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Basketball Food Journal – Keep One & Get Ahead In The Game!

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Basketball Food Journal

Basketball Food Journal – What is That?

A basketball food journal, also known as a food log or food diary, is a daily form that serious players in basketball training use to track your nutrition intake over a set period of time.

I believe that all basketball players should keep a daily food journal for at least 2 weeks out of every month, if not just making it an ongoing part of their basketball nutrition strategy.

Keeping a food journal is fairly simple, yet does require an increased commitment to logging everything that you eat and drink for a set period of time.  You can choose to either create your own personal food journal, buy or find a pre-made one online or even use a phone app such as My Fitness Pal.  Whichever way you decide to go with logging your daily nutritional intake, be sure that it makes the most sense for your lifestyle and personality so that you will stick with it in the long run.  We also recommend periodically sharing your food journal in your discussions with your basketball trainer so they can help you pinpoint between your peaks and valleys in performance.

A basic food journal for basketball players should at the very least include: what you are eating (try to be as specific as possible), what time you ate each meal/snack, a way to track your water intake, how much time has passed between each meal/snack, how you felt before and after you ate.  More detailed journals centered on meeting specific goals like increasing muscle mass or reducing body fat percentage should include things like total calories along with fat, protein and carbohydrate content of each meal.

The most convenient time to log your food and fluid intake will be different for everyone.  Some players may find it easier to jot things down after each meal and snack as they go along in their days, while others may have more success doing it all at the very end of their day.  The only potential problem to waiting until the end of the day is the chance that you might forget to include something.

Making the decision to commit to tracking your nutritional intake as a basketball player can have a very positive impact on your overall health which will translate into your performance on the court.  How can you know whether or not you are consistently fueling your body with the right types and amounts of foods if you don’t take the time to review your days and weeks?  The bottom line is that you can’t, while it is effective to always choose as healthy foods as possible, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the fine details of your diet that could be causing you to perform at less than your best.

I’d like to share with you my top 4 reasons why every basketball player should keep a food journal at least from time to time.

  1. Recognize patterns in your daily eating habits and basketball performance

    – unless it’s written down, often it’s easy to overlook small details in your eating habits. Keeping a food journal will help you distinguish between what you think you may or may not be doing on a regular basis in your diet in comparison to what you actually are.  For example, having everything written out will help you to pinpoint patterns like what kinds of food you tend to eat at certain points in the day,  times that you may be waiting too long to eat your next meal or snack and you might even be surprised at your actual water intake.

  2. Achieve specific basketball  nutritional goals

    – it’s difficult to achieve any goal without being able to measure success. A daily basketball food journal is a strategic and wise way to set yourself up to create the daily nutrition to meet your goals.  Whether you are wanting to increase your muscle mass or even reduce some unwanted body fat, it’s important to know what and how much you are eating each day.  Specific goals require specific action and a food journal is the easiest, most effective way to face the reality of what you are or aren’t putting into your body to get you to where you want to be physically to support your basketball performance in the least amount of time.

  3. Plan your pre- and –post basketball workout meals

    – on the days that you are busy, it can be easy to overlook the importance in fueling your body properly before and after a basketball practice, workout or game. Keeping a daily food journal can be especially helpful with you being able to choose the best foods and supplements to fuel your body with.  Logging what you are eating before you play will allow you to see which foods give you more energy and which foods seem to slow you down out on the court.  Also, it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable for getting in the best post workout nutrition possible after exerting yourself physically for hours. These two meals are the most important meals that a basketball player will eat aside from breakfast, so it’s important to recognize what you are fueling your body with consistently.

  4. Keep up with your daily supplementation

    – aside from food, including regular nutritional supplementation in your basketball game plan like taking a daily multi-vitamin can be incredibly beneficial. With so many things to remember in regards to healthy eating, sometimes remembering to take your supplements can slide under the radar.  Including these in your daily food journaling efforts can help you keep up with what and when you need to take your nutritional support products each day.

As you’ve now learned, sometimes getting a little more pro-active with your basketball nutrition goals by keeping a periodic food journal can really elevate you and give you a strategic advantage to success.  It’s always easier to make changes when you know exactly what areas you need to work on, rather than feeling like you’re drowning in changes that need to be made without any real idea of where to start.

Get ahead of the game and grab your pen and basketball food journal for healthier and more effective basketball nutrition!

Basketball Trainer Writer Danielle McDonald

7 Steps to a Stress-Busting Attitude for Basketball Players

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Basketball Stress Busting in 7 Steps

Stress is one of the leading contributing root causes of poor health for most Americans. In fact, it is linked to all six of the leading causes of death in the United States including heart disease, cancer, liver diseases, lung diseases and even suicide.

While most basketball players are healthy enough to not have to worry about the above listed chronic conditions, stress can still have a significantly negative impact on players who feel overloaded between the demands of school, work, family, romantic relationships and performing well on the court.

Even chronically low levels of stress can lead to poor sleeping patterns, anger, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, as well as a lowered immune system.  Basketball players who feel more stressed are often likely to suffer from the cold, flu and allergies throughout the season.

Stress targets the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the human body which means that basketball players are constantly under attack from all angles of life in order to maintain balance between these three aspects of well-being.

Mental, physical and emotional well-being are all interconnected so it’s often that if a player is suffering from severe stress in one of these areas the other two will suffer. For example, final exam week is a time of great mental and emotional stress which can mean that physically players may not perform at their best during practice because of the stressful mental distractions of worrying about studying for and passing their tests.  Likewise, when a basketball player is physically exhausted or even nursing an injury, their efforts in the classroom or at work are more likely to suffer as well.

Being a part of a competitive basketball team is stressful in itself. From competing for more playing time to memorizing and executing plays perfectly, there is a lot that players have to focus on and worry about in order to develop their skills enough to become a great asset to their team.  Not to mention the stress that comes with trying to perform consistently at a level on the court and in the classroom that will get them noticed by college recruiters and land them that college basketball scholarship they’ve been dreaming of for years.

Many people believe that a person’s attitude has a lot to do with their daily levels of stress.  The mind is an incredibly powerful force and if you can conquer your thought processes and mental stress as a player than the emotional and physical sides are likely to follow suit for an overall peaceful and stable life on and off the basketball court.

I’m going to share with you 7 proven steps to help you develop a stress-busting attitude no matter what you may be facing in order to bring more balance to your life as basketball player and all the responsibilities that it entails.

Step 1: Become an Optimist

basketball optimismOptimism can take you very far in life.  The way you view and deal with challenging situations can make all the difference in how you respond and sometimes even contribute to the outcome.  Rather than always seeing the glass half empty, strive to be someone who sees the glass half full at all times.  Basketball season comes with many challenging situations personally and as a team.  Competing for positions, battling injury and sickness, dealing with tough losses and sometimes struggling to get along with difficult teammates or even a coach can leave a player feeling rather pessimistic; but, if you focus on the good things and believe that the negative will turn to positive and work towards your ultimate benefit than life will be more of a breeze than a struggle.

Step 2: Listen to Your Self-Talk

Basketball Self TalkAs you go throughout your day you will notice that you are always talking to yourself.  Sometimes what you are saying is positive and sometimes it’s negative.  By beginning to pay closer attention to the way you are talking to yourself you can gain a great idea of why you tend be more positive or negative in general.  Your self-talk should be positive, encouraging and uplifting at all times in order to make yourself feel confident, empowered and ready to deal with the everyday challenges you will face as a basketball player and student.  If you can’t be your biggest fan, than who will be?

Step 3: Ask Better Questions as You Reflect

Ask Basketball QuestionsReflecting upon the questions you are asking yourself throughout the day when you face difficult situations takes self-talk a step further.  It’s easy to fall into a negative, stress inducing pattern of beating ourselves up with self-defeating questions like, “Why do I always miss my second free throw?” or “Why do I always have to mess up that play?” Instead, ask yourself questions that are going to help you overcome the situation or circumstance like “What do I need to learn from my failed attempts to make it better the next time?” or “How can I adjust my form and visualize my shots going in so that I can improve my free throw percentage?”  These are the kinds of questions that are focused on the positive and are going to get you much better results.

