speed and agility

Basketball Speed and Agility Training
Basketball speed and agility training can make you lighter on your feet and a worthy opponent on the court. It can give you the edge you need in the game you love. There are many techniques available to the player who wants to gain the edge over other teams. One of the best ways to train for speed is to give yourself natural resistance when you are sprint training. Find a steep hill and sprint to the top and ease your breathing by walking down. By training this way, when it comes time to sprint down the court, it will seem easy!


Lateral Speed Training
Speed on the basketball court is essential, but so is developing lateral speed and agility. There are many tools available to help the serious basketball player develop this key court advantage, including Lateral Power Trainers and Power Boxes. In order to dodge and move in any sport, especially basketball, you need to develop muscles and instincts for moving side to side, backwards and forwards and in circles to get around your opponent. There are many drills for training in these skills, but don't be afraid to try out some tools and watch some training videos for pointers











Agility ladder drills
These are often associated with other sports (such as soccer or football), but every basketball player should use an agility ladder to work on their foot speed and agility.

There are various drills you can do with an agility ladder, but here are a few basics to get started:
- One foot hop (go through each box hopping on one foot, then do again with the other)
- Two foot hop (go through each box using both feet)
- High knees (go through the boxes brining your knees up high)
- Two feet in each box (using a running motion, step into a box with your right foot, then your left, then into the next box with your right, then your left and continue this pattern)
- One foot in each box (same as above, but this time, only one foot will land in each box)
- Sideways one foot in each box (sliding to your side, you'll put one foot in each box)
- Sideways two feet in each box (same as above, but both feet will hit the ground in each box)





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Jump rope drills
Old school? No doubt about it. But also very effective.

Jumping rope is a great way to get warmed up for a workout, but it's also a great way to work on your foot speed. Here are a few drills:
- Speed jumps (jump fast, and we mean as fast as you can)
- One leg (alternating between your right and left foot...for example, jump 4 or 5 times on your left foot, then move to 4 or 5 jumps on your right)
- Running jumps (jump rope while moving from one end of the floor to the other...it's more a fast walk than a run, but you get the idea)




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Cone drills
Cone drills are great at making you faster. Here are a few good drills I use with my clients:
- Sliding drills (place 2 cones 6-8 feet apart and defensive slide from one to the other...then move them 10-12 feet apart and do the same. They key is to slide fast...very fast.)
- The T-Cone drill (place 3 cones in a straight line about 3 or 4 feet apart, then place 2 other cones about 10 feet apart at the top of the "T". Now, start off running back and forth between the 3 cones and out to one of the cones at the top, then back-pedal to the starting spot. Do the same thing again, this time out to the other cone at the top, and back-pedaling to the start). Go FAST.

These are just some of the drills you can do as part of your foot speed and agility training. Check back soon...we'll be adding more details in the weeks to come