The offseason is the time to improve one’s shooting or to modify one’s technique. Should one decide to change his or her technique, an interesting study from Copenhagen found that engaging in exercise that raised one’s heart rate immediately after practicing a motor task improves long-term retention of the skill, which is apparent one week after the practice (Roig et al., 2012). The benefits were found when the study’s participants raised their heart rates to 80-90% of their maximal heart rates, but the duration of the exercise was unimportant (Roig et al., 2012).
Based on this study, shoot first and condition, scrimmage, or play pickup games second during the offseason in order to retain the improvements.
