Injuries are the worst. They impede development and hold you from your full potential. Once you have been injured, physical therapy and rehabilitation are long and arduous. So work to maintain your health and prevent injury.
1. Maintain Fitness: The off-season isn’t time off. It’s the time to implement a fitness and strength program. It doesn’t need to dominate your life, but taking time to run and life weights during the off-season can help you step onto the court ready to play. Thus you prevent the injuries that occur when your body can’t handle the competitive jump from zero to 60. Good fitness will help you acclimate quicker to on-court speed.
2. Hydrate, Warm Up and Stretch: Our inclination is to jump into the fray and get right into the competition, but it’s necessary to take some time to warm up your muscles with light exercise like walking, jogging or stationary biking. Cold muscles are more prone to injury, and so are dehydrated muscles. Make sure you’re getting enough water. According to orthoinfo.com, you should be sure to drink 24 ounces of water two hours before exercising. You should also drink 8 ounces of water every twenty minutes of exercise.
3. Focus on Technique: Following the rules will help you prevent injury. Basketball is a contact sport, not a collision sport like football and hockey, so treating it as such will help you stay healthy. But simple things like maintaining good technique while running, dribbling, passing and shooting can help you stay on the court for the entire season.
4. Proper Equipment: Again, basketball isn’t football — you don’t need a full set of pads. Still you can be sure to get high top shoes that have good support to protect your ankles and padding to protect the soles of your feet. Wear a mouthguard and consider using braces for your knees, ankles or elbows.
5. Overuse: Playing for too many teams can wear on you. Try to avoid playing for two or three teams at a time. And be sure to take some time in the off-season to play different sports aside from basketball. A break can do wonders for your game.