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Kevin Love is an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA). He has been an All-Star five times and on the All-NBA Second Team twice.
Love won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. He was also on the U.S. national team that won gold medals at both the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Love led the NBA in rebounding in 2011 and won the award for "Most Improved Player."
The difference between a "great" NBA player and one who is just "average" is a matter of degrees—a few more shots made at the right time, a couple of extra rebounds each game, or a little more durability during the long season.
Kevin Love didn't want to be average when he went to the NBA after only one year of college basketball at UCLA. He wanted to do well in life and looked for ways to work harder, be smarter, and last longer than his competitors. Love always tried to find something that made him different from the other guys.
Star player Kevin Love thought yoga could make a big difference in his life, so it might have been a happy accident when he went to school just down the road from a former pro basketball-player-turned-yoga-teacher named Kent Katich.
Katich's clients included a lot of NBA stars. Kevin Love joined Katich's "Yoga Court" studio, and the two have been working together ever since. Today, yoga is a big part of Love's training, and he says that it has helped him improve both his game and his life in many ways.
Kevin Love's Yoga Workout
Kevin Love's work during the off-season is hard and takes considerable time. However, you can get a lot out of just five moves, like the routine below that Kevin Love follows.
Spend a few minutes a day practicing this sequence, paying attention to the right way to do it. Don't be too hard on yourself, and enjoy the process of getting better. Yoga can be very hard, and there are always ways to get better at it. The following moves work important muscles in the legs, hips, and back, which are common trouble spots for basketball players and many other athletes:
1) Downward Facing Dog
Here's how you can do it:
- Start on all fours and keep your hands firmly on the floor.
- While remaining in this position, pull your hips back and up towards the ceiling.
- As you move, tuck your head in.
This pose works with your hands, shoulders, calves, lower back, feet, and pretty much everything else.
2) Lunge
Here's how you can do it:
- From Downward-Facing Dog, bring your right foot up inside your right hand.
- Make sure your right thigh is parallel to the floor by bending your right knee over your right ankle.
- Align your fingers with your toes, roll your shoulder blades back, and look straight ahead.
- Hold the pose and then switch feet.
This works your hip flexors, which are important for running and taking pressure off your lower back.
3) Triangle
Here's how you can do it:
- From the Lunge position, point your back foot 90 degrees away from your body and straighten your right leg.
- Reach your right hand forward.
- Bend at the hips and reach your right foot or calf with your right hand.
- Straighten out your left hand in the air and turn your head to look at it.
- Hold the pose, and then turn around.
This works your obliques, which are the muscles on the sides of your stomach, and strengthens your back. It also stretches out your hamstring and lower back.
4) Tree
Here's how you can do it:
- From Triangle, bring your feet together and stand up.
- Press your left heel into the ground and lift your right leg.
- Put your right foot on the inside of your left leg, either above or below the knee, but never on the knee.
- Put your hands together in front of your heart.
- Whenever you can, try to raise your arms above your head.
- Keep the pose, and then change legs.
This yoga works on small muscles and proprioceptors, so it helps you keep your balance.
5) Reclining Pigeon
Here's how you can do it:
- From Tree pose, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Your right foot should go over your left knee.
- Bring your right toe back towards your shin as you bend your right foot.
- Put your fingers behind your left thigh, and pull your left knee towards your chest.
- Your right outer hip should feel tight.
- Keeping your head and shoulders still, take slow, deep breaths, and mentally send your inhales to the area where you feel the sensation.
- Hold the pose, and then turn around.
This yoga pose works your hip joint, glutes, and piriformis muscles.
Takeaway
Yoga is an excellent practice that not only stretches and relaxes your muscles, but also helps you get out of your mind and escape the pressures of daily life. As is evident from Kevin Love's performance on the court, dedicating time to yoga regularly can help improve your performance not just physically but also holistically. The five yoga exercises discussed in the article help Kevin Love be his best, and they can do the same for you as well.
