Top Basketball Exercises

So you're just looking for the top basketball exercises? You've come to the right place! There are other exercises for basketball on basketball-tips-and-training.com, but these are the top ones.

You should be doing exercises for all aspects of the game, but I've broken up these top basketball exercises into three sections.

1. Top Endurance Exercises for Basketball
2. Top Strength Exercises for Basketball
3. Top Vertical Exercises for Basketball

I'll get to the point since you've come to this page looking for only the best basketball exercises to add to your training...

Top Basketball Exercises for Endurance

1. Full-court Basketball (4-4 or 5-5)
2. Suicide Drills
3. Defensive Figure 8
4. Interval Training

This being said, playing pick-up games won't help your endurance as much if you don't go at full game speed, so make sure you treat the pick-up game, even if it's only 4 on 4, as if it were the real thing. You've heard it before, practice at game speed!

Suicide Drills
Suicide drills have to be one of the best, if not the best basketball exercises for endurance. This is because they simulate the actions of the game with numerous change of direction sprints. I hated them in middle school and high school, but usually if you don't enjoy an exercise, it means it's working!

How to perform the suicide drill:

1. Start on the baseline, facing the other end of the court.
2. Sprint to the free throw line, touch it, and sprint back to the starting baseline.
3. Touch the baseline, sprint to the half-court line, touch it, and sprint back.
4. Touch the baseline, sprint to the opposite free throw line, touch it, and sprint back.
5. Touch the baseline, sprint to the opposite baseline, touch it, and sprint back.
6. Cross the baseline at full speed as if finishing a race.

This completes one "suicide". Sound like fun, right?!

Defensive Figure 8
As the suicide simulates game actions, so does this defensive basketball exercise. This time, though, you're going to be incorporating lateral defensive movements as well.

To perform the Defensive Figure 8:
Start at one baseline lined up at the right sideline.

1. Sprint to the half court line.
2. Defensive Slide (left) across the half court line to the left sideline.
3. Sprint down to the far baseline.
4. Defensive Slide (right) across the baseline to the right sideline.
5. Now back peddle to the half court line
6. Defensive Slide (left) across the half court line to the left sideline.
7. Back peddle again now to the baseline you began on.
8. Right defensive slide along the baseline to where you originally began, completing one figure eight.

Interval Training
The reason I've included interval training as one of the top exercises for basketball endurance is because the other top exercises require the use of a court. I'm aware, though, that sometimes you can't always get onto a court. You can, however, do interval training on another field or with training equipment at the gym.

The basic premise of interval training is that you are going to combine sprints and "jogging" in intervals, hence the term interval training. It's a way to run for a long distance without losing the benefits (and running style) of sprinting. Long distance running and sprinting, such as is done in basketball, are completely different kinds of endurance, so don't overly use long distance running, and try to make it interval training instead.

If you're on a field or track, interval training is done by sprinting for a certain distance or time, say 10 yards, then "resting" by jogging a specific distance or time before sprinting again.

If on a machine such as a treadmill or eliptical trainer, then use the "interval" cycle. Go at full speed, sprinting on the balls of your feet for the low resistance portion, then "rest" on the higher ones.

The above basketball exercises are the top endurance exercises for basketball. This is obviously a good start, as endurance/conditioning will help in all aspects of your game, but continue on to part II, Top Basketball Exercises for Strength, if you want to continue to improve your basketball athletecism.

Next: Top Basketball Exercises, Part II: Strength -->