Basketball places high physical demands on the body across both training and competition.

Players are required to accelerate, decelerate, jump, land, change direction, and repeat high intensity efforts with limited recovery. Over time, these demands place significant stress on joints, tendons, and soft tissue.

Many basketballers struggle not because they lack effort, but because their gym training is not aligned with the basketball calendar. Poorly timed strength work, excessive fatigue, or training without structure often leads to stalled progress or time missed through injury.

This page explains how to approach basketball preparation using a clear training pathway, based on how long you have to prepare and where you are in the season.

What basketball demands from the body

Basketball is a repeated power and speed sport with a high volume of jumping and change of direction.

To perform well and stay available to play, players need:

• Strength to tolerate jumping, landing, and contact
• Power for acceleration, vertical jump, and rapid direction changes
• Aerobic capacity to recover between repeated high intensity efforts
• Muscular endurance and tissue resilience across long seasons

These qualities must be developed with intent. Training everything hard at once often leads to overload rather than improvement.

Why preparation matters for basketball

Without a clear preparation structure, gym training often competes with basketball instead of supporting it.

Common issues include:

• Entering pre season under prepared
• Carrying fatigue into games and practices
• Poor tolerance to jumping and landing volume
• Recurring knee, ankle, or soft tissue issues

Preparation solves this by sequencing training around the basketball calendar.

Strength is prioritised when court load is lower.
Power and conditioning are layered in when appropriate.
Training volume is adjusted when games matter most.

This approach improves performance while reducing unnecessary risk.

How basketball preparation is structured

Basketball preparation is built using focused 12 week training blocks.

Each block has a clear purpose and is aligned with where you are in the season.

Depending on your timeline, preparation may focus on:

• Off season strength development
• Pre season basketball specific preparation
• In season strength maintenance and support

The longer the timeline, the more opportunity there is to plan ahead and avoid rushing key phases.

Choose your basketball preparation pathway

From here, select how long you have to prepare.

Each pathway below explains what to train, when to train it, and which programs to use based on your situation.

Basketball 3 Month Preparation Pathway
Best for players entering pre season, late off season, or managing strength during the season.

Basketball 6 Month Preparation Pathway
Ideal for players moving from off season strength development into pre season preparation.

Basketball 12 Month Preparation Pathway
Built for year round development aligned with off season, pre season, and in season demands.

Each pathway removes guesswork and helps gym training support basketball, not compete with it.

You do not need to train harder to become a better basketballer.
You need to train at the right time, with the right focus.

The basketball preparation framework exists to give you clarity, reduce confusion, and help you stay strong, explosive, and available across the season.