Coaching Guide for March Madness: How to Get Ready for the Hottest Time of the Year
March Madness: You lose, you go home – You win, the dream lives on. The most important question for coaches and athletes alike: how to get ready for the hottest time of the year? Philipp Lienemann, Sr. Customer Success Manager at KINEXON, introduces an integrated approach — get the exclusive guide here!
Author: Philipp Lienemann
Access Philipp’s complete approach to preparing for March Madness here.
Also, don’t miss practical insights from Caleb Krueger, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Women’s Basketball at University of North Carolina on how KINEXON’s technology helped improve player development and load management at UNC Women’s Basketball.
When all eyes are set on the prestigious NCAA tournament the smallest margins can make all the difference: “40 for 40” — a 40-minute effort for another chance of 40 minutes in the tournament. Reaching the tournament, Sweet 16, Elite 8 or Final 4 does not come by accident.
College athletes who are aiming at getting to the professional level, face a year-around effort to achieve their goal. Long-term athletic development requires a dedicated plan that aims at consistently improving an athlete’s performance over time.
By overloading and stressing the body, allowing it to recover, and then stressing it again, athletes adapt to the increased short-term stressors and build long-term fitness through various physiological adaptations. In the short- to mid-term, this involves adjusting the training plan to the different periods of the season.
By managing the acute and chronic load appropriately over time, coaches can improve player performance, reduce the risk of injury, and time it takes for player to return to play. Keeping your best players healthy and increasing player availability will allow the team to perform at its best, when it matters the most.
Four Seasons – A Blueprint to Succeed During March Madness
Like the year, a basketball season can be divided into four seasons. The four seasons refer to the four very distinct periods of the year that involve different and unique levels of training, preparation, competition, and recovery requirements. In terms of load management, a season is a journey – like a house, great athletes and teams are built over time and rely on a solid foundation.
KINEXON has helped us navigate the ever-changing landscape of athlete-readiness in collegiate basketball. It has aided us identify areas of strength and weakness within our program when it comes to player preparedness and long-term athlete development both on the court and in the weight room.
Trust the Process — Guiding Athletes Through the Season
Construction involves multiple phases that all pose various challenges – similarly, coaches follow a periodization approach to plan and optimize the long-term development of their athletes. Hence, dividing a basketball season into the following periods to identify focus areas and challenges can provide a blueprint for success.
- Off-Season: Cleaning the Backyard – Skill Acquisition & Athletic Development Basics
- Pre-Season: Laying the Foundation – Considerations for a Generic & Sport-Specific Conditioning Framework
- Regular Season: Building a Strong Core – Efficient Programming & Player Engagement
- Post Season: Topping Out – Supporting Athletes to Peak at the Right Time
Impact of Player Tracking and Performance Analysis
The goal — by structuring a season accordingly, coaches want to ensure that athletes are training and recovering adequately for optimal adaptation. Player tracking technology supports practitioners in their daily work by providing objective data to quantify the athletes’ acute and chronic workload.
Bridging the gap between a coach’s experience and subjective perspective and the objective, quantitative data provided by KINEXON’s technology is crucial to plan, execute and control relevant training and recovery strategies.
While various aspects need to be considered when selecting, implementing, and using different types of technologies, an integrated approach to athlete monitoring has become the standard to make informed decisions in managing athletes adequately over a strenuous basketball season.
Which aspects need to be emphasized throughout the different periods of the season and how can player tracking be utilized to manage an athlete’s load accordingly? Find more insights here.
Player load tracking has become a vital part of our program in that it helps keep all members of our team physically ready to handle the rigors of both practice and games — and does so by giving us objective load information that can help us make informed decisions.
Selecting the Appropriate Metrics in College Basketball
By using a set of metrics to describe a session’s training volume, intensity and density, coaches can build a holistic training model to quantify the acute and chronic stress of individual sessions, weeks, and months of training.
With countless metrics to choose from, it can be a daunting task for coaches that are using technology for the first time. Considering factors like acceptable levels of reliability and validity, relation to sport-specific demands as well as if they can be easily interpreted by relevant stakeholders are key differentiators in using data effectively for informed decision-making.
Complementing coaches’ subjective insights and experience with objective, quantitative data will help coaches make informed decisions and implement a criterion-based training program.
Electronic Performance Tracking Systems like KINEXON’s Perform IMU and LPS systems are a great tool to support an integrated data-driven approach to training periodization and load management and should be the standard for any Division‑I team.
Deep dive: Read Philipp Lienemann’s full version of an integrated approach on how coaches can successfully guide their teams through a strenuous basketball season and manage their athletes’ loads accordingly.
Want to learn more about KINEXON’s products and services? Let’s get in touch!
More stories
What Data and Insights Does Connected Ball Technology Provide?
Author: Daniel Linke, PhD
Adidas recently announced that the official ball for EURO 2024 will use connected ball technology at the men’s and women’s UEFA EURO tournaments. It provides real-time data and insights on the position, motion, and status of the ball. But what data and insights does this provide? Let’s find out.