Step 4: Use Daily Positive Affirmations

Basketball AffirmationsPositive affirmations are one of the most powerful tools that you can equip yourself with as a competitor to overcome adversity and stress.  Affirmations are things that we believe and they become imprinted on our subconscious mind, so regardless of whether you are consciously thinking a positive or negative thought at the time, what your subconscious believes is typically how you will behave when you are faced with stress. For example, if you believe that you are not a good defender in your mind, than your emotions and physical body will limit themselves to your affirmative belief.  Employing daily positive affirmations can take you to the next level as a competitor.  A good way to start using them is to make a list of 3-5 statements that are going to begin changing your subconscious mind for the better.  Try powerful statements like, “I am blessed with an athletic body and gift that I use daily to the best of my abilities!” or “Every day in every way I am getting better and better as a basketball player.” You can see how these positive affirmations will you help you bust any stress you have and take you on to success.  

Step 5: Set Positive, Realistic Goals

Realistic Basketball GoalsLearning to set positive goals is a great way to build your self-esteem and confidence throughout the basketball seasons.  Remember to use positive words, be realistic and to keep everything in the present tense. Whether you want to increase your shooting percentage, decrease your turnovers or up your assists – keeping these things at the forefront of your mind will keep you motivated, focused and less likely to be stressing out about all the outside factors in life that can cause worry and tension.

Step 6: Practice Positive Visualizations

Positive VisualizationWhile thinking positive thoughts is incredibly powerful, putting energy into positive visualizations can bring success as well. How about picturing yourself hitting the game winning shot before you even take it, or how about seeing yourself shutting down the other teams’ best player?  If you can create visualization in your mind then technically you already are experiencing the emotions that come with the success of the moment. It won’t be a surprise or simply a chance of luck, instead you will succeed out on the court because you expect to!  Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool, so get creative and put it to work—your imagination is your friend during times of stress.

Step 7: Laugh Longer and More Often

Laughter As Basketball MedicineLightening up for more laughter and humor throughout your day no matter how hectic it may seem may be just what you need to take off that stressful edge. In fact, making time to laugh often is the most powerful stress-buster around.  Research and studies are also now showing that laughing has the potential to boost the immune system as well considering that stress levels and immunity do go hand-in-hand.

Life is always going to be a challenge regardless of whether you are playing basketball or not. The important thing to remember is that you have more power over the outcome of each day and your attitude than you might think!  By following the seven steps above to busting stress as a basketball player you will be happy to find that your days will flow with more ease and you won’t force yourself to spend so much time being pessimistic, focusing on the negative and beating lf or others up over small mistakes.  The less stressed and happier you are on a daily basis, the closer you are to reaching your basketball dreams and goals in life.

Don’t let challenges, obstacles, difficult people and situations get in your way of living a low-stress and peaceful life – it’s simply not worth it!

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Basketball Stress - 7 Steps To Busting Your Stress

 

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Basketball Training And Multivitamins – Take It To The Next Level

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Basketball & Multivitamins

Take Your Basketball Nutrition to the Next Level with the Right Daily Multivitamin

Your nutritional game plan is just as important as the development of your skills out on the court. From the types of foods you choose to include in your daily diet, the fluids you decide to hydrate yourself with and the nutritional supplements that you fill in the deficiencies with are all key to maintaining a healthy athletic body and mind to play basketball at your best.

With so much information out there about supplements and multi-vitamins it can be difficult to know who to believe or what products are going to be worth the investment and your time in taking them.

My goal within this article is to help answer those questions and give you a clearer picture of what’s really going on within the supplement industry and how taking the right kind of multi-vitamin can greatly impact your daily basketball nutrition.

The Truth Behind the Vitamins Research and Studies

Nearly half of Americans are currently taking some sort of multivitamin product and will continue to do so because of their belief in its ability to improve their overall health and well-being.

However, many medical institutes dispute the effectiveness of taking a daily multivitamin based upon government funded research.  There is a lot of controversy over the validity of these studies in that they are conducted using only pharmaceutical grade synthetic or “man made” vitamins when there are numerous multivitamins on the market today that provide all-natural, plant and food sourced vitamin and nutrient sources.  Despite these big pharmaceutical driven companies’ technical efforts, there is much “unproven evidence” that taking a food and plant-sourced multivitamin can have outstanding health benefits on one’s health.

An important thing to understand about the supplement industry is that it is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.  The FDA has been known to be overly rigorous on supplement companies for what they can and cannot say about the health benefits of their products like multivitamins.  If the supplement company can’t provide a clinical trial that meets the FDA’s narrow standards than the product is simply considered to be unproven and cannot be associated with any distinct health benefits despite smaller studies having been performed proving otherwise.  Sadly, those studies and research are simply not recognized and are disregarded by the FDA.

Most people don’t realize that performing a full clinical research trial is not an easy feat since it is an incredibly expensive procedure costing anywhere from 10-33 million dollars total. [1] The ongoing dilemma for more natural companies and products ends up being that they cannot afford to run the appropriate clinical trials required by the government to have their products honored and published as valid.

Another perspective to consider is that the companies and people who do have the large sums of money to fund these clinical trials are not willing to invest in the research behind natural, plant and food based products.  This is because if research began to emerge proving that their effectiveness was equivalent or greater to the pharmaceutical drugs and vitamins that they are invested in, than they would ultimately lose money due to the inexpensiveness of the plant-based alternatives.

Why Do I Need a Multivitamin as a Basketball Player?

Vitamins, minerals and nutrients are all compounds found within the fresh foods that we eat like whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  While it is very important to maintain a daily diet that includes all of these categories, the nutritional issue that current society is posed with are the toxic and depleted soils that conventional store bought foods are grown in.

This depleted and toxic soil issue means that no matter how healthy or organic you think you are eating, you are still going to be barely getting by or even be deficient in at least a few key vitamins, minerals or nutrients.[2]

This health concern is not biased to any age group – children, teens, young and middle aged adults, seniors and basketball players alike ought to consider this known fact and fill in those nutritional gaps with an effective daily multivitamin!

Keep in mind that nutritional supplement manufacturers are able to partner up with companies that grow herbs and plants in more nutritionally enriched, pesticide-free soils to be used within their products. Some companies pay very good money to have these nutrient enriched and toxin-free crops in their products to offer to you!

Also, herb and plant sources of vitamins and minerals that we are either unable to purchase fresh in a grocery store because they are completely foreign to our area or that we normally wouldn’t add into our daily diets on a regular basis like wheat grass, spirulina and chlorella; can be infused into these products making for a highly dense, nutrient packed multi-vitamin that can certainly take non-athletes and basketball players alike to a whole new nutritional level!

It is especially important for basketball players to take a high quality daily multi-vitamin considering all of the physical effort they exert on a weekly basis.  While being in great athletic shape is a very healthy thing, most athletes need double the nutritional support that non-athletes do since they are working their muscles at least twice as hard through all of the strength and endurance workouts that they endure. It’s safe to say that including a multi-vitamin will definitely have an impact on a players’ overall energy levels, focus, and moods while helping to support the body during intense times of recovery.

Not All Multivitamins Are Created Equal

I believe that it goes without saying that not all multivitamins are created equal; yet, it can still be entirely confusing to know the distinct differences between the several forms that are offered.

Multivitamins come in several different forms including tablets, capsules, gummies, chewable wafers, powders and liquids.

Tablets, capsules, wafers and gummies tend to be the traditional favorites and are certainly the most cost effective; however, they don’t provide bio-available sources of vitamins, meaning that even if you are only spending 10-15 dollars per bottle each month, you might as well take that money and flush it down the toilet so to speak.

In fact, tablets have been known to pass through the entire intestinal tract without being fully digested and are able to be detected in x-rays sitting within the body like rocks.  This is due to the method used to process these supplements using harmful binders and excipients that act as glue to hold the tablet together. Sounds nutritious right? Hardly![3]

Gummies and wafers are overly processed as well and typically contain too much added sugar to the point that it’s questionable as to why they are even considered a nutritional supplement. Sugar has been shown to be a leading cause of poor health conditions like diabetes, cancer and acidity in general so why should it be in your daily multi? I still can’t find a logical explanation.

Capsules are not quite as bad as the previous two, however there is concern over the gelatin often used to encapsulate the ingredients as well as filler ingredients that can be toxic. Also the actual amount of the active ingredients compared to inactive filler ingredients is something to consider as well. Are you actually getting what you pay for inside each capsule?  There are some capsule products out there that are not a complete waste of money and time, but again if you are looking for the most bio-available products to supercharge your basketball nutrition I’d simply look elsewhere.

Liquids are by far the most effective and readily absorbed form of multivitamin that you can take.  They are almost instantly taken up by the bloodstream and the vitamins, nutrients and minerals in them are able to be easily and effectively facilitated to the right places throughout the body.  Many people claim to even feel an immediate natural boost of energy after taking a high quality liquid, plant-based multivitamin.

