Fitness demands of Basketball Physical Fitness Skill Related Fitness Mental Fitness

You need to say.. There are three different elements of fitness that are all important in basketball. Theses are Physical Fitness, Skill Related fitness and Mental fitness

You may be asked to write about 1 aspect. Cardio respiratory Endurance The ability of the heart and lungs to get oxygenated blood to working muscle groups and keep the body working for a prolonged period of time.

Physical Fitness Cardio respiratory Endurance is important in basketball so we can maintain a high level of performance towards the end of game (3 rd /4 th quarter)

Attack In the 4 th quarter having good C.R.E. means that I can continue to run up the court to join in with our attacks. This gives our team attacking options when in attack, and as the other team becomes tired, helps to create offensive overload. This is especially important as we use the fast break attack an attacking strategy and creating offensive overload is important.

Defence A high level of C.R.E. means that I will have the energy to continue to run back for the whole game to form our zone defence. This stops out opponents from getting close to the basket making it more difficult for baskets to be scored.

Fatigue and Skill quality Having a high level of Cardio Respiratory Endurance helps to keep my skill level high throughout the game. As you become fatigued /tired skills such as passing and shooting begin to deteriorate. A good level of CRE allows me to maintain high performance levels throughout the game as I do not feel tired and can focus solely on performing on skills.

Speed Speed in Attack Having good speed allows me to get up the court faster than the defenders can get back. This is very important when applying the fast break as we can create offensive overload and passing options. The allows us to get close to the basket and perform lay ups, which are high percentage scoring opportunities.

Speed in Defence This also allows me to get back quickly before our opponents and set up the zone defence. Stopping our opponents from performing a successful fast break and not allowing them to get close to the basket to shoot.

Power In Attack/Defence Having power in my leg muscles allows me to jump high and collect lots of rebounds. In defence this means we get lots of turnovers and gives opportunities to start the fast break. Attacking rebounds mean we keep attacking possession of the ball and can take lots of set shots.

Skill Related Fitness Agility Having a high level of agility means that I can change direction quickly while maintaining control. In Attack. This is important when we are attacking as I am able to create space for myself by using my agility to get away from opponents and give my team passing options.

In Defence I am also able to quickly change direction when defending to follow the player I am marking, stopping him from receiving passes.

Coordination Having a high level of coordination is important especially when dribbling/driving into small gaps in the zone defence. Co-ordinating my foot movement when dribbling and moving at speed will allow me to penetrate the zone

Mental Fitness Level of Arousal It is important that I have the correct level of arousal when playing basketball. If I have to low a level of arousal than I will not be motivated enough and my performance will lack urgency and competitiveness. I will not perform anywhere near my peak performance level

If my level of arousal is too high then I will expend too much energy at the start of the game and tire quickly Make poor decisions and mistakes Commit fouls leading to fouling out of the game

Managing emotions I need to manage my emotions successfully Pressure- In pressure situations such as free throws late in the game I must control my nervousness/ frustration to ensure that I score. Refereeing Decisions In a competitive game I must not get angry at refereeing decisions that I do not agree with as this will lead to me being removed from the game