Training for Explosive Play
Wanna fly like “His Airness”? Wanna throw down dunks like Dwight Howard? Here’s what two of the best basketball trainers in the country have to say about training for explosive play.
Tim Grover, director of A.T.T.A.C.K Athletics and author of Jump ATTACK, the seminal work on improving your vert, is Michael Jordan’s personal strength coach. Here’s his advice for STACK readers:
• It’s not the amount of weight you lift; it’s how quickly you lift it.
• When performing plyometrics, it isn’t the height that matters; it’s the amount of time you spend on the ground.
• Stretch, stretch, stretch.
Grover’s final recommendation is for athletes to be patient. Increasing your vert, he says, “takes time, effort and dedication.”
Joe Rogowski, Orlando Magic strength and conditioning coach, trains his big men to be explosive with and without the ball. Just look at Darko Milicic crashing the boards and Dwight Howard stuffing opponents like Thanksgiving turkeys, and you’ll see that Rogowski’s methods get results.
Rogowski says, “A guy who can bench 225 in half a second is much more explosive than one who takes a full second. That makes all the difference when blocking a shot or dunking on a guy.” Here are his recommendations:
Wood Chops
• Attach handle to cable machine at shoulder level and hold handle with thumbs pointing up?
• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to machine with right shoulder closer to it?
• Keeping core tight, explode off right leg and drive cable across body and down to opposite foot?
• Return cable to start position with control; repeat for specified reps?
• Perform on left side
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×6-8 each side; 2x per week
Variations:?
1. Attach band to high position on stable object and perform against band resistance?
2. Add drop step
Rogowski: This has the same benefits as the Reverse Chops, but you work your explosion in an opposite pattern.
Reverse Wood Chops
• Attach handle to cable machine at foot level and hold handle with thumbs pointing up?
• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to machine with right shoulder closer to it?
• Keeping core tight, explode off right leg and drive cable across body to opposite shoulder?
• Return cable to start position with control; repeat for specified reps?
• Perform on left side
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×6-8 each side; 2x per week
Variations:?
1. Attach band to low position on stable object and perform against band resistance?
2. Add drop step
Rogowski: This is a great total-body explosion exercise. It simulates a basketball movement, starting with the leg drive and ending with the hands above the head. Equally important is that it is a multi-plane movement that works your core in a diagonal muscle pattern.
Dumbbell High Pulls
• Assume athletic basketball position with knees slightly bent, back flat and chest high?
• Hold dumbbells with straight arms just above knees?
• Explode upward by fully extending hips, knees and ankles and shrugging with straight arms?
• Pull dumbbells up keeping them close to body and elbows above hands
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3-4×6; 2x per week
Rogowski: Like the Chops, this is a full-body explosion exercise simulating a basketball movement, but it is on one plane. An added bonus is that the exercise increases hand and grip strength, because you have to hold onto the dumbbells. This improves our players’ ability to hold onto the ball better in the post.
Med Ball Dunks
Perform following basketball movements and dunk med ball:?
• Drop step left?
• Drop step right?
• Straight on
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×1 each way; 2x per week
Variation: If you are unable to dunk, perform lay-ups instead
Rogowski: This helps increase explosion and power while dunking or going up with the ball. Because it is a power exercise, keep the reps low.
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Training for Explosive Play
Wanna fly like “His Airness”? Wanna throw down dunks like Dwight Howard? Here’s what two of the best basketball trainers in the country have to say about training for explosive play.
Tim Grover, director of A.T.T.A.C.K Athletics and author of Jump ATTACK, the seminal work on improving your vert, is Michael Jordan’s personal strength coach. Here’s his advice for STACK readers:
• It’s not the amount of weight you lift; it’s how quickly you lift it.
• When performing plyometrics, it isn’t the height that matters; it’s the amount of time you spend on the ground.
• Stretch, stretch, stretch.
Grover’s final recommendation is for athletes to be patient. Increasing your vert, he says, “takes time, effort and dedication.”
Joe Rogowski, Orlando Magic strength and conditioning coach, trains his big men to be explosive with and without the ball. Just look at Darko Milicic crashing the boards and Dwight Howard stuffing opponents like Thanksgiving turkeys, and you’ll see that Rogowski’s methods get results.
Rogowski says, “A guy who can bench 225 in half a second is much more explosive than one who takes a full second. That makes all the difference when blocking a shot or dunking on a guy.” Here are his recommendations:
Wood Chops
• Attach handle to cable machine at shoulder level and hold handle with thumbs pointing up?
• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to machine with right shoulder closer to it?
• Keeping core tight, explode off right leg and drive cable across body and down to opposite foot?
• Return cable to start position with control; repeat for specified reps?
• Perform on left side
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×6-8 each side; 2x per week
Variations:?
1. Attach band to high position on stable object and perform against band resistance?
2. Add drop step
Rogowski: This has the same benefits as the Reverse Chops, but you work your explosion in an opposite pattern.
Reverse Wood Chops
• Attach handle to cable machine at foot level and hold handle with thumbs pointing up?
• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to machine with right shoulder closer to it?
• Keeping core tight, explode off right leg and drive cable across body to opposite shoulder?
• Return cable to start position with control; repeat for specified reps?
• Perform on left side
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×6-8 each side; 2x per week
Variations:?
1. Attach band to low position on stable object and perform against band resistance?
2. Add drop step
Rogowski: This is a great total-body explosion exercise. It simulates a basketball movement, starting with the leg drive and ending with the hands above the head. Equally important is that it is a multi-plane movement that works your core in a diagonal muscle pattern.
Dumbbell High Pulls
• Assume athletic basketball position with knees slightly bent, back flat and chest high?
• Hold dumbbells with straight arms just above knees?
• Explode upward by fully extending hips, knees and ankles and shrugging with straight arms?
• Pull dumbbells up keeping them close to body and elbows above hands
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3-4×6; 2x per week
Rogowski: Like the Chops, this is a full-body explosion exercise simulating a basketball movement, but it is on one plane. An added bonus is that the exercise increases hand and grip strength, because you have to hold onto the dumbbells. This improves our players’ ability to hold onto the ball better in the post.
Med Ball Dunks
Perform following basketball movements and dunk med ball:?
• Drop step left?
• Drop step right?
• Straight on
Sets/Reps/Frequency: 3×1 each way; 2x per week
Variation: If you are unable to dunk, perform lay-ups instead
Rogowski: This helps increase explosion and power while dunking or going up with the ball. Because it is a power exercise, keep the reps low.