Again, it’s important to ensure that you always double check the sugar content in these products and go with one that is sugar-free or at least contains a plant-based sweetener like stevia or licorice root.

Basketball players need to make sure that they are taking a liquid or powder form of multi-vitamin since their bodies require more nutrition than most. There’s no point in including a slow-absorbing form of multi-vitamin in your daily basketball nutrition just so to say that you do take one.  Players need to be sure that they are getting the instant concentrated nutrition they are wanting as soon as they take it!

How Do I Choose the Right Daily Multivitamin to Meet My Basketball Needs?

Now that you understand the difference between the different forms of multi-vitamins and are ready to pick out one to fill in those nutritional gaps, the decision becomes even easier when you know which supplement is actually going to do what it says and give you the competitive nutritional edge that you may be looking for to support your basketball activities and everyday life.

Your choice of multivitamin should be based upon the purity of the ingredients, the sourcing of the ingredients and where they came from, its overall formulation and its active bio-availability to the body.

Purity of the product’s ingredients should be obvious to you by containing only a small number of “other ingredients” on the fact panel as well as there not being any harmful and toxic additives like magnesium stearate, silica, artificial colors and titanium dioxide to name a few.

Sourcing and formulation go hand in hand and can be hard to distinguish amongst products; however, it’s not always about going with the product that has the highest amount of vitamins in it but rather about the blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, superfoods, superfruits and amino acids you are getting. Typically, the multivitamins that have specialty blends in them are your better supplement choices rather than the ones that simply just list out Vitamin A through D and that’s all it has to offer. Your first thought should be, “So then where do these vitamin sources come from?” You should certainly see recognizable foods, fruits and herbs on the nutrition fact panel as you are skimming over it and if you don’t then you can be assured that the product is synthetic, overly processed and made in a laboratory.

Finally, when choosing a multi-vitamin you must consider the products bio-availability.  Bio-availability means how readily available for absorption the vitamins and nutrients are within the supplement to your blood stream and body to be quickly digested, assimilated and absorbed. If the multi-vitamin is highly bio-available then you should feel more energy and well-being within minutes of taking a dosage.  If you can’t tell a distinct difference in the way you feel overall when you take your current multi-vitamin than I’d consider switching it up. Your body will certainly thank you!

How Often do Basketball Players Need to Take A Multi-Vitamin?

It’s all in the name – a daily multi-vitamin needs to be taken daily. However, the great thing about taking a plant-based and food sourced liquid supplement is that the body is going to utilize the nutrients much more quickly and efficiently than less desirable forms. This means that if a player takes one serving of their multi-vitamin at 7 A.M. with their breakfast, then goes off to school all day followed by a practice until about 6 P.M. – after 10 hours of mental and physical stress typically entailed within a student athletes’ day they may be due for another dose of a nutritional powerhouse supplement like a multi-vitamin. This somewhat goes outside of the thinking that you can only take a daily multi-vitamin once daily, but the reality is that if you are taking the right multi-vitamin you can call upon it whenever your basketball body needs a nutritional boost up to a few times each and every day.

Now that you have a lot of really great information regarding what makes a quality daily multi-vitamin product, it’s time that you either start utilizing the nutritional power of adding one into your daily routine or replacing your old one by taking the time to research and invest in a supplement that is going to provide you with what it longs for on a daily basis – an adequate source of quality vitamins, minerals and nutrients!  Ask your doctor or nutritionist what would be the right vitamin for you and your basketball health!

[1]http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/09/21/the-hidden-costs-of-running-a-biotech-company/

[2] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

[3] http://www.bloodrootproducts.com/About_Fillers_and_Binders_s/271.htm

Overcome Your Fears: Part 4 of The Definitive Guide To Your College Basketball Dream

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All In Basketball Trainer

Scared of Your Basketball Dream?

Don’t be.

Great rewards are proceeded by great adversity.

In order to chase the dream of playing college basketball hopeful prospects must see beyond the rare full ride (Part 1), crunch numbers in order to package themselves utilizing as many resources as possible (Part 2 Numbers Game), and then work through (Part 3 The Process) the maze that is the recruiting process with a careful diligently planned attack.  Part 4 of this seven part series deals with developing the confidence, perseverance and the commitment to go “all in” to fulfill the dream.

If it is your basketball dream, go all in!Basketball Dreams Have Obstacles

College basketball is a year round commitment.  In a Varsityedge.com article Myths and Realities of College Athletics and Recruiting this level of commitment is discussed; “Playing college athletics is an unbelievable commitment in time and in dedication and will be nowhere close to your high school experience. In college you will play or practice for 3 seasons, in the fall, winter and in the spring, and be required to do lifting and running programs as well. You may also be practicing at 6AM or Midnight or twice a day depending what facilities are available at your school.”

If recruits are lucky enough to earn a spot on a college roster, programs then expect them to address their game on a regular basis.  The phrase “there is no off-season” becomes reality.

Before one can live this reality, they must get there.  And in order to get there, recruits will need to dedicate themselves to the game of basketball year round taking advantage of the many people and resources available to them.  Most importantly they will need to be prepared for adversity, set-backs and have the courage and due diligence to see the process through and the commitment to always try to get better.  Are your individual workouts in the gym and weight room both intense and scientific?  Are you focused on basketball nutrition and have a quality recovery and sleep plan in place as well?

One way to get better is to seek out and use a basketball trainer.  An example of a great resource for improving your game is Austin, Texas based Austin Youth Basketball. Austin Youth Basketball is growing rapidly and has impacted thousands of Austin basketball players.  Look at a recent basketball trainer job description in order to better understand the criteria you should be looking for in a partner for your success.

“The BasketballTrainer.com team is comprised of former college & pro players and coaches focused on the needs of American youth basketball players.  We believe that the basketball culture of America often has it’s heart in the right place but that we [coaches, trainers, parents] have strayed from teaching and sharing the foundations of the game that help kids to excel on and off the court.”  According to founder Austin Youth Basketball and BasketballTrainer.com Founder Chris Corbett, who has over 20 years of experience in basketball training, “90% of our focus here is on year round personalized basketball skills training.”   College basketball dreams require an edge in working harder AND smarter.  A qualified basketball trainer can help.  Click here to find a qualified basketball trainer.

Players have a hard time making a college roster if they don’t work on their game year round and seek out individual attention to improve upon and hone their skills.  On the flip side, players now a days all too easily pick up bad habits while shelling out big bucks on AAU, travel teams and showcase leagues.  If they aren’t spending too much money playing organized ball because they don’t have the resources, young players also fall victim to 5-vs-5 pick-up games where they are hosting up NBA threes, throwing around the back no-look passes and cherry picking on defense for run out fast breaks.  Similar to education, these bad habits when practiced on a regular basis when your young, become hard to break when it counts, looking for a significant scholarship and college roster to join.  Players no-longer feel that they need to work on their game and instead, work on finding the easiest way to gain the most exposure by playing as many games as possible.  In a July 28, 2011 blog posted by Marcus Bray, a club coach states that “Putting in the work to improve as a basketball player has become ‘not sexy enough’ for most young players. What I mean by this is that players today would rather travel to tournaments and play basketball games than put in the time and effort to improve their basketball skills.”[3]

The problem is that if a prospect is lucky enough to get on a college roster, College coaches actually PREFER and require that their players to go through individual workouts.

Visiting the Basketballhq.com site, we see from Mercer University (Atlanta, GA), that college programs stress the need and value of the individual work.  In regards to their Individual Basketball Skill Development Philosophy, Assistant Coach Doug Esleeck explains in a basketballhq.com entry that “One of the most important aspects of our program under [Head] Coach Hoffman at Mercer University has been individual development.  We work our guys hard day in and day out on the basketball fundamentals of the game.  This develops our players’ skills, improves their confidence, and instills a work ethic that has led to a culture in which players value individual development.  This, in turn, produces players who work on their game on their own, and as these players see success it has encouraged our entire team to spend time in the gym outside of practice.”

College Coaches could care less if you play 5 vs. 5 outside of the season.  They’re more concerned that you are getting enough reps on your shot, ball handling, and position specific stuff (post or perimeter) as well as addressing your strength and conditioning then how you did in the local organized summer league game.  They want their players to address their weaknesses and build off their current strengths.  This isn’t going to happen in a two hour league game.  Players simply won’t get enough touches with the ball and when they do, they won’t be doing program specific stuff.  From a college program perspective, it is more efficient to have small groups of no more than four players, working for no longer than an hour on the court and then another hour on their body in an effort to get bigger, stronger and faster to prepare for a game which now demands so much of your body and mind.

