Basketball Body and Mind
"Basketball, Body and Mind" is a podcast that is dedicated to youth basketball players. Each episode will provide practical strategies for basketball skills, body and/or mind for performance on the court.
Episodes
64 episodes
Ep. 61 | What Actually Predicts a Basketball Player's Long-Term Success
Episode 61Today is a conversation on what actually predicts long-term success in youth basketball. We cover the risks of early sport specialization, the relative age effect and why "late bloomers" often overtake early developers, and why...
Ep. 60 | Alan Stein Jr. - Why the Best Players Focus on Process
Episode 35 | Guest: Alan Stein Jr. Alan Stein Jr. spent fifteen years as a basketball performance coach working with some of the greatest players the game has seen — Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry among them. In...
Ep. 59 | Growth Spurts, Coordination, and Injury Risk in Young Basketball Players
Episode 35 | Guest: Gratas Stan and Gratas break down "adolescent awkwardness" — the clumsy, uncoordinated phase many young athletes go through during a growth spurt. They cover why it happens, how to spot when growth ...
Ep. 58 | Managing Youth Basketball Training Load Across School and Sport
In this episode, we break down how young players could manage training load across school practices, games, and strength training. We introduce a simple framework, separating everything into buckets, and explain why no more than 3 high-intensit...
Ep. 57 | Osgood-Schlatter and Sever's Disease: Causes, Testing, and Treatment
Episode 33 | Guest: Gratas In this episode, I'm joined by new co-host Gratas. We talk about the two most common growth-related pains in basketball: Osgood-Schlatter disease and Sever's disease. How to diagnose what the ...
Ep. 56 | How to Return to Basketball After a Knee Injury Safely
Episode 56 | Basketball, Body, and Mind This episode was a spontaneous recording during the camp in the Czech Republic. I decided to share how to return safely to basketball after a knee injury (usually ACL). To do that, we n...
Ep. 55 | Conditioning and Zone 2 Cardio Might Not Be the Answer for Tired Legs
Basketball Body and Mind In this episode I talk about one of the biggest conditioning myths in basketball: that feeling tired in a game means you need to run more. It does not. I explain why getting tired can actually be a si...
Ep. 54 | Chronic Ankle Instability: What The research Actually Shows
Your ankle sprain is not just “bad luck” and it is definitely not a life sentence. We walk through what I found while researching chronic ankle instability in youth athletes, including the one test that created the clearest separation between a...
Ep. 53 | A Pro Big Man Explains How Injuries Changed His Mindset | with Jurij Macura
Eight knee surgeries is the part people don’t see. The standings don’t show it, the highlights don’t mention it, and most young players never hear what it feels like to sit on the sideline while your team practices. Former pro power forward and...
Ep. 52 | From Small Town Lithuania To Arizona Center | with Motiejus Krivas
A 7 foot 2 center tells you he nearly quit at 12, and somehow that’s the most useful part of his story. We sit down with Motiejus Krivas, Lithuania’s Šiauliai native who climbed through the Sabonis Academy and Jalgiris system before landing wit...
Ep. 51 | Defence, 23 Hours and Talent (9 Episodes Recap)
Most young players think the secret is one more workout. We don’t. The biggest edge in youth basketball is what you do in the 23 hours you’re not practicing, and we break down exactly why that “invisible” time is where players are built.
Ep. 50 | What If Your Best Path Is Not Basketball | with Chris Ryan
The hard truth about basketball dreams is that effort is only part of the equation. If you’re six feet tall, the NBA path looks different than it does for a 6'7" athlete, and pretending otherwise can waste years of training. We sit down with Ch...
Ep. 49.5 | Strength Coach and Head Coach Communication | with Georgios Dedas
We keep going with Georgios Dedas and get specific about how elite programs use strength and conditioning to protect intensity, reduce injuries, and peak at the end of the season. We also finish with fast, blunt advice for young players and par...
Ep. 49 | Earn Your Minutes On The Court | with Georgios Dedas
We talk with Georgios Dadas about the unglamorous truth behind playing time, from being left off road trips to building a 17 year pro career through readiness. We share coaching lessons from Europe on why nobody can promise you minutes and what...
Ep. 48 | Can You Make It to Pro? The Honest Truth Nobody Tells You
Stan tackles the most common question he receives from young players: can I make it to pro? Rather than giving the typical answers — either crushing the dream or offering empty motivation — he breaks down what "professional basketball" actually...
Ep. 47 | Develop Youth Basketball Players the Right Way | Beau De Maesschalck
Stan speaks with Beau De Maesschalck, strength and conditioning coach in Belgium and physical preparation coach for the Belgian 3x3 national team. The conversation focuses on physical development priorities for youth basketball players, coverin...
Ep. 46 | Youth Basketball AMA: Always Tired, Recovery From Injury, “Going Pro” Meaning
In this AMA episode, we address four critical topics in youth basketball development: chronic fatigue, mental recovery after injury, what it truly means to pursue a professional career, and the reality behind 6 a.m. workouts. The episode explai...
Ep. 45 | Basketball Specific Movements In Weightroom? Do We Really Need That?
This episode breaks down a big training question for players, parents, and coaches: should the weight room look like basketball? Stan explains why “sport-specific” training isn’t about what an exercise looks like, but what it improves ...
Ep. 44 | From Kobe’s Mindset To Youth Development | Tim DiFrancesco
Tim DiFrancesco shares what he learned working with Kobe Bryant and NBA players—and how those lessons translate to youth basketball. The conversation focuses on attention and presence (“be where your feet are”), building habits in the other 23 ...
Ep. 43 | Knee Pain in Basketball: What’s Normal, What’s Not
We dig into youth basketball knee pain with clear rules, practical fixes, and age-specific advice that keep you on the court. Learn to separate soreness from injury, manage growth spurts, and swap risky drills for strength that protects your fu...
Ep. 42 | Vertical Jump vs. Dunking & How To Improve Both
Ways of improving vertical jump performance for basketball players, emphasizing the importance of strength, coordination, timing, and technique. He outlines common mistakes athletes make in their training and provides tailored strategies for di...
Ep. 41 | Sleep, Stress-Management and Relaxation - What To Do?
This episode explains what sleep, rest, and recovery actually mean in youth basketball and why many players feel tired or stuck despite training hard. It breaks down common recovery misunderstandings, explains how sleep supports physical repair...
Ep. 40 | Growth Spurts, Talent, and Long-Term Basketball Development
This episode explores long-term athlete development in youth basketball, focusing on growth spurts, biological versus chronological age and why early performance does not reliably predict future success. It explains why coordination, shooting a...
Ep. 39 | Eight Nutrition Principles for Basketball Performance (from Zoe)
This episode explores eight evidence-based nutrition principles that help young basketball players improve recovery, energy levels, focus, and long-term performance. The discussion addresses common mistakes like overly processed foods, inconsis...
Ep. 38 | Simplify Training to Build Strong Athletes and Children | with Luka Svilar (Part 2)
In the second part, Luka reflects on his shift from correction‑focused training to targeted prehab and load monitoring, emphasising that overuse injuries are often due to mismanaged workload rather than a lack of gadgets. He advises parents to ...