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.
