Four Drills for Basketball Players

Here are four drills that I think would be good additions to any basketball player’s Strength and Conditioning Program.  I’m planning on using them with the Smith College Women’s Basketball team this year.  In developing their program I thought a lot about what exactly is it that I’m preparing them to do and simply play the game was what I kept coming back to.  Prehab, soft tissue work, conditioning, strength, power, mobility, and so on are components of a solid strength and conditioning program and to that whole package I’ve added some very specific drills for basketball players.  Generally, I am a sports generalist (no pun intended) but specificity has its place and pre-season is it.  Which is upon us now for all the Strength and Conditioning Coaches preparing pre-season workouts for basketball teams.  A link to a video to demonstrate these four drills      is at the end of the article.  

 

Drill One: Getting Position with Bands

With a mini band above the ankles, a 1” superband around the hips, a medium level resistance band with handles, this drill seeks to create some resistance in the position players find themselves when getting position for rebounding, posting up, or getting open in general.  The points of emphasis are keeping the hands high, the posture up-right, feet quick and choppy, and sitting low.  

 

Drill Two: Resisted Start Steps

Being a slower college basketball player I did just about every speed drill my Strength Coaches could find and resisted speed work always yielded the best results.  One place where every basketball player wants more speed is when he or she has the ball, that first step is huge.  This drill loads that action with a superband at hip level and a medicine ball.  Because of the ease of manipulating band resistance it’s easy create sprint-resisted training that does not retard mechanics, which is the whole point of sprint resisted training (1).  The points of emphasis are to take a big step, finish low with the shoulders over the knee and ball protected, and explode out of that ready position with maximal effort.  

 

Drill Three: Strong with the Ball

Being strong with the ball allows players to feel confident and composed with the ball in their hands even when they’re getting significant defensive pressure.  In this drill a medicine ball is used to load this common skill in basketball which when properly developed can eliminate turnovers.  The points of emphasis are to keep both hands on the ball, keep moving (still is easy to steal and easy to guard), lead pivots with the elbow, and remind athletes to look up and see the floor around them.  

 

Drill Four: Step Backs/Creating Space

Creating space a common need offensively and step backs are incredible hard to guard.  This drill loads the loads the step back with a superband at hip level.  A key to creating space on the basketball court is change of speed and change of direction.  Changing speeds fast can make a slow player look fast.  This drill is also a great way to train what McGill calls rate of relaxation and contraction (2).  Which in essence is what happens when a basketball player changes speeds from slow to fast.  Cue for the relaxation before each step back and the quick explosive contraction takes them back.  The others points of emphasis are eyes up on the landing and going for length, the more space you create the greater the disadvantage the defender has to recover from.    

Each of these drills should be at maximal intensity, which means lower duration.  We’ll use them in sets of 15-20 seconds.  With an emphasis making each rep of a step back or a start step all out and maintaining high intensity throughout sets of strong with the ball and getting position.

Basketball players, even more so than other athletes love to play the game, they play pick-up hours on end in the off-season.  Bringing the game in the weight room as much as possible keeps them engaged and enthusiastic about their training, which will no doubt produce better results.  

 

Click to see the videos:

 

 

 

References

 

1. Bryant, Josh.  Bridge the Gap: Sprint-Resisted Training, 2004-2009 SB Coaches College.
2. McGill, Stuart.  Northeastern University Third Annual Sports Medicine Conference, June 2009. 

 Emily is getting her Master’s in Science in Smith College’s Exercise and Sport Studies Department.  She is an intern Strength and Conditioning Assistant at Amherst College (w/ Max Prokopy) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (w/ Chris Boyko). Also, this fall she will serve as the internship Head Strength Coach at Smith College primarily working with women’s basketball.  She was a member of the 2005 Baylor Women’s Basketball National Championship Team.