Height/Weight: 6’1”, 185 lbs
Current team: Sacramento Kings
Years in NBA: 11
Previous teams: Denver, Minnesota, Memphis, New Orleans, Houston
College: Minnesota
I was fortunate to sit down with NBA veteran Bobby Jackson at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp this past week and talked to him about his training.
I really enjoyed being around him all week; he is very passionate about the game and about working with young people. He keeps himself in tremendous shape; he is a physical specimen. Please note, I have paraphrased his answers, these are not verbatim. I didn’t use a recorder, I merely scribbled notes as fast I could when writing down his answers!
Q: At what age (or grade) did you first start lifting weights?
A: Nobody really lifted weights when I was in high school, just the football guys. I didn’t start lifting until I was in college. Even then I didn’t really like it the way I do now. It took some getting used to. Now I love it and know how important it is.
Q: How do you feel like it helped your game?
A: It helped me a lot on the court, especially when I got to Minnesota. Everyone in college is so much stronger then in high school. I needed to get stronger just to hold my own against the guards in our conference.
Q: Why do you think strength & conditioning for basketball players is important?
A: Strength & conditioning is very important in maximizing your ability. Your ball handling and shooting skills are certainly important, but in order to compete with the big boys you have to get stronger and more explosive. Lifting weights really helps with that.
Q: What does your off season training program consist of now?
A: I usually take a month off after the season and let my body (and mind) recover. Now that I am getting a little older, I have to be smart! I train my entire body, but do so in a way that is easier on my knees. Recently, I have gotten into boxing and love it! It is great for conditioning and core strength.
Q: What is the biggest difference between playing in college and in the NBA?
A: In high school, your athleticism rules. In college, you really learn how to play the game. In the NBA, you have to know how to play. The NBA game is so much faster than college. I mean, man for man, everyone is so much faster! The pace is unreal and the season is so much longer. You have to take care of your body to survive.
I would like to extend a special thank you to Bobby for his time and honest answers. My goal is to post a new NBA player interview each week along with a short book review and my normal blog post. So check back weekly as it is going to be an exciting summer. My next several blogs will give you inside looks and thoughts (and video clips) from the NBA Player’s Association Top 100 Camp along with the Vince Carter, Paul Pierce and LeBron James Skills Academies.
And don’t forget to check it out and subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom and check out the latest exercise of the week. And if you want the inside scoop on the summer training scene, as well as daily inspirational quotes, follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.
Train hard. Train smart.
