Why is rest important? Your body and mind needs it. If you want to play at your best during a tryout or game the last thing you want to be is tired or sore. That’s how mistakes are made and it make you look sh|t.
Once you have a tryout date and you schedule your training sessions/ days. It is easy to schedule in your rest sessions. Rest sessions are as important as training sessions. DON’T MISS THEM!
What’s a rest session?
Rest sessions don’t mean you veg out in front of the TV for hours. Rest sessions have to be productive and it will mean that you will be active.
Here are some examples of a good rest session
- Rolling out on a foam roller for an hour targeting your whole body particularly the sore areas.
- Going for a walk in the sun to promote activity and general well being. Being out in the sun will make you feel energised and happier. Get your dose of vitamin D.
- Get in a pool and do some stretching and aquatic movement therapy. Even better get into a hydro pool.
- Do some Yoga but please note if you do Bikram Yoga ensure that you hydrate properly after and never do that before a game or an important training session. Standard yoga however is ok to do all the time.
- Meditate, yes, I know what you are thinking. That’s gay! Meditation is one of the best things for your mind. Phil Jackson made the Bulls do it during their reign of championships.
- Read! Reading some books on champion basketball players will give you an insight into there psyche. You get an idea of how they think and the things they do off court to be the champion they are.
Here’s examples of things that you shouldn’t do on a rest day
- Get on a basketball court.
Do something different for God sake. There’s a whole world out there that doesn’t consist of basketball. Don’t be one-dimensional do something else. - Sit around doing nothing and binge eating or drinking.
This is actually going to take you backward. You want to stay active but not to exhaustion. - Do anything physically exhausting. You are resting remember!
- Change your usual routine like waking up late.
Just because it’s a non training day doesn’t mean you have to sleep in. Get up at your normal time and go for a walk, meditate (yes this is the second time I have said this) or just even have time to yourself.
Rest and recovery sessions are vital for keeping your body fresh and at peak performance when it comes to your next training session and game. By ignoring rest sessions you are setting your body up for fatigue and worst case sever injury. Take notice of the warning signs of over training. In my article Are You Overtraining? I discuss the common symptoms of overtraining.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article I really hope in someway that it has helped you. If you’d like to receive more articles like this please sign up to the No Borders Basketball newsletter.
I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you. What other things do you do on your rest days? I’d really like to hear from you. Please use the comment section below to let me know.
