On-Court Conditioning Drills

By: Eric Foran

Provided by: Human Kinetics

ON-COURT CONDITIONING DRILLS

The following on-court conditioning exercises comprise linear and curvilinear sprinting, speed and agility, and basketball-specific drills.

In basketball, sprints will rarely be perfectly linear. Players are often moving at angles, turning corners, moving around picks, and getting an angle on the opposing players. Curvilinear sprinting is sprinting forward around a curved path. Curvilinear sprinting complements linear sprinting in training for the demands of basketball and helps players maintain speed, agility, and quickness under fatigue.

Speed and agility drills are primarily used to train athletes to be more explosive and reactive. Doing these drills toward the beginning of training sessions and taking longer rest intervals helps maximize muscular and nervous system recovery, allowing the athlete to focus on the quality of these movements and drills. Depending on the intent of the training session, these drills may be done in different work-to-rest ratios and under more fatigue in order to shift the focus toward conditioning.

Full-Court Corner 3s

Execution

1. This drill is ideally done with two rebounders/passers to assist the sprinter/ shooter. The shooter starts in one corner of the court; the first rebounder or passer passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a corner 3.
2. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the opposite end of the court, where the other rebounder or passer passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots another corner 3. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints back to the starting point.
3. Continue for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Note: This drill may also be done solo, where you get your own rebound and dribble to the opposite end of the court for the next shot.

Full-Court Star Drill

Execution

1. This drill is ideally done with two rebounders/passers to assist the sprinter/ shooter. The shooter starts in one corner of the court; the first rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a corner 3 (1).
2. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the opposite end of the court, where the other rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots another corner 3 (2).
3. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the other corner on the first end of the court, where the other rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots another corner 3 (3).
4. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the opposite end of the court, where the other rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots another corner 3 (4).
5. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the wing on the first end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a wing 3 (5).
6. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the wing on the other end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a wing 3 (6).
7. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints across the court to the other wing on the first end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a wing 3 (7).
8. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the wing on the other end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a wing 3 (8).
9. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the top of the key on the first end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots a straight-on 3 (9).
10. The passer gets the rebound while the shooter sprints to the top of the key on the other end of the court, where the rebounder passes the ball to the shooter, who shoots another straight-on 3 (10).
11. Continue for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Note: This drill may also be done solo, where you get your own rebound and dribble to the opposite end of the court for the next shot.