You are your chief sales and marketing officerMarketing Your Basketball

While AAU, showcases, recruiting agencies, coaches, parents and basketball trainers can help you “sell” yourself to college recruiters, you are ultimately the chief sales and marketing officer for your future as a college player.  Do not wait to be chosen.  Choose yourself!  Putting aside self doubt and overcoming your fears are critical at this phase.

One unique option out there that strives to help high school age kids navigate through the college maze is The Sport Source.com – they are not a recruiting agency but instead a guide for recruits and parents.  As put in simple and direct terms, “Our goal has remained the same – to ensure all kids who can make it in college make it to college.  Making a smooth transition from high school to college is what we are all about. Though we can’t guarantee everyone will receive a full athletic scholarship, we can promise that if you are honest with your abilities, you will find the right opportunity to make your dream a reality.”  So much time, effort and organization goes into finding the perfect fit for players dreaming to play college ball.  The Sport Source provides direction, advising, options and will give kids choices from a network of 5800 colleges in the US and Canada and over 30,000 Coaches looking for the diamond in the rough.

As discussed in Part 2: The Numbers Game, recruits that display not only athletics but academic ability are attractive to college recruiters.  Prospects must continue to work on their grades, take College Prep courses, focus on SAT-ACT tests, write strong essays.  NCAA sports are an incredible experience but as the famous commercial states, “There are more than 400,000 NCAA student-athletes, and most of them go pro in something other than sports.”

Stay tuned for more info on your marketing plan and communication with colleges!

Expanding your contacts into colleges and coaches

Resources such as basketballtrainer.com, BasketballHQ.com, and The Sport Source will help you become more attractive to college coaches and once you have built your body and organized a way to present yourself go forth and build an “A” list of where do you want to be.  Remember, you want exposure, not to get exposed.  Work on your skills, build your team up, and then worry about marketing.

Careful planning, utilizing the RIGHT resources and then carefully weighing all your options will help you to get through THE PROCESS on top!

 

 

Sleep Tips For Better Basketball Training

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Sleep and Basketball Training

 Does Your Basketball Training Plan Monitor Your Sleep?

You know those mornings when you feel like you got out of bed on the wrong side so to speak?

This is a result of not getting enough deep sleep during the night to promote full relaxation which typically sets a tired tone for the day.

It’s a known fact that sleeping is an essential daily activity needed to maintain excellent health and well-being. If this is the case, then why are so many of us putting getting enough rest every night towards the end of our priority list? It just doesn’t make sense.

Did you realize that 40 million people in the United States are currently suffering from some form of ongoing sleep disorder while 62% are not getting enough quality sleep at least a few nights each week?

Sleeping plays a vital role in several functions of the body including learning, memory, and immune function as well as being one of the greatest remedies for stress. Making more time for sleep each night can make a huge difference not only for your health but also for success in life with your family, school, job, and basketball performance.

The Importance of Sleep for Basketball Performance

Basketball players need extra quality snooze time to help the body and mind cleanse, repair and regenerate for the next workout, practice or game.

However, it’s too often that players are running on less than the ideal amount of sleep due to late nights after games, traveling during season, early practices and other major responsibilities like school or family.

Regardless of whether you feel that you’re currently getting enough sleep each night, it’s important to understand that a chronic lack of sleep takes a huge toll on basketball performance and according to sleep expert, Dr. Charles Czeisler of Harvard University, it’s the sleep immediately after an event, lesson or game that is the most crucial for memory retention.  He quotes, “If you don’t sleep the night after training, then even if you sleep the next night or the next night, you never learn.”

Dr. Czeisler suggests that players getting adequate rest can be more decisive and confident of their performance quality, and this factor is even more important than that extra hour of practice or time spent watching film in some cases.

He believes that playing on little sleep is like playing with one hand tied behind your back due to delayed reaction time and decreased bodily awareness — maybe you’ve felt that way during a practice or game before.

In fact, there’s a good chance that you have experienced a lagging performance due to exhaustion considering that 7 out of 10 athletes are currently not getting enough ‘Z’s’ on a regular basis.

It’s important to realize that whether you get plenty of quality, uninterrupted sleep every night or not is going to directly affect your learning ability during practice and your performance on game day!

Don’t let something as enjoyable and refreshing as sleep become an obstacle for you to becoming the best basketball player possible.

The Health Concerns of Accruing Sleep Debt as a Basketball Player

We now know that both the mind and body are negatively impacted by sleep debt, and the main concerns for basketball players because of sleep deprivation are a decline in the hormone testosterone, decreased coordination, mobility, agility, focus, mood and energy.

Testosterone is mostly known for benefiting the male reproductive system, however it is also key to building strong muscle mass, maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, bone density, vigor and vitality. It’s obvious how all of these factors have a direct effect on the level of your performance on the court.

Along with a decline in testosterone levels, sleep deprived basketball players will experience decreased hand and eye coordination causing their shot to be off or their passes to be just a little bit too slow.

Mobility and agility are also impacted and lessened, which in turn could have a negative effect on basic basketball moves like sprinting, cutting, defensive sliding, blocking out and jumping for rebounds.

Finally, a drop in focus, mood and energy certainly won’t turn you into a basketball champion.  When you lack these things consistently it’s safe to say that you might just find yourself on the bench rather than guarding the other teams’ best player or taking the game winning shot!

How much Sleep is Enough For Basketball Players?

It’s recommended that children ages 5-12 get about 11 hours of sleep per night, teens get at least 9 hours while adults need to focus on capturing 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each day.

In a recent survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council, 73% of adults are getting only 7 hours or less of sleep each night. In time, you become so far into sleep debt that the only remedy is to begin getting at least 8-9 hours for several consecutive nights.

As a basketball player, you must take these numbers seriously, because each night that you don’t get enough rest you are compromising your physical effectiveness and abilities out on the court.

Players should get up to at least 9 hours on nights after games, long practices or intense workouts.

Tips for Building a Good Sleep Credit

  • Practice relaxation rituals before bed – whether you take a warm bath with Epsom salts, read a book, use a heating pad or write in a journal, try to find a low-key activity each night that helps you to start winding down and preparing for sleep.
  • Stick to a sleep schedule – the body likes routine, so it’s best to try and plan your day around your sleep cycles. Go to bed and wake up each day as close to the same time as possible.
  • Check your sleeping environment – ensure that the environment you are sleeping in is ideal for deep, restful sleep. A comfortable mattress, clean sheets, cooler temperature and dark room are all best to promote a good night’s slumber.
  • Eat light at night – don’t wait until an hour or so before bed to eat a heavy meal. Instead, stick to light snacking preferably with foods high in easily digested proteins and complex carbs like oatmeal or quinoa.
  • Drink herbal teas – a cup of warm tea can do just the trick to take you from an energetic mood to one ready to pull up the sheets and sleep. Try calming, caffeine-free herbal teas that have lavender, chamomile, hops, peppermint, spearmint, holy basil (tulsi), catnip, valerian root, lemon verbena and passionflower.
  • Try aromatherapy – aromatherapy can trigger chemical reactions in the body that promote relaxation. Putting a diffuser in your living room or next to your bed with calming essential oils like lavender, peppermint, cedar wood, rose and sandalwood can set the tone for a peaceful night.
  • Give yourself a light massage – you can also use essential oils for massage therapy which promotes relaxation by mixing them with a carrier oil like almond or jojoba. Take time to rub the achy parts of your body then follow with a heating pad or ice pack depending on whichever feels best.
  • Reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake – consistent use of synthetic and acidic caffeine like coffee, soda, commodity sports supplements that you find on the shelves of stores and even poor quality teas can lead to an overstimulated nervous system making it very difficult to relax when you need to most. You don’t have to cut out all caffeine, just be sure to only use caffeine that is from high-quality teas and specialty sports supplements that use caffeine from plant sources like guarana seed extract from the Amazon rainforest, which is gentler on the nervous system. Also, don’t consume caffeine in the late afternoon or early evening which can lead to restlessness at bedtime. If you’re someone who has depended on these bad caffeine sources for a long period of time, it would be wise to detox your body from it and go completely without it for up to 4 weeks or more.
  • Cut off the electronics – excess mental stimulation is part of our fast paced, technologically based society. Unfortunately, too many people are winding down their days to a cell phone screen or movie which actually prevents the body and mind from settling into a deep state of relaxation needed to cleanse, repair and regenerate. Swap out Facebook and the cell phone for a book or word puzzle and you’ll find yourself sailing off to dreamland in no time.
  • Ask your doctor about food and plant-based supplements to boost serotonin levels – in many cases, the inability to truly relax and achieve proper sleep is due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Eating a healthy diet is great, but due to the lack of minerals in our overworked and depleted soils today, we are not getting everything we need from “healthy foods” like we used to even just 20 years ago. This is where food and plant-based supplementation can really help the body to supercharge its nutrient stores and help you sleep better.  A multi-mineral supplement that has calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and other key minerals are known to promote a healthy central nervous system which leads to relaxation. Noni, an exotic super fruit from the Pacific Islands, has been shown to support the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the body which helps the body to begin to naturally relax once the sun goes down. Tart cherry juice concentrate is another food-based supplement that can help to build natural melatonin stores in the body rather taking synthetic versions of it which has shown to be less effective overtime.  Finally, valerian root and lemon balm are a great duo that are widely known for promoting healthy consistent sleep.

