Union City Bears Basketball Team
Coach Bradley Smith
September 2011
What is your typical training schedule like?
Our off-season training is mainly geared toward individual development while our in-season training is geared toward team development. Our individual development typically consists of one hour of individual skill enhancement and one hour of offensive and defensive concepts in an individual setting. We rarely play five-on-five live in the off-season because we don’t feel it improves their game on an individual level.
We also have strength training one day per week where we will spend one hour strength training and one hour on agility. All of our training is geared toward basketball- specific exercises and movements. We want to make sure we maximize our training sessions.
What do your athletes enjoy most about training? What challenges them the most?
They enjoy the fast paced environment that is created in our individual development workouts. We want to mimic the pace of a basketball game in our training so we transition from one exercise to the next as efficiently as possible. There are multiple challenges that accompany endurance training, but we try to create dynamic exercises that introduce multiple basketball muscles at one time while maintaining good form and pace. The exercises are uncomfortable to start but as we progress, their bodies become accustomed to the training. Being uncomfortable is part of improving and we need to become comfortable being uncomfortable in order to maximize our performance. It is rewarding for them to look back and see that they pushed through an uncomfortable state and recognize the results based on the choice they made.
How do you stay motivated to keep up with your training?
Our motivation comes from the idea of knowing we can always be better. Our goal everyday is to be better than we were yesterday. It is our belief that good is the enemy of great and we are continually pursuing greatness.
How do you use chocolate milk as part of your exercise routine?
We take great pride in taking care of our bodies and we know how important nutrition is not only as an athlete, but in everyday life. Chocolate milk has become our choice for post-workout nutrition because we know it has the necessary nutrients to keep our bodies healthy. Basketball is a physically demanding sport and we need to do whatever it takes to stay healthy throughout the season. Chocolate milk is a healthy and inexpensive way to do that.
What are you most excited about for this year’s season?
We are excited to get back in the gym and continue to pursue that level of greatness as a team because we know we will never reach our goals individually.
