HOW Including BLAZEPOD in your Training camp can IMPROVE technique, speed, AGILITY, reaction time, and mindset IN 8 WEEKS.
1. The Foundation
Basketball is a game that requires technical skills, physical fitness and mental toughness. However, getting an athlete motivated every day to train can be a daunting and an often cumbersome experience. Research has shown that priming the nervous system promotes athlete engagement and readiness by preparing the body and mind for the upcoming physical activity. When an athlete primes their nervous system, they essentially activate and engage the neural pathways, muscles, and senses related to the specific movement patterns they are about to perform
Neural Priming Benefits Include:
- Improved Performance: Priming helps, optimize, muscle activation, coordination, and efficiency, leading to improved performance during training or competition. It enhances the communication between the brain and the muscles, helping each athlete execute movements with greater precision and power.
- Injury Prevention: By activating the necessary muscles and neural pathways before training, athletes can reduce the risk of injuries. Priming helps prepare the body for the physical stresses It will encounter, increasing joint stability, muscle activation, and overall readiness to perform the desired movements.
- Enhanced Focus and Concentration: Priming exercises often involve mental focus and concentration, helping athletes get into the right mindset for training or competition. By engaging in specific warm-up routines that activate the nervous system, athletes can improve their cognitive readiness and better channel their mental energy towards their performance.
- Faster Reaction Time: Properly priming the nervous system can help athletes, improve their reaction time, allowing them to respond quickly and effectively to stimuli on the court or field. This can be particularly beneficial in basketball which requires rapid decision making and quick reflexes.
2. The Project
Coach Robin White, incorporated BlazePod as his primary method of priming his athletes before each session and before each measured test. His 8-week SF Basketball Academy Training Camp consisted of 35 middle school and 15 competitive high school basketball players. His goal was to provide a challenging, fun and engaging experience that would help further elevate his players' physical and cognitive abilities; specifically, their focus, speed, agility, power, and basketball technique. The camp was set up with technique training 4 days per week and performance training 3 days per week for the duration of 8-weeks.
TRAINING PROTOCOL
Over the course of 8-weeks, the camp athletes completed several priming activities every day. The BlazePod priming activities were performed at the beginning of each day during the warm-up, before specific technique drills, and before each performance test. The goal based on supported evidence was to prime the brain and body,” demonstrating that priming the nervous system before certain activities can lead to increased motor readiness and improved in-game performance.
3. The Results
PERFORMANCE TESTS
- ¾ Court Sprint: 92% of all athletes showed an average improvement of 16.7%
- Lane Agility Drill: 84% of all athletes showed an average improvement of 13.4%
- Vertical Jump: 76% of all athletes showed an average improvement of 1.5 inches
When asked if the athletes after their daily warmup priming felt more ready, less ready, or no difference: 100% of the athletes said they felt more ready.
When asked if the athletes felt more ready, less ready, or no difference when priming before testing: 73% said More Ready, and 27% said No Difference.
When asked if the athletes felt more ready, less ready, or no difference when priming before technique training: 82% said more ready, and 18% said no difference.
“Incorporating Blaze Pod in my Summer Camp this year was a game changer. The athletes were more focused physically and mentally. They showed more confidence, enthusiasm and were very motivated. Doing priming activities prior to each day, each test and various other skill drills, they seemed to be able to find another gear and really get after it.”
Coach Robin White
“Using BlazePod during the camp helped me get into the zone and know when it was time to really focus. It helped me get into the right mindset and really turn it up. Which is a difficult thing to do when you’re at camp all day, every day during the summer.”
Eddie Valenzuela, Athlete
4. The Conclusion
The results of this case study indicate that when performing neural priming drills prior to a performance event on average every athlete measurably improved. incorporating BlazePod into one’s basketball training routine is a fun and effective way to improve a variety of physical and cognitive abilities, including focus, speed, agility, power and technique. For basketball players and coaches looking to gain a competitive advantage, BlazePod can be an important tool to add to your gear bag.
