Dear Heth Jennings,

your questions concerns the training strategy that should be settled in relation with the preparedness level of athletes
and their competition calendar.
If athletes need a great increasing of their physical preparedness level and they have time to do it, I suggest you to
use the Block System training model.
Each block of Block System training has not a rigid subdivision of its finalization as to train one at a time (i.e. only
one quality in each block). Each block must have one two primary load finalizations (see my article about middle
distance training).
In the sport games, Block System training has also another particularity it envisages that the athletes carry out
constantly their technical work.
For the above considerations, the Block System training model of basketball preparation cycle is very complex. I
can only indicate you the way to elaborate this system.
The main objectives of basketball physical preparation are:

to improve athletes capacity to carry out the basketball competition activity at higher intensity level (higher
speed in body displacements, higher jumps and more powerful ball shoots and passes);

to assure that this competition activity will have the lower energy cost for athletes organism.
The speed of body displacements (the start accelerations and the change of directions) and the height of jumps are
influenced by the power output of legs push movements (i.e.: by the explosive strength of leg extension muscles).
The explosive strength of leg extension muscles is limited by their maximal strength.
As consequence of this consideration, we can fix the first element of training strategy for basketball physical
preparation: maximal strength of legs extension muscles explosive strength of legs extension muscles start
running speed and jumps height.
The power of passes and shoots (the velocity of balls flight) is fixed by the explosive strength of muscles involved
in these specific movements. The explosive strength of these movements is limited by their maximal strength.
So, we have the second element of the training strategy: maximal strength of upper body muscles explosive
strength of specific movements power of shoots and passes.
In the preparation cycle plan, these two strategic lines (speed of body displacements and power of passes and
shoots) could be used concurrently because they include the same sequence of changing of loads with different
emphasis.
The maximal strength and explosive strength of leg extension muscles are also base factors of Maximal Anaerobic
Power (MAP). The high level of MAP assures to execute the higher intensity elements of the basketball competition
activity, with lower involvement of glicolitic energy supply mechanism. The high level of MAP assures also the
lower involvement of recovery processes.
The combination of legs strength exercises, bounces and jumps with the specific basketball drills, assures the
improvement of specific speed increasing and also the MAP improvement.
Now we have to improve the recovery capacity.
The recovery capacity is based on the capacity to pay rapidly the oxygen debt or, in other words, to eliminate lactate
from muscles during the rest.
If the high level of MAP assures that this debt will be lower, the high level of VO2 assures the possibility to increase
rapidly the aerobic process in the rest period and to eliminate HLa more rapidly.
The most important method to improve VO2 is the interval training, preceded by continuous aerobic running and
aerobic fartlek.
So, we can fix the training strategy line to improve the recover capacity: prolonged aerobic running aerobic
fartlek interval training.
The prolonged aerobic running and aerobic fartlek can be curried out at the same period with maximal and explosive
strength loads. The interval training must be carried out only after the maximal speed increasing. The interval
training must include specific basketball drills, executed in interval regime.
On the base of the above considerations, we can design the following Block system conceptual model of the
physical preparation plan with gradual increasing of training intensity and specificity.

Introductory block (Strength Aerobic work of high volume and of low - medium intensity):
1. Legs strength exercises (Barbell Squats, Calf Rises and other) and upper body strength exercises that must be
executed with gradual increasing of overload weight during this training stage: from10 RM to 5 RM (Monday
and Thursday).
2. Extensive long bounces and jumps (Thursday and Friday).
3. Prolonged aerobic running (Wednesday and Saturday).
The first training session, which is long and hard, must be carried out separately from the basketball training
sessions. The second and third training session (sances) could be carried out after the basketball training session.
During this and the subsequent block, the basketball training volume and intensity must not be high.
Block A (high intensity - low volume strength work and Aerobic Fartlek):
1. Leg extension strength exercises (Barbell Squats, Calf Rises) and upper body exercises with 5 2 RM overload
weight (Monday, Wednesday, Friday or only Monday and Thursday training sessions separate from basketball
training).
2. Prolonged aerobic running of the preceding block should be gradually substituted by Aerobic Fartlek (Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday or only Tuesday and Friday).
Block B (Explosive Strength and Maximal Anaerobic Power) :
1. Legs explosive strength exercises: Barbell Squat Jumps; Russian Kettlebell jumps; intensive bounces and
jumps (see my answer to Sergio Gabba in Training for the high jump), Explosive Strength upper body
exercises with medicine balls (Monday, Wednesday, Friday or only Monday and Thursday training sessions
separated from the basketball training sessions). At the end of this block, intensive bounds and jumps can be
replaced by 2 - 4 series of 10 Depth Jumps.
2. 20 30 m distance uphill running executed with complete recovery after each repetition. During the recovery
phases, athletes must execute light running accelerations (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or only Tuesday and
Friday).
Block C (high intensity specific speed and power work):
1. Specific speed and explosive strength exercises (10 20 m starts, basketball jumps and shots) executed with
the repetition method (long rest intervals) and serial - repetition method. The classic Depth jumps of the
preceding block must be replaced by Depth jumps with subsequent jump shot.
2. Specific tactical combinations executed with maximal speed (serial-repetition training method and interval
training method).
All physical preparation training of block C must be carried out on the basketball court before the planed technical
tactical training.
Each blocks durations depend on the duration of all preparation period determined on the base of competitions
calendar. So, the duration of this plan can be of 8 12 weeks.
With a longer duration you can reach a higher increase of athletes special physical preparation level.