I'm curious as to what are your opinions on squatting basketball players to parallel and if you do use the squat as a core lift. I recently swapped the squat for the deadlift with my baskeball players.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Cotton on Yes. I have basketball players squat, but all the way down. ATG. Knee mechanics would dictate a full squat.
Permalink Reply by Matt Jacobs on We go all the way down, parallel or lower. Some guys have had trouble initially, but they all have the ability to do the full range.
Permalink Reply by Rob Panariello on We do use the squat as a core exercise with our basketball players (and all of our athletes). Unless there are prohibitive circumstances, our players break parallel during exercise performance. EMG studies have demonstrated optimal muscle activity of the lower extremity/hip musculature to occur in these deep knee bend positions, thus one of the reasons, when appropriate, to assume this "deep" exercise position.
Often the squat exercise is viewed as "only" a lower extremity exercise. However, bar (load) placement on the shoulders also requires a total body (upper body, CORE, etc…) contribution for enhanced overall strength and stability. This total body strength/stability is imperative when battling for rebounds in the paint, body control in the air, as well as many other aspects of the game of basketball.
Just be sure your athletes are prepared to initiate squatting type activities, and remember that due to their increased height, their "time under tension" is longer vs. athletes of shorter stature.
Permalink Reply by Keith D. Swift on Rob mentioned the time under tension issue and that was my intial cause for concern. My centers and forwards usually are the ones who struggle to get parallel. These are the guys who feel knee pain when they squat. Intially I though it was just my big fellas so I provided alternatives, but then others started to complain too. Thus my inquiry as to what others do. Ofcourse I double up on single leg strength / ACL prevention exercises to compensate.
Permalink Reply by Rob Panariello on Coach,
Their knee pain is usually anterior knee pain, i.e. patella-femoral joint, patella tendon, etc…, that is why I previously mentioned it is imperative that these larger athletes are prepared for these types of exercises prior to loading them, increasing exercise volume, etc… so that these issues are avoided. In my experience many of these athletes are not prepared to squat, and in prescribing the squat (or any deep knee bend) exercise, without the proper preparation, a coach/athlete can get into trouble.
To answer your "inquiry", couple of "general" things we may do to "prepare" our athletes is to utilize the overhead squat with a wooden dowel in our warm-ups, incorporate a Javoreck complex (as form will follow function), etc... as well as address the information you receive from the evalution of your athletes for the application of any other specific techniques that may be required.
I certainly wouldn't discard the exercise, I would prepare your athletes for the benefits of this exercise.
Permalink Reply by Jason Davidson on 
Permalink Reply by Adam Blalock on By not performing the squat through the full ROM you are neglecting the hamstrings, glutes, and adductors. Partial squats primarily train the quads through a short ROM which these athletes already have too much experience with in that their sport dictates this. Combine this with the 5000 contact plyo's that the coach wants and you get some serious jumper's knee.
Looks like a consensus among coaches, good to see. There are those in the NASM (yes I've got their cert.) that will tell you that deep squats are hurtful and aren't sport specific anyway. But have you ever seen these jokers teach a squat...
Teach the squat correctly and magically the knees get better.
Permalink Reply by Jeff Diritto on
great post - I agree with everything said about squatting deep!!
Adam Blalock said:
By not performing the squat through the full ROM you are neglecting the hamstrings, glutes, and adductors. Partial squats primarily train the quads through a short ROM which these athletes already have too much experience with in that their sport dictates this. Combine this with the 5000 contact plyo's that the coach wants and you get some serious jumper's knee.
Looks like a consensus among coaches, good to see. There are those in the NASM (yes I've got their cert.) that will tell you that deep squats are hurtful and aren't sport specific anyway. But have you ever seen these jokers teach a squat...
Teach the squat correctly and magically the knees get better.
Permalink Reply by Andy McCloy on Permalink Reply by Keith D. Swift on Wow thanks Andy and everyone as a matter of fact. The responses were extremely helpful. At the 2011 NSCA National conference I attended a symposium on ankle mobility and increasing the range of motion of the joint. When I designed our warm up I implemented some hip , ankle, and shoulder mobility/ stability movement and some of the results were almost immediate for some of the pre-existing ailments that were present prior to my arrival here at Stillman. I guess I was a little spoiled with fast results (as is our society) and when some of my players had mentioned the anterior knee pain I went looking for alternatives. Stu McGill (at the 2011 NSCA Conference) actually got me to thinking when he mentioned the sport demands about squatting parallel with basketball players. With that and complaints of knee pain when they squatted I made the deadlift their primary LB lift. After the insight from my fellow professionals, I'll change my approach to B-ballers and the squat, but we'll definitely go back to the squat!
Permalink Reply by Rob Panariello on Coach,
Since you are presently in-season with your program, a common mistake some sport (i.e. basketball) head coaches make is that they do not differentiate the concept of keeping their athletes "fresh" vs. "strong". Thus there is a concern on their part re: "heavy" in-season lifting. Athletes need the continued appropriate and periodic application of high intensity during the season. The "high intensity" exercise can vary in many forms of application. These periodically programmed high intensity (with low volume and incorporating "total body movements" whenever possible) applied exercises, at the appropriate times will maintain the strength gains that occurred during the off-season. Continued low intensity exercise for the purpose of keeping the athletes "fresh" will provide little stimulus of adaptation for strength maintenance and very likely contribute in the "deconditioning" of the athlete, so to speak, during the long season.
Hall of Fame and renowned strength coaches Al Vermeil and Johnny Parker very much believed in maintaining strength, if not increasing strength during the competitive season as long as the athletes were prepared with both proper exercise performance and the necessary strength base to allow for in-season high intensity lifting. Coach Vermeil had his Championship teams lift heavy during the season and at times, had his athletes lift with appropriate intensities the mornings of games. At one time Coach Parker had 35 of his football player’s record PR’s in at least 1 lift in the same playoff week with one of his Superbowl bound teams. This "concept" also worked well for us as we became more proficient with it my later years at St. John's University where Coach Carnesseca also bought into it.
Maintaining strength via "intensity" will assist keep the players "fresh". If your players cannot squat (your statement re: anterior knee pain) at this time and are more proficient with the deadlift with regard to handling intensity, I would stick to the deadlift this in-season while working to improve your player’s ability to properly and proficiently squat. Only at the time that this proficiency is demonstrated pain-free, should squat exercise intensity progress.
Just my opinion
I wish you the best of luck the rest of the season.
Permalink Reply by Aaron Short on I would say yes as part of a core lift. Knee mechanics, femur length need to be taken into consideration. Having trained some basketball players 6'8 and taller. There are several variables that need to be considered and is a case by case basis in my opinion. I would agree with Rob, it is defintely a total body lift, having to stabilize through your shoulders and upper back, and the amount of core activation it takes to complete the lift.
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