Knee strengthening for Basketball players is vital as the sport demands a lot of jumping, direction change, and physical contact.
Running, jumping and the change of direction tends to put load on a player’s knee. If the knee of a basketball player isn’t strengthened well, it can easily lead to injuries.
These injuries can set a player back from weeks to months. In order to avoid injuries, it is wise to exercise the muscles that support the knee.
Basic things like a proper warm up and cool down is required for Basketball players.
So which are the best exercises that players should do for knee strengthening ?
Glute bridges are a great exercise for Basketball players. It strengthens the glutes and aids in explosive movements and jumping. It lays a foundation for strengthening the lower body which helps in injury prevention.
Firing your glutes helps players to emprove their game.
Here’s exactly how to perform a glute bridge-
Quarter squats is a variant to the popular lower body exercise, squats. In this version of a squat, since you aren’t supposed to go fully down, it is easier to perform. Hence, one can do more repetitions easily.
Quarter squats help in strengthening the major muscles like glutes, quadriceps, and eventually the knee.
Here’s how to do a proper quarter squat-
Lunges is one such lower body exercise that helps in knee strengthening for basketball players. It is a unilateral exercise since each side of the body is used independently. Surely, this movement activates the muscles that aid in stabilization. Hence, balance is improved and imbalance is corrected.
Here’s how to do a lunge correctly-
Reverse lunges is a variation to lunges. While performing a reverse lunge, you’re activating your glutes, core, hamstrings and quadriceps. All these muscles together will help the knee to be strong and stable.
Additionally, reverse lunges could work wonders for players with knee issues, balance difficulties and even for those who have weak hip mobility.
Furthermore, here’s how to do it :
Romanian deadlift is a great knee strengthening exercise for basketball players. If there is any pain in the knee area, on the kneecap or even tightness in that area, performing this exercise can work wonders.
It strengthens the hamstrings primarily. For running movements on the basketball court, hamstring muscles should be strong. Hamstrings are what helps a player propel forward.
If this muscle is weak, a player’s running abilities may be compromised. In addition, this makes a player more susceptible to injuries.
To demonstrate, here’s how its done:
Clamshells are an easy to perform exercise that you can do anywhere. By doing clamshell glute activation takes place. Activating the muscles is very important prior play. It helps in reducing the chances of injuries.
Clamshells also strengthen and mobilize the hip which is essential for a strong knee.
To sum up, knee strengthening for basketball players is crucial to prevent injuries. Furthermore, doing these exercises will definitely help a player to strengthen the appropriate muscles which in turn will help strengthen and stabilize the knee.
To emphasize, any sport that requires jumping, running and change in direction needs a player to have strong knees and good body balance.
