Mike Boyle: Fixing NBA & Youth Basketball Injury Issues with 2 Strength Workouts a Week

Explicit content warning

03/15/23 • 87 min

Stan Van Gundy recently tweeted about how injuries and games missed are way up despite NBA load management and teams having bigger medical and performance staffs. Basketball Strong co-host and former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco (@tdathletesedge) replied that SVG is right, but 80s and 90s players didn’t grow up playing year-round AAU and spending off court time on their phones or with skills trainers, which affects durability. Veteran strength coach Mike Boyle responded: “Too many games too early. The mileage on these guys is way up by the time they get to the professional level. Plus more strength coaches doesn’t necessarily mean more players lifting.”

Over a 40-year career, Mike has coached everyone from high school to college to pro athletes, including the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox. So if anyone’s qualified to identify root issues in youth sports that bear bad fruit in the big leagues and then propose practical solutions, it’s him.

In this episode, Mike reveals:

· Why early youth sports specialization doesn’t work

· What a more well-rounded and responsible approach to developing young athletes looks like

· How 2 strength sessions per week/100 per year increase the durability of young athletes & NBA players alike

· Why pro players are often like a broken bottle held together by the label & what teams and coaches can do about it

· How going back to basics with jumping/landing, sprinting, lifting, and throwing creates a solid foundation for athletic development and reduces preventable injuries

Dive deeper into Mike’s expertise on strengthcoach.com and bodybyboyle.com, follow him at @mboyle1959 on Twitter and @michael_boyle1959 on Instagram, and listen to him and Anthony Renna on the Strength Coach Podcast.

In this episode, Mike reveals:

· Why early youth sports specialization doesn’t work

· What a more well-rounded and responsible approach to developing young athletes looks like

· How 2 strength sessions per week/100 per year increase the durability of young athletes & NBA players alike

· Why pro players are often like a broken bottle held together by the label & what teams and coaches can do about it

· How going back to basics with jumping/landing, sprinting, lifting, and throwing creates a solid foundation for athletic development and reduces preventable injuries

Previous Episode

T.J. McConnell: Kicking Down the Door to an NBA Roster Spot

Anyone who loves basketball in the Pittsburgh area knows T.J. McConnell’s family name. Whether it’s his father Tim, who racked up 662 wins at Chartiers Valley, his aunt Suzie who played in two Olympics and was WNBA Coach of the Year, or another aunt and uncle who’ve coached at the college level, the McConnells are legendary in Pennsylvania hoops. So it’s no surprise that T.J.’s ended up on the court at a young age.

But as a 5-foot-5 freshman, there didn’t seem to be a path to a major college, let alone the NBA. However, T.J.’s tenaciousness earned him a scholarship from Duquesne and growing to 6-foot-1 helped him average 34 points a game as a senior. After two solid college seasons, T.J. made the difficult decision to transfer from Duquesne and play for Sean Miller at Arizona. He redshirted and then helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight in his junior and senior years. Though he went undrafted, T.J. got an invite to the Sixers’ summer league team and his relentless work ethic earned him a roster spot. He has since set an NBA record with nine steals in a game and now plays point guard for the Indiana Pacers.

Listen up as T.J. dishes on:

· What his dad taught him about basketball, hard work, and life

· Why he transferred to the University of Arizona and how it forced him to level up

· How he had to scratch, claw, and give 110% to make the cut with the Philadelphia 76ers

· Why he still tells himself that that the moment he relaxes is the moment he’s done in the NBA

· Where his commitment to be a pest on defense comes from and what he learned from JJ Redick

Follow T.J.’s push to the playoffs with the Pacers and his passion for wine and coffee on his Instagram feed @tjmcconnell.

Next Episode

Coach Rocky Lamar: The Path to 803 College Basketball Wins

Sometimes a classic sports story begins with someone believing in the underdog who goes on to become the hero. But in the case of Coach Rocky Lamar, it was a doubter who told him he should switch sports that put him on the path to basketball greatness. His determination to prove them wrong fueled three hours a day of practice, which earned him a spot on the varsity. Rocky’s Hall of Fame Coach Bill Fleming didn’t just teach him how to play point guard, but also the importance of defending, rebounding, and valuing the ball. These principles helped Rocky reach the college level, where he set records for assists and free throw percentage at MidAmerica Nazarene College (later university).

Fleming’s influence also inspired Rocky to coach high school basketball back in Iowa. When he returned to his alma mater, MNU’s only winning seasons had come when Rocky played, but he soon built them into a powerhouse. Though the team lost the 2001 title game, they won the national championship in 2007 and reached the NAIA Final Four five other times. By the time he retired in 2022, Rocky’s teams has won 13 conference titles, made it to the national tournament 19 times, and had 23 seasons with 20 or more wins. His 803 victories put him eight on the all-time active coaching list, alongside the likes of Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, and Mike Boeheim.

In this episode, Rocky reveals:

· Why planning fundamentals-focused practices like John Wooden created consistent excellence

· What nightly open gym runs in the summer did to fuel four straight Final Four appearances

· Why relationship-building should be focused on helping players and expecting nothing in return

· How staying with a single program enabled him to touch lives and develop a large coaching tree

· Why every player should do what’s right, do more than their fair share, and be tough

Learn more from Rocky as he keeps mentoring players and coaches on Twitter @CoachRockyLamar.

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