MBB HOKIES 17-18 | MEDIA GUIDE

Q & A W I T H DA V I D J ACKSON ASSISTANT ATHLET ICS DIRECTOR OF STRENGTH & CONDI T IONING FOR BASKETBALL PROGRAMS (MEN’S BASKETBALL) Q: What benefits are being seen following last year’s upgrade of the weight room? DJ: The whole room just flows better. We have much more room with the six half racks versus the four full racks and the platforms that we had before. We have more racks and more room now to train the whole team or small groups. The room is more efficient now, and we can get a lot more done in that hour when the guys train. Some of the upgrades were new flooring, the six new half racks from Williams Strength, the Woodway treadmills, new bumper plates for our Olympic lifts and some new cable machines, all of which makes my job a lot easier. Q: What are some of the areas that this team is focused upon this season? DJ: Each player is different and has different needs. Some players lacked mobility, which needed to be addressed. I would say 90 percent of all basketball players have ankle mobility issues and very tight hip flexors and hamstrings. It’s a ground-and-pound sport on a very hard surface. Some players needed to lose body fat, where other players needed to gain weight/muscle. Every player needs and should get stronger, and that’s always a gold standard when training our players. When you get stronger, there are a lot of other byproducts, like becoming quicker and more explosive, that follow. We address all aspects of training that we believe will improve every player’s ability to perform on the court. Q: How do you address working with the individual, as opposed to making everyone work on the same thing? DJ: Each player has different needs and things that he needs to work on or address. We come up with a plan for that individual that will help or improve what he’s lacking. The body moves in three planes of motion, and we address all three of those planes of motion. Compound movements are still the gold standard for getting players stronger and moving better. Some players are better suited for certain lifts and movements. Basketball players are a lot like giraffes, meaning long levered, and most positions they are put in are difficult to obtain. Some of our 7-footers do better with the single leg exercises than the bilateral movements because of leverage and the distance the bar has to travel. Each player is assessed and a plan is designed for that individual, a plan that best suits his needs. Most of these players are weak at first and have terrible mobility in their ankles and are very inflexible. These athletes also struggle with stability and how to create tension in the body. Techniques for bracing and becoming stable are addressed immediately. All of these things will be addressed, and we will continue to move forward and get better each day/week/month/year. This is a process, and success doesn’t always happen overnight, but over the course of their careers, their bodies, minds and spirit will change, and it’s really fun to be a part of that change. Q: What is your favorite part about working with the basketball team? DJ: Being a mentor to these young kids, and watching them grow into young men. Instilling confidence in them through training and adding muscle to their bodies. I’ve been in their shoes, and I have a great idea of what they are going through because I’ve already lived it. Also, helping them to understand and grow is a way for me to give back, and I enjoy that more than anything. It’s a very rewarding job to meet these athletes and to help guide them along the way to becoming the best version of themselves they can become. I’m thankful every day that I get to be a positive influence on our youth. @VT_MBBall @vthokiembb VTMBBALL 88