Easy to carry rehab equipment
Rehabbing injuries when you are travelling playing basketball is pretty hard. Whether you are travelling playing tournaments or games far away from home it’s is hard to lug around rehab equipment. It’s even a bigger pain if you have to get on a flight with baggage restrictions. But in the years I have been playing basketball I have found alternatives that are luggage packing friendly. Most of which can be popped into a carry-on bag.
Golf ball, Hockey ball & Softball
Easy to pack and is great for rolling over much like a foam roller but targets areas of the muscle far better. If you think a foam roller hurts the golf ball is a whole another level of pain. With golf balls, hockey balls and softballs they can easily be thrown into a bag and adds minimal weight.
Towel
Obviously if you are travelling you’ll always pack a towel! If you don’t there’s something wrong with you. However, if you are staying in hotels in most cases towels will be provided for you. Towels are a great way of helping you stretch, especially stretching your legs and lower back. Make sure the towel is at least a meter long. Roll it up to its longest length and you can do a series of stretches.
For more information on stretching exercises with a towel please read the article I have posted titled Stretching Routines Using a Towel or alternatively YouTube some videos; search for “stretches with a towel”.
Tennis ball
Squeezing a tennis ball is a great way to build grip strength but it also helps you overcome stiffness in your arms. During tryouts I tend to really focus on D, as a result of swiping for the ball and keeping my hands active my arms take a beating. To overcome next day stiffness I use a heat rub and take a tennis ball in each hand and squeeze. I usually do this in front of the TV to make the time go by with a little entertainment.
The benefit of squeezing tennis balls is that it builds grip strength. For me grip strength important as a short basketball player I slash to the hoop a lot. Being able to hold on to the ball after it gets swiped helps me draw contact and get to the line with a possibility of an and 1 situation.
Beach Sand
If you are lucky enough to try out for teams in a beached area sand is something you’ll have a lot of. Not only do you have the added benefit of going for a relaxing dip in the ocean, working on your grip strength in sand is an easy thing to do. Sand gives you pretty much the same benefits of a tennis ball. For recovery sand also can be used to workout soreness in the arms if you have been hit in that region.
Lowel Deng uses sand as a training technique to build grip strength. Check out this video by NBA fit.
There are also several rehab products that you can purchase that are very easy to take when travelling which I won’t cover in this post. This is more improvised rehab equipment that can be used on the road. Obviously these suggestions do not compare to a trained professional working on your body but at least it is something that might get you from session to session.
Have I missed something. Any other easy to pack rehab equipment you know of? Please use the comment section below to tell me. Who know’s I might just road test it as well.
