NBA Legend and Coach Steve Nash Explains Benefits of Slow Motion Exercise

Basketball great Steve Nash says that he uses a simple training method to improve his performance. This method can help you in any sport or exercise, accordim to him.

Nash says that doing a 'neural rehearsal' or a slowed-down version of an exercise, can help you get the most out of each move and improve your technique.

"It seems to work, but I don't see many people doing it. There are a lot of advantages to slowing down and trying to do a move at quarter- or half-speed," he said in an interview with Insider.

Nash says that slow-motion drills can help you find any training flaws, keep you from getting injured, and make you a better athlete in the gym or on the court.

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Steve Nash on Benefits of Neutral Rehearsal

To do a neutral rehearsal, you do the same movements you would normally do during exercise or sports, but you do them more slowly and with more thought. Steve Nash says that one of the best things about training in slow motion is that it keeps people from rushing through their moves and getting into bad habits.

Nash adds that performing the exercises slowly prevents you from using momentum to cover up errors in form that occur inadvertently during exercise.

"You may not be moving well, but you're executing the same task so you don't realize you're cutting corners, and you create default patterns," he says.

The end result is that you train your body and brain to move poorly, which can hinder your progress. That can keep you from doing well in a hard workout or game and also cause chronic pain or injury over time, says Nash.

Slowing down to improve technique works whether you're practicing a complicated basketball move or a simple weight lifting exercise, as it lets you perfect the move and also increase the intensity.

When you have perfected the form with slow motion exercise and move on to going full speed, there's a higher chance of success and sustainability, Steve Nash says.

Nash adds that one of the most common fitness myths is that success is all about lifting more weights, jumping higher, or running faster. Instead, he says, it all comes down to the quality of the movement.

"The most common mistake is that people think it's more about speed, strength, or mass than movement," he says.

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Good Technique can Help with Overall Fitness

Slower movement can help you connect your mind with your muscles. That will not only help you get better at sports but can also help you accomplish other fitness goals.

If you want to build strength or muscle mass, you should move deliberately and with purpose. That will also keep you from injuring yourself and keeping you out of the gym.

No matter what sport you do, how well you move is very important not just for how well you do, but also for how long you can keep doing it and how well you can recover, Steve Nash says.

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Takeaway

Steve Nash says that recovery, which is less exciting than a hard workout or intense training session, is important for getting stronger and staying fit and healthy over time.

Fitness and performance can also be positively impacted by healthy habits like getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, working on your mobility, and doing active recovery.

Nash reckons that you need to put in the time if you want to do something well. It doesn't have to be a lot of time, but regularity and commitment help.