There’s certainly no question that if you work on getting better sleep each night you’re performance on the basketball court and in life will improve. Who couldn’t use better memory, learning, focus, moods, energy, coordination, agility, speed and strength?  The best basketball players in the world are focusing on proper rest and relaxation every day which is why you should too if you want to take your game to the next level. Sometimes you need to put down the ball and take off your sneakers and simply snuggle up in bed and get to snoozing overtime!  Connect with a local basketball trainer to help you optimize your basketball training.

Sleep and Basketball Training

 

Play With Heart: Leave It All On The Court

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Train With All Your Heart

Leaving it All on the Court will Help You Achieve Your Basketball Dreams

There’s 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter and you’ve played practically, if not every minute of the game up to this point. You’re exhausted and drained from your efforts, but it’s such a close game that to let up now might mean that your team doesn’t get the win.

So, what will you do?  Do you begin to play half speed, slacking on defense and giving up easy points to the other team? Or, do you light a fire within and begin pouring every bit of yourself into the game playing obviously harder and smarter than anyone else out on the court?

What you choose to do in the game of basketball during these moments, despite the score and whether it looks like your team is going to come out on top, determines your level of heart that you possess for the game.

To play with heart means to give so much of yourself physically and mentally during the basketball game that by the time that buzzer goes off and the last shot has been taken, you can confidently go within yourself as you walk back to the locker room and be proud of your efforts regardless of a win or loss.

This is what true leaders possess, that inner fire inside their gut that ignites right at those moments when diving for a loose ball or boxing out to get another rebound seems physically impossible, yet they somehow seem to always find the strength to give 150% every time that they set foot on the basketball court – refusing to let anyone else out hustle or show more heart than them.

As you enter into or already are in your high school basketball years, college prospecting becomes a big part of your summer camps and seasons.   It’s important to understand that sometimes, college coaches and recruiters aren’t always looking for the most talented players, but rather the ones that they see play with heart, are coachable and can be sculpted into more skilled players once recruited.

So, rather than just focusing on your skills, although this is obviously vital, don’t forget to work on your inner character and lead by example to rally your team during those tough moments when things might seem impossible.

A good place to start showing more heart is in practice.  There are certainly those practice days that the team seems a little off and there’s a low, sluggish energy amongst the team – this is when the players with heart will step up and make a big play to get the team energized, focused and playing better overall.

As you begin to focus on giving your all every time you lace up your basketball shoes, you will notice that this level of commitment is contagious; pour it all out and watch as your teammates respond and begin to do the same right alongside you.

Strive to be the inspiration, the motivation, the leader, and the one that gives their all every workout, practice and game by playing with so much heart that it spreads like a wildfire!

When you become this player, your dreams of playing at a higher level of basketball will become more vivid and real since having this quality is very impressive and noticed by everyone.

 

The Process of Chasing Your College Basketball Dream – Part 3 In Series: Definitive Guide To Your College Basketball Dream

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College Basketball Guide

Part 3:  The Process of Chasing Your College Basketball Dream

Before we talk about The Process in Part 3 of Chasing the Full Ride – A Definitive Guide to Your College Basketball Dream it’s important to understand how and why so many players get intimidated and are undervalued or left out entirely in the recruiting game and how many more are just intimidated by the process itself.   Part 1 and Part 2 of the guides are also available for reading by clicking on their link.

Showcase Events & The Harsh Reality

basketball showcaseIn an effort to gain more exposure prospects will often attend showcase events run by a variety of different organizations in the summer, fall and spring.   Showcase events also occur during the high school season when organizers look to schedule multiple games pitting non-conference opponents against each other in a day-long, weekend or a holiday setting drawing recruiters while they look to cash in on sponsors, fans, concessions and merchandise.  Showcases are very often attended by college, prep and junior college coaches from all levels and give kids a chance to really make a great impression.  However, prospects can also often leave these events overwhelmed, intimidated and under the radar with such an influx of talent all at one location in a condensed time setting.  Various factors including politicking by high school and all-star coaches as well as parents and even the showcase promoters cause a high percentage of quality prospects to miss out.  These events have become platforms for grassroots organizers to promote their product while putting on a great show which showcases individualized play.  AAU basketball which used to dominate summer has actually taken a back seat to major shoe companies such as Adidas and Nike as well as local, regional and national celebrities who now run about 99% of showcase events.[1]  Off-Season basketball has become big business and many people could care less about finding a partial scholarship for a local “super-star” who isn’t getting a full ride and is “just” playing AAU ball.

Location, location, location and international prospects

New York City Basketball ExposureNew York City is known as a breeding ground for point guards.  Nate Archibald (Bronx), Mark Jackson (Brooklyn), Earl “The Pearl” Washington (Brooklyn), Bob Cousy (Cambria Heights), Sebastian Telfair (Brooklyn) and Kenny Anderson (Queens) to name just a few have given the world of basketball some of the best pure point guards ever seen.[2]  On the flip side of the city life, there are the Larry Bird-prospects that rise to the NBA from rural small towns in underpopulated remote areas.  The players that live in obscurity but gain national attention with their incredible basketball talent.  Then there is the international fundamentally sound geniuses like Sarunas Marciulinois and Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania), Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), Tony Parker (Belgium-France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Steve Nash (South Africa-Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon (Nigeria).  These players have become household names for basketball junkies.[3]

Unfortunately, the NYC point guard, small town legends and international studs are rare finds and for every one sure thing, there are thousands of prospects in these locations who are left behind.  How do these kids get exposure each year?  Who’s going to fulfill their basketball dreams?  That is where the importance of The Process really comes into play.

 

The Process

Choosing the right school for both academics and basketball can be a very daunting, time consuming, expensive endeavor but if attacked carefully and with due diligence all students can and should find the perfect fit.  The Process starts as early as freshmen year in high school for many college recruits.

Eligibility Center for Basketball Dreams

NCAA Basketball Eligibility ProcessIn order to qualify for the NCAA clearing house, NCAA D1 and D2 schools require a specific academic track beginning with the first year of high school.  The core courses are defined as “an academic course in one or a combination of these areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy” and high students seeking a NCAA division 1 or 2 scholarship need 16 core course by graduation.[4]  NCAA D3 schools don’t require a core courses to play.

Students seeking an athletic scholarship to a NCAA I or II school or an NAIA school need to register through the associations respective eligibility center prior to receiving athletic aid.  It is recommended that students register at the beginning of their junior year.[5]  The clearing house also requires that all incoming student-athletes provide information about their amateur status as part of their registration into the NCAA Eligibility Center.[6]  The purpose of this is to keep a level playing field.  The NAIA has a similar process to the NCAA Clearing House which was enacted in the fall of 2010 called the NAIA Eligibility Center or “PlayNAIA.” [7]  The idea is the same concept as the NCAA with the intent to track all student-athletes at the national office level to be sure that everyone is in compliance.  The cost of the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center registration is $70 for US students and $120 for international[8] [9]

SAT / ACT Scores

Basketball SAT & ACTThe NCAA also require SAT or ACT minimum “sliding scale” scores for admissions.  The sliding scale is in place to give students flexibility in regards to their low GPA or test scores.[10]   To qualify to play intercollegiate athletics at the NAIA level, students must meet two out of the following three requirements; a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (Critical Reading and Match only), earn an overall high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and/or graduate in the top 50% of their graduating class.[11]  The NAIA offers the two out of three instead of the NCAA sliding scale test score method but both have the same purpose, give lower academic students some flexibility to become eligible.  Passing through NCAA and/or NAIA Eligibility Center does not guarantee admission into a given school.  The final decision for acceptance to a school and the completion of The Process lies in the hands of the admissions department at each respective institution.

