Basketball is considered one of the most exhausting sports to play, as it involves quick movements where you have to run, shift directions, jump, and use your arms to shoot the ball. Because of the many movements and actions needed in basketball, a lot of the sport’s players can easily get fatigued or tired. Fortunately, there are several ways for players to overcome fatigue and still perform at their best, even during the third quarter, the fourth quarter, and overtime. Here are the different ways to overcome fatigue in basketball.
Do Conditioning Workouts to Improve Cardio
One of the best ways to overcome fatigue in basketball is to improve your cardio. In case you don’t know, cardio or cardiovascular exercise is a form of conditioning wherein you have to constantly increase your heart rate so that your body can get used to it. Once your body has been conditioned to withstand increased heart rates, then you will be able to work out or play specific sports for much longer since your body has already adjusted to the conditioning.
To put it simply, cardio is like putting on weights in your heart and lungs, and once you get rid of those weights after hours of training, then you will see just how tough and durable your heart and lungs already are. So, in order to not get tired easily while playing basketball, you should perform conditioning workouts to improve cardio. One of the most effective cardio workouts is running, which will help increase your durability and your lung capacity.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
Water is arguably one of the most important things that we should consume every day, as water has plenty of benefits for our body. These benefits include regulating our body temperature, providing protection and lubrication for bones, muscles, and organs, and carrying oxygen and nutrients from one cell to another. Playing basketball would make us sweat, and to replenish the lost water in our body from sweating, we would need to consistently rehydrate by drinking water during breaks or timeouts.
In addition to water, you can also consume sports drinks, which are arguably more effective in replenishing the lost liquids in your body, as these drinks have a lot of electrolytes that regulate body fluids so that you don’t sweat too much or get dehydrated. Keep yourself hydrated so that you can overcome fatigue and keep your energy levels high.
Have a Healthy Diet
In addition to water, food is also very important in providing our body with nutrients and energy. Without a proper diet, we will most likely be depleted in energy in the middle of the basketball game. So, to keep your energy levels as high as possible, you should always eat healthy meals every day.
The healthy foods we recommend are the ones that are effective in providing energy, like oatmeal, bananas, and beans. Basically, all foods that have carbohydrates will give you much-needed energy for basketball games. You should have a healthy meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in order to have a balanced diet.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting sufficient sleep is crucial in order to maintain your energy levels. Not getting enough sleep will most likely prevent your body from getting enough energy, so you will surely feel dizzy, lightheaded, and tired even before the basketball game starts. So, it is important to have a sufficient amount of sleep, especially on days when you need to play basketball.
If you are already used to only sleeping for four to five hours, then it might be difficult to break the habit, but it is not really impossible. All you have to do to have consistent sleep is to create a sleep schedule, which would allow you to have at least seven to eight hours of sleep every day. You can start slowly by just waking up early every other day, and then once you get used to it, you can start waking up early each day. Follow your sleep schedule strictly so that you will get enough sleep and eventually have a lot of energy to play basketball.
Avoid Drinking Coffee and Alcohol
Coffee is regarded by many as the best drink to keep you awake all day. However, once the effect of coffee wears down during the afternoon, then you will experience a “caffeine crash,” which is a condition wherein your body will instantly feel tired, mainly because it is pushed by the caffeine to work so hard to keep you awake throughout the morning. So, if your basketball games are held in the afternoon, we highly advise that you don’t drink coffee, as your energy levels will immediately go down by that time.
On the other hand, alcohol should also be avoided too, as this substance would just make you feel dizzy and will most likely give you a hangover while playing a basketball game. Of course, alcohol is usually impossible to avoid during special occasions when other people are drinking beer, wine, and other types of alcohol. But on normal days or days before a basketball game, you should avoid alcohol as much as possible to retain your energy and focus.
Those are basically all the things that you need to do to overcome fatigue in basketball. All of the tips we provided above can also be applied to other sports, so feel free to follow those tips if you want to feel less tired and more energetic while playing your favorite or preferred sports.