Players' Physiques

[BOBB]

I noticed our players are not as "swole" as years past. I wonder if this is by design to be prepared for a quicker , less physical game under the new rules?

[pie n eye]

Good point and great use of the word swole.

[wufan]

I noticed our players are not as "swole" as years past. I wonder if this is by design to be prepared for a quicker , less physical game under the new rules?

I believe so. Also probably hoping to limit injuries.

[shockerfan]

More focus on core strength and flexibility than bulk. Bulkier you are the harder it is to be flexible. More flexibility and core strength = less injuries. Hence the yoga. You don't have to have mass to be strong. Quickness and explosiveness is a nice side effect of all of this.

[Kung Wu]

I noticed our players are not as "swole" as years past. I wonder if this is by design to be prepared for a quicker , less physical game under the new rules?

Seems to me just a side effect of having a lot of jucos and underclassman. We don't have any 4 year seniors and only one 3 year junior. And Tekele is definitely "swole". :)

I bet Shaq, Baker, and Wessel will be quite the specimens by the time they are seniors.

[pie n eye]

Imo tekele is much more svelte this year. Still a beast though.

[Kung Wu]

More flexibility and core strength = less injuries. Hence the yoga.

Higher quality research indicates that flexibility does not equate to less injuries.

As a side note, there is high quality research that shows stretching before an event can actually put the person more at risk for injury. It's MUCH better to warm up properly than to stretch before a game -- that's true whether you are a D1 basketball player or at the Y with your buddies.

Yoga's key benefit to injury prevention are exercises that help athletes obtain better balance. But the fact of the matter is that most NCAA Division 1 athletes already have very finely tuned sense of balance due to playing their sport for so many years. Guys like EO are the exception, because he hasn't been playing basketball since he was 5 years old. In my opinion yoga is a complete waste of time for most Division 1 basketball players, unless they are recovering from an injury where their muscles/tendons have shrunk due to being in a cast or something and need to restore their natural flexibility.

Yoga for non competitive athletes is a different matter altogether and can be super beneficial because our muscles aren't already tuned to playing the sport we participate day in and day out.

That's my 2 cents.

[shockerfan]

Higher quality research indicates that flexibility does not equate to less injuries.

As a side note, there is high quality research that shows stretching before an event can actually put the person more at risk for injury. It's MUCH better to warm up properly than to stretch before a game -- that's true whether you are a D1 basketball player or at the Y with your buddies.

Yoga's key benefit to injury prevention are exercises that help athletes obtain better balance. But the fact of the matter is that most NCAA Division 1 athletes already have very finely tuned sense of balance due to playing their sport for so many years. Guys like EO are the exception, because he hasn't been playing basketball since he was 5 years old. In my opinion yoga is a complete waste of time for most Division 1 basketball players, unless they are recovering from an injury where their muscles/tendons have shrunk due to being in a cast or something and need to restore their natural flexibility.

Yoga for non competitive athletes is a different matter altogether and can be super beneficial because our muscles aren't already tuned to playing the sport we participate day in and day out.

That's my 2 cents.

Fair enough but there is always "research" to support any argument. I go by personal experience on this one, but I am no division 1 athlete so perhaps it's different at that level. I am no "yoga freak" but know that it's about much more than balance...or even flexibility. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't done it, or hasn't done it correctly.

There is something to be said about strengthening your core though. That is important to keep working on in any sport. Yoga does help that as well.

I only mention that it helps to avoid injuries cause I have heard the coaches and players mention that benefit. So I assume someone in their inner circle has some of the same beliefs.

[kcshocker11]

What are you all talking about?

[CBB_Fan]

Supposedly we have 5 guys that can bench 185 X 20. So rumors of us slimming down might be slightly exaggerated. Certain players may have lost some weight for quickness, but the strength is still there.

[BOBB]

Have the coaches or staff commented on a change?

[WSUwatcher]

When I saw the title, I just assumed BOBB was trying to pick up for the departed (and unlamented by me, anyway) Cold, since he seemed to be obsessed with players' physiques.

[tw805]

I can't believe I clicked on this thread title.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I can't believe I clicked on this thread title.

And commented also.

[SHOCKvalue]

I think you're reading into things a bit much. About the only player that doesn't seem to pack on the bulk in our program is CE. Just take a look at pictures of EW from before he entered our program until now. Holy crap, he's the Hulk from Heights (meant in the superhero context, not the context that a 16 y/o girl might use)!