Admission

College Basketball AdmissionsA typical admissions checklist for a college or university will include an application ($40 fee), official high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and a brief essay.  Admissions departments will also encourage a campus visit and once they have the prospective student touring their grounds, they will conduct an interview.  More and more schools have moved to the on-line approach of recruiting which enables them to attract and filter through large numbers of recruits without physically having them on-campus.  While college coaches are targeting student-athletes for their teams as early as middle schools, the admissions process typically begins junior year in high school when students, guidance counselors along with parents and or guardians will target schools and map out some possible campus visits.  Some highly regarded academic high schools have students begin this process their sophomore year but generally some prep work and “feeling out” is done junior year and The Process really takes flight senior year.   Students will prepare essays (1-2 pages), gather letters of recommendation (usually 1 or 2 from a teach, guidance counselor or other school official) and official transcripts (complete with grades, class rank and test scores) while deciding which colleges they would like to apply to and figure out if they want to go for early or general admissions to the chosen institution(s).[12]  Once application files are complete, schools make a decision and put the ball in the court of the recruit.

Financial planning & financial aid

College Basketball Financial AidFinancial planning and financial aid are often a deal breaker in the recruits’ decision to where they go to school.  While the hope is that students will be able to afford college with a full-ride athletic scholarship (Part 1) or some sort of family trust, nest egg or a big dip into savings, the reality is that two thirds[13] of all students take advantage of academic merit scholarships, athletic scholarships and/or FAFSA as discussed in Part 2 (link or even excerpt here).  Students can apply for FAFSA beginning on January 1 of their senior year in high school.  Early application is encouraged as much of the funds are awarded first come, first serve once the need is determined to be equal.  The Process for the ‘average’ basketball recruit is complex and while finances are a huge factor, the level of comfort, value and attention the player has from the team can close the deal.

Where to start and how to get there?  Narrow down your choices

Narrow Down College Basketball ChoicesPut quite simply, the more a coach wants a player, the more attention he or she is going to get during The Process.  However, recruits should never stop trying to prove themselves and should not settle for a team because it is local, or their sibling or friend is there or because they are being pushed there by a community, parents, high school coach or some other outside influence.  If you are looking to get  a start in narrowing down college choices that might be a fit for you, then I recommend you use a tool developed by a company I am involved with.   The Sport Source has a tool that is free for 24 hours use that permits you to input some of your criteria and also qualifications and then helps create a personalized database of which schools could be a fit for you.  Click here to learn more about MATCHFIT.

The campus visit is vital in getting the proper level of comfort with a team.  A chance to bond with the players, sit down with the coaching staff, check out the facilities, possibly catch a game or practice and just take in the environment where they may spend the next four years of their life is high encouraged.   In other words, don’t wait to get chosen, choose yourself!!

Once this has been done, recruits should seek out what their athletic value to team could possibly be.  In order to reach the point in The Process where a recruit is truly wanted and valued by a program, most prospects must use their “knowledge and persistence as weapons”   They have to be able to “accept criticism, be honest with their ability in order to find the best fit”.  Players develop by taking advantage of their strengths and really working to get better in the off-season.  Individual Workouts, hiring a Basketball Trainer, and utilizing teammates are all ways to close the gap on the competition and earn a spot on a college team.

The Process then becomes what you make of it.  Enjoy The Process, make it an experience of a lifetime while carefully navigating through colleges and basketball programs that fit your need, comfort level and desires as a college basketball player and before you know it you will be living the college basketball dream!

 

[1] The Truth About AAU Basketball – By Ryan Wood, iHoops.com

http://youth.usab.com/locker-room/summer-basketball/articles/The-Truth-About-AAU-Basketball.htm?cmp=39-31–iHoops

[2]    Top 10: New York City’s Greatest Point Guards – By Kevin Askeland (MaxPreps.com)

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/s6vRpaQxhkGX5goss-dOfA/top-10–new-york-citys-greatest-point-guards.htm

[3]   The 30 Best Players Born Outside Of The States In NBA History – By Joseph Duruaku

http://dimemag.com/2013/08/the-top-30-nba-players-born-outside-of-the-states-in-nba-history/6/

[4] NCAA Course Work Requirements – College Board

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/prepare/athletes/ncaa

[5] Information about the NCAA Eligibility Center formally known as the NCAA Clearinghouse

http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/ncaaclearinghouse.htm

[6] Amateurism

http://www.ncaa.org/amateurism

[7] NAIA Eligibility Center

http://www.playnaia.org/

[8] NCAA Eligibility Center

http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp

[9] http://www.playnaia.org/page/fees.php

[10] Eligibility Center Quick Reference Guide

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf

[11] NAIA Eligibility

http://www.playnaia.org/page/eligibility.php

[12] College admissions in the United States – Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_admissions_in_the_United_States

[13] Financial Aid: FAQs

Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Aid –

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/financial-aid-faqs

Basketball Training & Nutrition – Healthy Carbs

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Basketball Training & Nutrition

Choosing Healthy Carbohydrates for Optimal Basketball Performance  

There is a lot of controversy over carbohydrates floating around the internet these days.  While some diets recommend that you go as low carb as possible, others simply recommend that you switch to focusing on what kind of carbohydrates you are consuming.

Basketball players certainly need carbohydrates because of all the energy expended during workouts, practices and games. I like to think of carbohydrates like the gas in a car – without it, you aren’t getting anywhere very quickly right?  So, when it comes to basketball performance, carbohydrates are a must!

The main health concerns with the over consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates over a period of time are unstable blood sugar levels, unwanted weight gain, heart disease and metabolic disease (type 2 diabetes).

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be overweight to suffer from health issues like unstable blood sugar levels and diabetes, making it important as a basketball player to understand why you need to be choosing your carbohydrate sources wisely to support your overall health and basketball performance.

What are Bad Basketball Carbs?

Bad carbs, most commonly referred to as ‘simple carbohydrates’ are made up of only one or two sugar molecules.  Simple carbs are rapidly digested in the body and are the quickest source of energy available; however, the main problem with relying on simple carbs as a fuel source for basketball performance is that the energy is not sustainable and they cause unstable blood sugar levels and insulin production.

The digestion of simple carbs happens so fast in the body that blood sugar levels skyrocket almost instantly causing a surge of energy.  This rapid rise in blood sugar is always shortly followed by an equally fast decline known as a ‘blood sugar crash’.  A blood sugar crash typically leaves you feeling tired, stressed and hungry again, which is why the overconsumption of simple carbs can lead to overeating and is unhealthy in general.

Each time this rapid rise and fall in blood sugar happens, the pancreas secretes insulin.  Insulin is a hormone that is important for regulating several metabolic functions in the body including blood glucose uptake and fat storage.  Basically, insulin is responsible for helping the cells pull glucose (energy) from the blood which is why it is such a key part of healthy energy and metabolism.

Over time, if you continually rely on simple carbs as a main fuel source then your body either stops responding to the insulin that the pancreas sends out or the pancreas becomes overworked and quits releasing insulin altogether.  At this point, you are headed for more serious health problems.

Another key thing to know about simple carbs is that they have little to no fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Fiber plays a huge role in healthy digestion and stable blood sugar levels and without it, your metabolism and energy levels will continue to be on a roller coaster ride of instability and inefficiency.

Sources of simple carbs to greatly reduce or completely eliminate mostly include items that contain refined sugars and flours like table sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, candy, soft drinks, conventional fruit drinks, jellies, white, wheat and multi-grain breads, wheat pasta, chips, cookies, baked goods and packaged cereals. There are healthier versions of many of these foods, but generally speaking these should be on your list to avoid. 

 

What are Good Basketball Carbs?

On the other hand, good carbs or ‘complex carbohydrates’, are an ideal source of sustainable energy for basketball performance. Complex carbs are made of sugar molecules that are woven together like a braid which digest much more slowly in the body.

Digesting slowly means that blood sugar levels gradually increase and insulin production is much slower making complex carbs more suitable for a healthy metabolism.

Since complex carbohydrates are whole food and plant based, they are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Sources of complex carbs include: green vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole-grains like buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, millet and spelt, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and corn, and legumes like beans, peas and lentils.

 

Simple Vs. Complex Carbs for Basketball Performance

Basketball performance is comprised of several repetitive stop-and-go movements, sprinting and endurance.  This requires a lot of energy for the body, especially over the course of an intense 40 minute game or two hour practice.

