how to be a fast basketball

Speed training for basketball players involves multidirectional movement. Athletes who train to move quickly in all directions are often faster, more efficient and more valuable on the court than those who do not. These drills help improve your speed and acceleration as well as train you for improved directional changes. Incorporate these two training exercises into your already established workout regimen once a week for improved speed and agility on the court.

Power Skipping

Step 1

Increase speed results by strengthening leg muscles. Power skipping increases strength in the quadriceps, gluteal and calf muscles, helping you deliver quick acceleration on the court.

Step 2

Establish improved jumping ability through integrating power skipping into your training regimen. Increasing your vertical leap will help you get jump balls, rebounds and shoot over the heads of opposing players.

Step 3

Perform power skipping as you would regular skipping, jumping as high and far as you can with each stride. Swing your arms hard and as fast as you can to help propel you forward and upward. Raise your knees high with every leap to gain as much space between you and the ground as possible. Press through your push-off leg with each step, leaping up and forward with power and momentum.

Step 4

Measure 50 yards and power skip from start to finish as hard and fast as possible. Once completed with one segment, walk back to your starting point and begin again. At first, perform five power skip repeats per workout and gradually increase the number of repeats as your strength and endurance improve.

Step 5

Incorporate power skipping into your established basketball training regimen for improved speed and jumping power on the court.

T-Drill

Step 1

Work on multi-directional acceleration with field drills like this T-drill.

Step 2

Create a horizontal line using orange safety cones, spacing three in a row, approximately 15 yards between each. From that center cone, place a fourth cone approximately 30 yards away, running perpendicular to the first line. The design should resemble a capital letter "T" when you are finished setting up the cones.

Step 3

Begin at the bottom of the "T" and sprint straight ahead to the 15 yard marker cone. From there, side-shuffle to the right until you reach the far right cone. Sprint from the right corner of the "T" to the left corner of the "T," passing the middle 15 yard cone. Once you have reached the far left cone, side shuffle to the center cone and sprint the remaining 30 yards to your starting point.

Step 4

Rest 30 seconds between T-drills and repeat. Begin with 10 drill repeats. As your strength and endurance increase, gradually increase the number of repeats you perform per workout.