shoes (not necessarily expensive) is absolutely necessary or else you might land up in a mess. Almost all the players know that the game should be played with high ankle shoes. They see it on the branded basketball accessory showrooms. But they fail to have complete understanding of which shoes if going to be good for them and which one would be bad. Here is the clear tip on, How to choose right basketball shoe for you?

·       Power Player: you need ample cushioning. You should go for ‘High ankle’ shoes.

·       All-round player: you need a combination of speed and cushioning. Go for ‘Mid ankle’ shoes.

·       Fast player: Since ankle support restricts your speed. So you should for ‘Low ankle’ shoes.

PS- wearing a low ankle shoes increases stress on your ankle. Therefore, its advisable to have your BMI in the balanced range especially if you plan to play fast-paced basketball (It anyway is fast! ).

Word of Caution: most athletes are under the impression that wearing high ankle shoes can lower the risk of joint injury to a minimum. This is NOT true completely! High ankle shoes may lower the risk of ankle injuries by providing support but at the same time, the stress of executing cross-overs and fakes increases on your knees and can cause knee ligament strains.

A shoe that fits your friend perfectly may not be suitable for your needs and foot parameters. So, Be Choosy!

Final Verdict?

Too much of anything is bad! Strike balance!

3. Static and Dynamic stretches:

The stretches that do not involving practical running are mostly static stretches. They have to be done before you proceed to dynamic stretching. A combination of both should be done every day before you step on the floor to play. Here’s a youtube link that I found useful in this regard.

4. Been off court lately?

If you have been off court lately (due to schedule or injuries), chances are that you will mess up the next time you land on the court without preparation. One of those common problems is Jerky-Elbow or Tennis Elbow syndrome where you might feel over-extension of your elbow while playing the game after a break.

Solution? Proper Warm up and stretching.

5. Tie shoelaces properly! Yes! 

Most power forward or point guards at school and collegiate level basketballers tie their shoelaces too tightly in the hope that it would give them better grip and would provide more ankle support. Well, the truth is quite counter intuitive.

A simple way to judge whether you have tied them tight enough or not is by standing straight on your feet and with one leg up on the ground, you lift the other one and SIMULATE ankle twist condition (very carefully in slow motion). This is done to test how much support you shoes’ ankle is giving you in such conditions.

Way to Identify?

•  If it pains in the ankle area not because of the twist simulation, but because of the shoe. Then, you have unnecessarily tightened ‘ropes’. Loosen them a little.
•  If your ankle has free movement during this test exercise. Then, your shoes are too loose.

6. Stretch..Stretch..Stretch!

If reiterating this word could emphasize its importance, then I would have it written here 100 times. Pre-game stretch and Post-game stretch, both are equally important. Believe it or not; but almost 50 percent non-professional Basketball game injuries occur due to weak Hamstrings and Quads. So, Go out and before you get tempted to dribble the ball and start a game….Stretch! You will see athletic gains within 2 weeks if you follow a “Vertical Jump” increasing program or a disciplined Plyometrics. I’ll come up with more on it subsequently.

7. It’s all in the mind (literally!)

Apart from what I’ve said here, serious players should mentally involve themselves into every aspect of the game. Visualize yourself taking free throws, Drives, taking charges, stealing balls. A very concrete branch of science (NLP) says it does work! Professional players do it inside locker room. Lance Armstrong did it when he was bed-ridden of cancer to recover. Do not underestimate it’s power.

Good Luck!