Your choice of carbohydrates for fueling your body before a basketball workout, practice or game is going to determine how much steam you have in your engine so to speak.

Simple carbs may give you a quick burst of energy, but if you rely on them to get you all the way through, it’s likely that you will be left at the halfway mark or sooner feeling drained, hungry and craving more fuel.  Have you ever had to grab a snack at halftime or during practice because you already felt exhausted because your blood sugar dropped so low? This is an example of what happens when you fuel your body with carbohydrate choices that simply don’t last.

Complex carbs are obviously the best choice since they will digest more slowly and the energy extracted from them will be distributed to you over a longer period of time, leaving you with more endurance to enhance your overall performance.

Using the Glycemic Index Chart to Choose Carbs

The glycemic index is a popular way to distinguish between good and bad carbs.  This chart displays foods based upon a low (0-55), medium (56-69) and high (70 or greater) value.  The higher a food falls on the Glycemic Index, the faster it raises blood sugar levels.

While it’s common sense that the simple carbs I listed above generally have a high GI value, this chart provides an efficient way to determine between the healthier complex carb choices.  Instead of just relying on the fact that all fruits and vegetables are complex carbs, this is a way for you to get more specific with your choices if you’d like.

Although carbohydrates tend to catch a bad reputation these days because of the over-processing of many popular foods, they are a necessity for basketball players.  Understanding the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is the key to knowing how to fuel your basketball body properly when gearing up for performance.   Ask your basketball trainer how he / she can help you manage your carbs for optimal performance.

 

Game Changing Basketball Nutrition While Eating Out

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Basketball Nutrition While Eating Out

Struggling With Basketball Nutrition While Eating Out?

 

7 Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Diet 

 

Eating out can be a huge hurdle for any basketball player wanting to stick to a healthy eating program. With countless restaurant options and even more menu items, it can be confusing to know which meals are actually healthy or not.  It’s easier once you learn what to look for and how to decide what your healthier options are for building a meal worthy of your healthy basketball nutrition diet.

Unfortunately, there won’t always be the perfect healthy meal option available when eating out, so try not to stress or overthink it in those situations – especially when you aren’t able to choose the place you eat.  Simply, do you best to make the healthiest choices possible.

I’m going to share with you my top seven tips for choosing the healthiest meal options available to you when eating out as a basketball player no matter where you may end up!

1.  Eat at local restaurants – there are more benefits to eating local cuisine than choosing larger chain restaurants. Not only are you supporting the local economy, but there are typically fresher, locally-sourced organic options when you eat at local places. While it’s impossible to completely skip out on the large chain joints, every time you do end up local you can smile knowing that you will have fresher, healthier foods to choose from for a healthy basketball diet.

2.  Don’t be afraid to ask for several modifications to your order – sometimes, it can seem like an inconvenience to the restaurant staff to ask for changes to a dish.  While some restaurants don’t allow modifications to dishes, most do.  Depending on where you are, you may need to request up to four or five changes to a menu item in order to tailor it to meet your basketball nutrition needs. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you want or need, so long as you are courteous and polite.  There is no shame in making several changes to a dish if that’s what it’s going to take to help you stick to a healthy basketball nutrition plan while eating out – just smile and ask!

3.  Jumpstart your meal with water – there are several tasty and tempting sugar filled drink options on menus these days, but the best way to jumpstart your meal is by having a glass of water with no ice and squeezed lemon. Room temperature water is close to body temperature, allowing water to flow through the digestive system easily to prepare the body for digestion.  Keep in mind that dehydration is easily mistaken for excessive hunger, so a glass before your meals can help keep you from overeating. Drinking water during or immediately after meals disrupts the digestive enzyme activity interfering with proper digestion.  Try to avoid having water at these times.  Generally, it’s fine to have water again about 20 minutes after you are finished eating.

4.  Overlook the low-calorie marketing scheme – while fewer calories certainly can mean a healthier meal, this is not always the case.  It’s very common to see large chain restaurants promoting a “low-calorie menu” in order to appeal to the healthy living crowd. The problem with this ‘tunnel vision focus on calories’ approach is that they leave out all of the more important information like the fat, sugar and sodium content.  For example, it’s safe to assume that a smaller portion of macaroni and cheese will have fewer calories than a larger portion, yet both are still the same processed, refined food with the same amount of fat and sodium regardless of how many calories are in the actual dish. When making your decision for staying on track with your healthy basketball nutrition, don’t place too much importance on the calories and consider whether the foods are fresh and unprocessed instead.

5.  Consider the sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat content —Fried foods are the number one thing to steer clear of regardless of whether it’s a meat or vegetable due to unhealthy oils high in bad fat and sodium that are typically used in the frying process.  The next big thing to avoid are substitute sugars that you’ll find on the table. These contain harmful ingredients for the body.  Some soups can be very high in sodium, so try to limit your consumption of these as well. If you stick to fresh, whole foods like lean, grilled meats, whole grains, fruits and veggies then you won’t have to worry much about the sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat content in your meal. Healthy fats, natural sugars and unrefined salts are ok though since they actually provide nutritional benefit to the body.  Healthy fat options include avocado, nuts, seeds and fresh olives. The healthiest sweetener typically available is going to be honey, and stick with sea salt if the restaurant has it.

6.  Start with a lean protein source – Protein is a basic part of any balanced, nutritious diet.  Basketball players have an extra need for protein to support strong muscles because of all the energy expended on a daily basis at workouts, practices and games.  A high-quality, lean protein source should be the first thing you consider when putting together your healthy meal for basketball nutrition. Protein helps you to feel full more quickly and for a longer period of time. Choosing lean animal sources of protein like fish, turkey and chicken as well as plant-based sources like avocados, seeds, whole grains, beans and nuts are ideal.  Remember, skip out on the fried meats as well as keeping your consumption of more fatty meats like beef and pork to a minimum.

7.  Stick with whole grains, fruits and veggies as your sides – most entrées come with side dish choices, and your healthiest picks are always going to be whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, along with fresh fruits and vegetables.  The healthiest ways to order your veggies are raw, steamed or grilled and contrary to popular American belief – french fries don’t count as a veggie! Apart from choosing veggies as your side dishes, salads are always a very healthy option so long as you choose a bad fat-free dressing like lemon juice and olive or a healthy vinaigrette.  Bring your own dressing with you if you can’t count on the restaurant having what you need.  Sticking to a healthy basketball diet while eating out shouldn’t have to seem impossible or be confusing.

There will be times that it seems more difficult than others, but by following these tips you will be able to wisely pick out the healthiest food options available to meet your basketball nutrition needs while eating out.

 

Basketball Breakfast To Jumpstart Performance

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 Basketball Breakfast For Champions

4 Tips for Eating Breakfast like a Basketball Champion

Basketball players have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  As we sleep, our bodies use up most of what we consumed the day before, so after not eating for 6-12 hours overnight – it’s easy to understand why the foods that we choose to eat first thing upon rising are key to overall healthy nutrition and lifestyle.  Given that modern day basketball often includes extreme training and as many as 4 -5 tournament games in a day, it is critical that we embrace the importance of enhancing performance and health via nutrition.

The typical American breakfast usually consists of a large bowl of sugar-laden cereal with a glass of artificial orange juice or maybe a plate of syrup topped pancakes with fatty bacon.  Regardless of what your breakfast plate or bowl might currently look like, the most common breakfast foods consumed today are nutritionally deficient leaving the body starving for nutrient packed foods.  Regardless of how these foods may taste, the reality is that a breakfast void of nutrients does not promote a healthy metabolism or digestion and increases your chances of making poor food choices throughout the rest of the day.

It’s time to start changing our view on the most important meal of the day, so I’m going to share with you my top four tips for eating breakfast like a true basketball champion!

