Highline Community College Men's Basketball
Strength and Conditioning Program
 Taryn Plypick (left) with Alan Stein of Stronger Team/ S&C coach at Dematha HS, one of the Best basketball specific strength and conditioning coaches in the world. |
Highline
Community College Men's Basketball has one of
the best basketball specific strength and conditioning programs
in the NWAACC. The program is led by former Thunderbird athlete,
Taryn Plypick ('03-'05). Coach Plypick is an NSCA Certified
Strength and Conditioning Coach, Owner of Cutting Edge Elite
Performance and has a Master's Degree in Exercise Science as
well has spent time learning from some of the best basketball
specific strength and conditioning coaches in the world,
including most recently, Alan Stein (Owner of Stronger Team/
Strength and Conditioning Coach at national powerhouse, Dematha
High School). Coach Plypick's innovative, purposeful, safe and
efficient year round training gives the Thunderbird athletes a
distinct competitive advantage. Coach Plypick's philosophy
centers around the idea that strength and conditioning needs to
be practical and purposeful. Staying healthy is a priority and
our goal is to keep guys on the court where they belong. In
order for an athlete to maximize his potential as a basketball
player he needs to have a solid strength and conditioning
foundation. Our goal is to maximize each player's potential and
we do this through innovative, fun, competitive and purposeful
training. Each player receives an initial assessment and
consultation in which Coach Plypick will evaluate each player's
strengths and weaknesses as well as identify muscular imbalances
and develop a custom strength training plan targeted towards
each player's particular needs. We focus on improving basketball
athleticism so that players can perform their skills at a higher
level. Strength and Conditioning is a small but vital piece of
the puzzle in regards to the all-around development of
basketball players. Coach Plypick recognizes that most players
and teams do not have a lot of time for strength training,
therefore it is important to maximize the time they do have
through purposeful and practical strength training. Everything
is done with a purpose and done with the goal of getting the
players in the best basketball shape possible. Coach Plypick is
a firm believer that the best players are in the best shape! |
Why Highline's Strength and Conditioning Program is Effective
Highline Men's Basketball's Strength and Conditioning program addresses every aspect of basketball athleticism. The goal of Highline's Strength and Conditioning program is to produce better basketball players, not better weight lifters. We use a variety of exercises and modalities, work in all 3 planes of motion and work every muscle group and joint in the body through a full (pain free) range of motion. Basketball players need functional strength in regards to the movement demands in the game of basketball and need to be able to control their own body weight. We work to correct any muscular imbalances by working the front/back and left/right sides of the body equally. You will often find the Men's team warming up for their strength and conditioning session with no shoes or ankle braces. This is because the feet and ankles are the foundation of a basketball player's athleticism and the feet and ankles must be strong and mobile in order for a basketball player to truly maximize his potential. Often, weak feet and ankles lead to unnecessary non-contact injuries as well as limit the player's potential run and jump as fast and high as possible.Both quickness and jumping ability are vital in the high speed game of basketball. The basketball specific conditioning component mimics the demands of the game of basketball by varying bouts of high intensity work. The conditioning program includes sprinting, backpedaling, cutting, defensive sliding and jumping as well as safe landing, acceleration and deceleration. Through safe, efficient and purposeful training we prepare the player's hips, groin and ankles sufficiently, all areas that have a high rate of injury, as well as help athletes maximize their potential as basketball players.