Winning the Locker Room: How Basketball Coaches Are Using BFR to Keep Players Outperforming

Basketball is a game of relentless demands. Between packed schedules, constant travel and explosive movement patterns, keeping athletes healthy and ready to perform is one of the sport’s toughest challenges. For three leading basketball coaches, Performance Blood Flow Restriction has become a vital part of solving that problem.

In this round-table episode of the Hytro Performance Podcast, Dave Snyder, Dr Tyler Lescher and Tom Creswell joined host Dr Warren Bradley to share how they are redefining recovery and readiness in basketball. Between them, they have decades of experience across the NBA, NCAA and Great Britain Basketball, and a shared passion for practical solutions that help players stay on the court and performing at their best.

Solving the hidden limiter

Tendon issues are one of the most common and often overlooked limiters in basketball. Warren highlighted how often patellar tendonitis appears across squads, and Tyler agreed that it is rarely a simple problem. He explained that many athletes lack basic mobility at the ankle, hip and big toe, and that “most of these kids just aren’t strong enough to handle the forces they’re putting out on court.” BFR, he said, allows him to reduce joint stress while still driving the hormonal and metabolic response he wants. He described it as “not a Band-Aid, but a way to keep them on the court while pushing rehab forward a hundredfold.”

Dave sees the same value across long collegiate seasons. Heavy eccentrics are effective but often leave athletes sore or flat the next day. With BFR, he said he can work on corrective patterns “without the same soreness or latency,” which is crucial when the aim is to keep athletes engaged, avoid missed time and help them progress to the next level.

Readiness, recovery and the Swiss Army knife effect

For Tom, BFR’s biggest strength is its adaptability. As Head of Athlete Health and Performance for Great Britain Basketball, he uses it because “it gives us lots of routes towards readiness and pairs easily with other recovery methods.” Because the Hytro shorts are simple and effective, players enjoy using them and take ownership of their recovery.

Player autonomy features heavily across all three coaches’ approaches. Tyler described using Hytro BFR Performance Shorts throughout travel, recovery sessions and gym work, saying, “We’d do five minutes on and five off before getting on the bus, after games, even in the cold tub. The guys always felt light years better.”

Both Dave and Tom referred to Hytro BFR as a “Swiss Army knife” because it fits into warm-ups, rehab, conditioning and recovery with no added complexity. Dave said, “It travels well, it’s practical and it fits into every facet of what we do. You know you’ve nailed it when athletes start requesting it themselves.”

Coaching in the real world

With small staff numbers and tight schedules, practicality matters. Tom joked that his priority is “please don’t give me another thing I have to charge,” which is why lightweight, wearable BFR fits seamlessly into their environment.

Tyler compared it to sled pushes because “you don’t have to coach it. Just strap up and go, and you’ll still get the benefit.” He uses it regularly during early on-court work with rehabbing athletes, since the compression helps them focus on the movement rather than the injury. Dave takes the same approach with warm-ups and said that even five to ten minutes of mobility with BFR helps athletes feel prepared, and once they unstrap they “feel that warm rush” and are ready to train.

Reframing the post-game lift

Basketball teams often lift after games to maintain strength and power across congested schedules. Managing load is essential, which is where Performance BFR is finding a new role.
Tyler explained that he sometimes paired a short heavy trap-bar deadlift protocol with heavy isometrics performed in the Hytro shorts. “You get the hormonal spike from the lift, then the anti-inflammatory benefits of isometrics, and the guys can still hit deeper positions because their system is firing,” he said.

Tom uses BFR as part of stress consolidation across the week, describing how their goal is “to make big days bigger and small days smaller.” BFR helps dose load efficiently, especially for high-minute players who still need strength exposure without additional joint stress.

Dave shares the same view. For him, “BFR gives you the stimulus you want from a lift but with far less joint stress,” which is vital when readiness for the next game is the priority.

Education, evidence and buy-in

All three coaches emphasised that integrating new technology relies heavily on communication. Dave said that while everyone aims to be evidence based, “anecdotal experience matters too. Once athletes feel the benefits, they sell it for you, and you win the locker room when they tell their teammates they need to try it.”

Tyler experienced the same pattern at UCLA. If he could get a senior, a team leader or a standout freshman using the shorts, “it spread like wildfire because players trust players.”
Tom pointed out that simplicity accelerates buy-in. Because Hytro is easy to use, athletes take it into their own hands, and he often sees players “take the shorts on the bus, use them after games and bring them back the next day asking for more.” For him, that is when BFR becomes part of the culture.

Performance without barriers

Beyond the physiological effects, the coaches credit Hytro’s design for making BFR truly accessible. With no cords or bulky machinery, athletes can use it anywhere. Tyler said that using Hytro feels like going from wired headphones to AirPods, because “you’re not attached to anything, so you can do way more, and it just makes recovery easier.”
For basketball, where readiness defines performance, that simplicity is powerful.

Listen now

Hear the full conversation with Dave Snyder, Dr Tyler Lescher and Tom Creswell on the Hytro Performance Podcast on Spotify or watch on YouTube.
Ready to embed Hytro BFR into your programme? Speak to our team or explore our BFR wearables.