How Much Do KINEXON PERFORM GPS PRO Wearable Sensors Weigh?
One of the most important criteria for wearable sensors is that they should be lightweight and comfortable, while still providing the sports data analytics that coaches and trainers need. KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro wearables fit the bill, but how light are they, really? Let’s find out.
What Volleyball Analytics Can Coaches Get from KINEXON PERFORM IMU?
More and more coaches and players are implementing volleyball analytics to help improve their game. And they’re using Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) to gain an edge. So, let’s explain what the IMU is, the metrics it provides, and which ones should matter most to volleyball coaches.
Savino Del Bene Scandicci Volleyball Selected as Third KINEXON and AWS Flagship Team
Savino Del Bene Scandicci is among Italy’s best women’s volleyball teams and competes on an international level, in the highest European competitions. Alongside other teams and clubs from different parts of the world in various sports like Florida State University, Viktoria Berlin and TSG Hoffenheim, the team is joining forces with KINEXON and AWS and embrace technology with clear goals in mind. Let’s dive in.
How Hockey Advanced Statistics Are Changing The Game On Every Level
In ice hockey, advanced statistics are an incredibly powerful tool. They can unlock the secrets of the sport. From the ability to track a player’s individual performance to developing team strategies, advanced stats can help teams make better decisions and gain a competitive edge. Let’s find out how.
Why Are KINEXON Sports Vests a Vital Part of Player Tracking?
In sports, advanced technologies are becoming increasingly instrumental in enhancing player performance and strategy. The introduction of sports vests has helped tremendously in the gathering of data. The reason? When equipped with a player tracking wearable sensor, sports vests make collecting sports performance data incredibly easy.
How Football Coaches Can Use Sports Performance Data to Peak During Bowl Season
As the bowl season draws near, the role of sports performance tracking technology becomes pivotal. For coaches, strategically balancing weekly training schedules and the demands of game day must be top-of-mind to secure the best opportunity to land a bid for a bowl game.
KINEXON Is Helping Teams to Introduce Cycle-Oriented Performance Training in Women’s Sports
When it comes to achieving peak performance in sports, the one-size-fits-all approach falls short. With the rise of individualized training regimens, a new area has emerged in women’s sports: performance and team training oriented on players’ menstrual cycle and well-being.
By leveraging the power of KINEXON sports analytics, teams are tapping into a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between the menstrual cycle, personal well-being and athletic prowess.
How Coaches Craft Game Plans from Basketball Shot Data and Performance Metrics
In the bygone era of basketball coaching, the responsibility of tracking and analyzing player statistics fell squarely on the shoulders of coaches. Assessing shot charts, dissecting practice drills, and developing game strategies were manual endeavors that required a keen eye and extensive time commitment.
Fast forward to today, where the marriage of performance tracking data and shot statistics can not only alleviate the burden on the coaching staff but also offer a profound, data-driven window into player performance.
Behind the Sports Tech: Why KINEXON’s Player Tracking Wearables Stand Out
KINEXON is known for its use in sports analytics by leveraging wearable sensors to collect data from athletes in real-time. Let’s break down the technology behind the sensors.
How Basketball Coaches Use Sports Performance Tracking Data Leading into Game Day
Earlier this year, we sat down with the University of Colorado’s Steve Englehart, Director of Sports Performance for Olympic Sports, to learn more about how he prepares for the Buffaloes men’s basketball season. His mindset about athlete performance and training methods has evolved with the development of sports performance tracking technology.
Here, we dive deeper into his experience using KINEXON’s PERFORM IMU solution to prepare his team to compete at the highest level for the 2023 – 24 college basketball season.
Florida State Basketball: Women’s Team Dribbles into the Future With KINEXON as the Next AWS Flagship Team
Helping to lead the charge with German lighthouse football club, Viktoria Berlin, Florida State University’s (FSU) Women’s Basketball program is the next flagship team to have joined forces with KINEXON and AWS, challenging the status quo for women athletes in professional and collegiate sports with cutting-edge sports technology – customized to women’s requirements.
What Types of Basketball Shots Can COMPETE Vision Improve?
From layups to three-pointers, the types of shots in basketball that players take continues to evolve. But now coaches can use KINEXON COMPETE Vision to analyze practice and game videos to help improve the shots their players take from anywhere on the floor. Here’s how.
KINEXON Sports Data Journalist Transforming The Handball Bundesliga Viewing Experience
Author: Dave Grendzynski
In the world of sports, a data-driven era is emerging, revealing untold stories beyond the on-field action. KINEXON is leading this transformation in Handball Bundesliga.
And at the heart of it is this season’s game-changing role: the sports data journalist, and Lara Kellermann’s impact in this innovative partnership.
Furman's Director of Basketball Performance, Matt Aldred, Joins KINEXON as an Ambassador
KINEXON is excited to announce the signing of Matt Aldred, Assistant Head Coach and Director of Basketball Performance, as a member of the KINEXON Ambassador Program.