I received this question in an email from a parent the other day. “How do you maximize your time when it’s getting cold out and dark early?”.
I really believe it is crucial to continue to work on your skills during the season. Most coaches focus on their offensive and defensive systems during practice so it is up to you to find time to work on your individual skills.
1. Knock Out Before School: When I was younger I would knock out some ball handling drills before I went to school in the morning. I would either do these out in the driveway or in the basement. See if your coach or phy ed teacher will let you into the gym so you can get a workout in before school.
2. Get to Practice Early or stay late: If no one is practicing before you get to the gym early or stay after. Ask your coach or better yet, a teammate, to stay after and get up a 200-300 threes after practice. You can get up 300 threes in 20-30 minutes if you have someone rebounding for you!
3. Use your basement or garage (yeah it might be cold, wear gloves!)
4. Before games: Before games in high school I would almost always get shots up. I think this is a great way to get prepared for a game. Go early to an NBA game and you will see guys working out, sweating and getting shots up before their game.
Last year when I was working out Sam Price, from Eau Claire North, we used to go shoot about 500 shots before her games. Is that too much? I don’t know, she is now on a full ride at Kent State. You tell me!
The bottom line is that all of these options require you to make a choice. You have a choice to sleep or get up before school to workout. You have a choice to get to practice early or play video games. Great players find a way!