The off-season has transitioned to the pre-season with only a couple of months left until the first day of basketball practice or tryouts. Coaches use the line, “control the controllables,” to emphasize what should be prioritized and to help stay disciplined by minimizing distractions. If getting prepared for the upcoming season is a top priority, then start taking control by putting together a basketball training program for the pre-season.

Use some of the resources provided here with CTG Hoops to help.

CTG Mindset | CTG Growth | CTG Nutrition

Training programs are simply developmental plans built to assess targeted areas for improvement within a certain time frame. The off-season blends recovery with re-loading, while the pre-season aims to refine.

• Learning concepts/plays
• Build back endurance
• Consider nutrition plan
• Improve flexibility
• Develop go-to move
• Get up a ton of shots

With school responsibilities added to the everyday schedule, time management will play an important role in pre-season productivity. Save time by using our CTG Curriculum to create an activity checklist to identify preferred or prioritized areas to improve:  

The list should be custom to what fits your lifestyle and the resources available. After checking off the list of priorities, the following steps should take aim at building out phases for completion. The process should focus on incremental progress.

A simple way to keep track of weekly productivity would be with our CTG Notebooks. Put together a comprehensive pre-season training program that progressively builds up the mind, body, and basketball skills to prepare for the start of the season.

Mindset

Mental training is the intentional preparation of an individual’s mind to improve their performance.

Sometimes the pre-season can be considered more of a grind than the regular season because there isn’t a game on the schedule to look forward to yet. So, showing up to the weight room for lifts, or committing to conditioning activities takes an intentional approach to pursue the results desired.

Incorporating mental performance training starts with self-analysis.

What’s the mission?

Addressing why pre-season training is important can activate a sustainable motivation for daily participation. Clear goals instill confidence to complete the mission.

Once goals are established; start determining which training activities will have the most impact. Look through the CTG Curriculum to target specific areas of improvement based on acknowledging current strengths or opportunities for growth.

Body

If the mentality is to get stronger, faster, or more skilled at the game, don’t dismiss what goes into the body to support those ambitions.

Being stronger, and feeling faster doesn’t happen if our eating habits aren’t aligned with being an elite athlete. It’s easy to ignore what goes into our bodies because of how much activity is involved during a season. However, all dietary decisions complement physical development – whether that is to add strength, become more explosive, or become a better defender.

That’s why CTG Hoops has put together CTG Nutrition to help athletes learn more about how the diet truly affects performance.

Basketball

It is one thing to have a plan; it is another to follow through with it. Progress takes discipline.

This is why having a productivity log supports the execution of a pre-season training program. Track daily participation in the activities selected as most impactful.

Getting back into the gym is likely the number one priority. After an off-season initially used for recovery, then re-loaded with AAU or summer league participation; the pre-season training program should start to concentrate on the skills most transferable to season expectations.

Individual workouts for guards will prioritize ball-control, decision-making, or shooting activities around the perimeter.

Small-group sessions are great ways to develop situational awareness in a competitive situation. This is why we broke down the best 3v3 basketball plays to learn in our previous blog. It is one of the best environments for the player and team development.

Then there is the addition of getting involved in pick-up games. Pre-season is a great opportunity to re-connect with teammates and re-build that chemistry on the floor. Different from summer league runs, pre-season pick-up games should resemble more of regular season scrimmages from practice. Players should look to emulate roles that they can expect to play, and teams should be relatively balanced to create the best competition.

The pre-season can be considered a grind from all the lifts, and workouts. But, with the right mentality – putting together a pre-season training program could be the most rewarding experience of your career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL TRAINING PROGRAM

• Build a pre-season plan to improve your mind, body, and basketball skills before the season
• Use our CTG Curriculum to help create an activity checklist
• Mind: Clear goals can instill the confidence to complete the mission
• Body: Diet truly affects performance
• Basketball: Individual, group, or pick-up should be purposeful practice
• Start building your Pre-Season Training Program with a CTG Notebook