There was an article on ESPN recently about issues that may be contributing to the increase in rookie / young player injuries. Amongst them was that the lack of traditional weight training (and more emphasis on resistance bands and such).
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13...a-players-face
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13...a-players-face
Close to two decades ago, they say, the focus was more on traditional weight training -- dumbbells and free weights and such. Today, with more of an emphasis being placed on movement, core, stability and mobility, there's been a rise in the use of resistance bands and, say, a PhysioBall.
"What no one is talking about is why these guys need to be stronger and muscle acts as the biggest shock absorber that we have," says Shaun Brown, a former strength coach with the Raptors and Celtics who has also worked at nine colleges. "The less muscle you have, the more trauma that goes to your joints."
"We have found in our work with elite Australian football players that many are coming into the professional competition with relatively low bone density and this is resulting in high incidence of stress fractures and catastrophic fractures," he wrote. "We believe the cause is a reduced emphasis on plyometric and maximal strength training through the developmental years. In other words, they are running too much and lifting too little, which is making them weak physically and structurally."
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