Mavs Gear Up for New Season
by Danny Bollinger
Professional basketball players may be rich and powerful men with many people running around doing their legwork for them. Leg work that includes anything from household chores to financial planning, but when it comes to keeping their bodies in shape they have to do it on their own.
During the summer months Mavericks strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett puts the Mavs through a strenuous track regimen to prepare them for the grueling NBA season.
So at 7:30 am on a track in far north Dallas, before the morning sun has risen high enough to beat down on them, Hackett is stretching with veterans Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley and rookie DJ Mbenga for their twice-a-week running routine.
A routine that Hackett says he varies and keeps to himself until they do each segment. “I mix up the work and don’t tell them what we are doing until it is time to do it. If I let them know what I plan on doing they will pace themselves. This way they focus only on the segment we are doing and work harder doing it.”
Today’s first and second sets consisted of a 500-meter run followed by a 1-minute rest which was then followed with a 300-meter run. There is a 4-minute rest between sets. “The four minute rest is not quite full recover (for their legs) but it is close enough to get them through the next set” states Hackett.
The third set consisted of a 400-meter run and a 200-meter run with the same 1-minute rest period between the two segments and a four-minute rest before the next set. Hackett, an ex-NCAA track champion in the 100-meters and 200-meters, runs with the players setting the pace which helps push the players.
“The legs are building up lactic acid. They may think that they cannot run any more after each set but with the rest they realize they can. The lactic acid build-up makes their legs feel just like the fourth quarter of a basketball game. They feel like they have little left (in the legs) and the spring is gone. It is a lot of work and we are here to get it done.”
The fourth set is a 350 and a 150 while the fifth set is a 200 and a 150. When they are completely finished with the day’s routine they have sprinted 3000 meters and are panting and sweating profusely. When they walk off the track it’s 9:00 am and they are only one-third of the way through the day’s work. After their track work they drive down to the Mavericks practice facility at American Airlines Center for weight training and a gazillion jump shots.
Professional basketball players may be rich and powerful men with many people running around doing their legwork for them. Leg work that includes anything from household chores to financial planning, but when it comes to keeping their bodies in shape they have to do it on their own.
During the summer months Mavericks strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett puts the Mavs through a strenuous track regimen to prepare them for the grueling NBA season.
So at 7:30 am on a track in far north Dallas, before the morning sun has risen high enough to beat down on them, Hackett is stretching with veterans Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley and rookie DJ Mbenga for their twice-a-week running routine.
A routine that Hackett says he varies and keeps to himself until they do each segment. “I mix up the work and don’t tell them what we are doing until it is time to do it. If I let them know what I plan on doing they will pace themselves. This way they focus only on the segment we are doing and work harder doing it.”
Today’s first and second sets consisted of a 500-meter run followed by a 1-minute rest which was then followed with a 300-meter run. There is a 4-minute rest between sets. “The four minute rest is not quite full recover (for their legs) but it is close enough to get them through the next set” states Hackett.
The third set consisted of a 400-meter run and a 200-meter run with the same 1-minute rest period between the two segments and a four-minute rest before the next set. Hackett, an ex-NCAA track champion in the 100-meters and 200-meters, runs with the players setting the pace which helps push the players.
“The legs are building up lactic acid. They may think that they cannot run any more after each set but with the rest they realize they can. The lactic acid build-up makes their legs feel just like the fourth quarter of a basketball game. They feel like they have little left (in the legs) and the spring is gone. It is a lot of work and we are here to get it done.”
The fourth set is a 350 and a 150 while the fifth set is a 200 and a 150. When they are completely finished with the day’s routine they have sprinted 3000 meters and are panting and sweating profusely. When they walk off the track it’s 9:00 am and they are only one-third of the way through the day’s work. After their track work they drive down to the Mavericks practice facility at American Airlines Center for weight training and a gazillion jump shots.
 Michael Finley stretches before his morning workout.
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 Mavs rookie DJ Mbenga stretches out his hamstring.
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 The guys set the pace for thier first lap around the track.
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 Finley races towards the finish line.
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 Bradley closes the gap.
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 Finley rests after finishing one of the segments.
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