  1. Start by making time – the most common hurdle to not eating a healthy breakfast every day is having enough time.  Healthy eating preparation usually requires more time than convenience, processed foods, so it can be challenging when you have to be at work or school early in the morning and you want to take advantage of as much time in bed as possible. Unfortunately, this is an excuse and the decision to begin eating a wholesome breakfast each day starts with you deciding to get up 20-30 minutes earlier and making time for it. I can’t think of many wholesome, balanced breakfasts that can be made in 5 minutes or less unless you intend on continuing to grab the pop-tarts and doughnuts.  The first step to eating breakfast like a champion is to set your alarm earlier and make time to fuel yourself properly in the mornings. 
  2. Pack on the lean protein – in order to build strong, lean muscles the body must have enough amino acids (building blocks of protein) from protein each day and this starts at breakfast!  Rather than grabbing for the cereal bars, doughnuts and pop-tarts, start by filling your plate with high quality, lean protein choices like eggs (or egg whites if you prefer), low-sugar greek yogurt, a protein shake, black beans and turkey bacon or sausage.  Increasing your protein intake in the mornings will leave you feeling full longer rather than driving up your blood sugar quickly which always leads to a mid-morning crash. When this blood sugar crash happens you’re more likely to make poor snack and lunch choices setting a bad nutritional tone for your entire day.
  3. Complex carbs are your friend – there are currently several “diets” out there that promote a low-carb strategy to achieving the best nutrition.  While eliminating your intake of simple carbohydrates like refined flours, sugars and foods is a great idea for everyone, decreasing your intake of complex carbohydrates is not a good idea.  Complex carbohydrates are digested much more slowly than simple carbs, therefore their effect on the body is very different. Complex carbs don’t cause a rapid increase in blood sugar or insulin like simple carbs do and are necessary to support a healthy, efficient metabolism – especially for highly active people like athletes. Just as a car needs gas to operate, our bodies need complex carbs for energy. Be sure to add complex carbs like oatmeal (not instant), whole grain cereals (Bob’s 10-grain or Nature’s Path) and fresh veggies and fruits to your breakfast each day.
  4. Fill up on fiber – many Americans are not getting their recommended daily amount of fiber (30g). Fiber is an essential part of balanced nutrition in that it helps the body to maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day and keeps the intestinal tract squeaky clean by promoting healthy bowel movements.  Most complex carbs contain a good amount of fiber, but it’s always a good idea to add more to give yourself a jump start for the day on your fiber intake.  Including a few tablespoons of ground flax and chia seeds are a simple way to add more fiber to your protein shakes, oatmeal and whole grain cereals. Don’t be stingy with the fiber because champions get enough fiber for breakfast!

 

5 Day Healthy Basketball Breakfast Plan For Champions

Now that you understand the macronutrients that should make up your breakfast, I’m going to help kick start your new regimen by providing you with five different meal examples. Feel free to mix and match all of these as you’d like, but you’ll notice that in each day I was sure to include protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber no what the combination of foods were. If you stick to this rule, you will be eating a balanced breakfast. 

Basketball Breakfast #1: 2-3 scrambled eggs (or egg whites), 1/2 – 1 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp. ground chia seeds sweetened with raw honey (add nuts or dried fruit if you’d like), pineapple slices

Breakfast #2: Omelet with your choice of veggies like spinach, onions, garlic, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, etc… 1 Ezekiel English muffin topped with raw honey and a pinch of ground chia or flax seeds, handful of blueberries

Breakfast #3: 1/2 -1 cup of black beans with sautéed asparagus, 1 large apple with peanut or almond butter

Breakfast #4: 1/2-1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal, 1 scoop of protein shake with non-dairy (flax, almond, soy, hemp, coconut) or low-fat milk add fruit of choice if desired

Breakfast #5: 1 high-fiber, low-sugar bran muffin, 1 hard-boiled egg, choice of lean turkey sausage or bacon

The keys to eating a healthy breakfast are strategy and time. Now that you understand the kinds of foods that should be filling your plates and bowls you are on your way to fueling your muscles and metabolism properly so that you can enjoy breakfast like a basketball champion!

 

Basketball Trainer Writer Danielle McDonald

 

Ask The Basketball Trainer

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ask a basketball trainer

Ask a Basketball Trainer Part 1

We get questions from parents and players all the time regarding player development, so we thought we’d take the time to answer some of these questions publicly. Let’s go to the mailbag.

I’m concerned that my son is not using the tools and skills you are giving him in basketball training during his games. He thinks he is playing well, but from an observer’s perspective he looks no better than he did 6 months ago in games. He is simply not being aggressive enough on offense, and therefore is not making a real imprint on the game. I think you have been awesome, but is there something you can do to help him realize he needs to implement more of his new skills in the games?                                                                                                                 – Mother of 11 year old shooting guard

I think your son has really developed some good skills over the last 6 months, but of course the key is to use those skills in game action. Let’s try three things. First, I will have him do a self-evaluation survey about his performance in the games. If there is a disconnect between perception and reality, we can address it head on. Sometimes young players can mistakenly find their value in what they are merely able to do, meaning the ability to do ball handling moves, having a good general shooting stroke, etc.

However coaches and observers value players for what they are actually doing in the games. If we find a major disconnect is there, I can talk to him about being the type of player his coach will love and that his team needs. Critical feedback about his game at this age may be uncomfortable for him, but it will help him in the long run. Secondly, I’ll give him a game within the game. Since your son has become a pretty good ball handler and is depended on to make plays for his team, I’ll give him a goal of six red zone touches per game.

We’ll start at six and increase as he consistently hits that number. In this case we’ll refer to the red zone as the area inside the 3 point line. As a shooting guard he needs to utilize his footwork, ball handling ability and explosiveness to beat perimeter defenders in driving towards the basket. Holding him to a certain amount of red zone touches will force him to use what he’s learned in training. And getting inside the three point line with explosive drives is going to translate into positive things for his team, whether it’s him scoring or making a good pass to a teammate on the inside. The third thing we will implement will come from you.

We’ll have you give him an Aggressiveness grade after each game. For his position and role on his team we want him at an 8 on a scale of 1-10. If he’s not performing at an 8 on the Aggressiveness scale, he may not be giving enough value to his team for his position. If he wants to play that shooting guard position, he’s got to realize that it comes with offensive responsibility. I think if we implement these three things immediately – one thing from me, one thing from him, and one from you – we can get him on the right track towards being a more effective basketball player.

 

 

Basketball Psychology Cheat Sheet

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Grow Your Basketball Game Psychologically

Tips for Psychological Growth

Basketball training works. When you’re dealing with a quality professional basketball trainer, you’re not dealing with someone who is just going to take your money because he has a decent playing or coaching resume. We can tell you stories for days of the players we’ve worked with and how they’ve achieved increased success back with their school or club teams. When we work with a player, we truly help them develop. But part of that development is, and must be, psychological. That means taking those new skills and concepts you’ve learned in training and implementing them back in your home basketball environment, where your reputation may be that of a lesser player. Players who improve must break through the mental hurdles of how they perceive themselves, and how others perceive them, to truly function as the players they’ve developed into via training. That being the case, here are some tips for psychological growth.

Personal Perception Tips 

Get It In Writing. Your basketball trainer is probably already vocally recognizing and affirming your basketball development, but ask him to put it in writing. Ask your trainer to rate you on a scale in various areas and to give you a general scouting report. Seeing positive things about you written down can do wonders for the psyche, and it is something you can revisit often to give yourself a boost.

Challenge Players in Your Area. Challenging players in your area in pickup games, or in 1-on-1 games is a good way to test yourself and flex your muscle. Performing well against players in your normal playing environment will really build your confidence. In your head you may not be “better” than these players until you prove it to yourself by playing against them again.

Play Basketball Outside of Your Normal Area. If you’re not fully comfortable with challenging other good players in your area, take this step first. Go outside of your normal playing area to a place where nobody really knows you. You don’t have to go by yourself; you can go with a friend. Showcase your new skills in this pickup or rec league environment to really start feeling what it’s like to be an improved, more skilled and more aggressive player. Being around people who don’t have a previous perception of you will make it easier for them to accept you as the new player you are, and the acceptance here can help you accept your improved self as well.

Outside Perception Tips

Go On a Challenge Tour. Challenging players around you is good for your outside perception as well. Identify some of the key guys in your area – guys who are the leaders of the school team, the social leaders, and the good players who play your position and challenge them outside of the confines of team practice. If you can generate respect from key players by playing them hard or defeating them in a 1-on-1 or pickup setting, they will spread the word about your new status as an improved player.

Perform In Front Of Your Coach. If it’s tough for you to gain respect from players around you, make an effort to perform in front of your coach. This could be in a gym period at school, at an open gym session after school, or just shooting around when he is in the gym. If you can catch the coach’s eye and make him realize that you’ve improved, he can be one of the most powerful advocates you can have. Since coaches have power on teams, even if your teammates haven’t caught on yet, the coach can do things like change your position or run new plays for you, almost forcing your teammates and other observers to look at you differently.

These are just a couple of tips to help change the personal and outside perception of you as a basketball player. Don’t let your mental hold you back while you develop your skills and understanding of the game. Get with your trainer to aid you with the psychological process of becoming a better basketball player inside and out. We can’t to see you moving and playing like a brand new player.

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