Overtraining In Basketball And How To Deal With It
Overtraining usually occurs when a player trains too hard, too often, without adequate rest and recovery.
We often hear about the crazy training schedules of professional basketball players. Most popular example – Kobe Bryant. Four workouts a day, every day, the first one starting at 3 am, going only for 3-4 hours of sleep... All the crazy things the media tells us about.
What that motivational YouTube video might not tell you, however, is the negative effect of such a schedule if you're just a regular player and decide to do the same.
But before you close this page, hear me out.
Not only does it take countless years to get to a level where your body can actually work with a training load like this, but his sleep schedule also was definitely not for everyone (even Kobe Bryant himself adjusted it later in his career to 6-8 hours).
Why? Because your body needs time to rest and actually get stronger after the training sessions. Otherwise, you might fall into the trap called "Overtraining".
Overtraining is a common issue among passionate basketball players, that can lead to decreased performance, injuries, and even mental burnout. It occurs when players push themselves too hard without allowing adequate time for rest and recovery, leading to physical and mental fatigue.
How you can identify and avoid it – this is the topic of this article.
Enjoy!