Basketball is a fast-paced sport that requires agility, strength and superior conditioning. To help players receive the kind of strength and conditioning training they need to excel on the floor, many coaches use drills during practice that focus on pushing the body to its limits while practicing basic basketball skills.
Ladder Drill
A basic sports drill that is common in basketball because of the outline of the basketball court, ladders---also known as "suicides"---help to strengthen a player's conditioning and legs. Players line up on the baseline of the basketball court. Players run from the baseline as fast as possible and touch the free throw line, then run back to the baseline and touch it as well. They then run to the half court line and touch, and then run back to the baseline. This pattern is repeated, with players touching the near free throw line, the half court line, the far free throw line and the far baseline, coming back to the near baseline after each touch. In all, players will have run five lengths of the floor over the course of the drill. The coach can award prizes to the players who finish first or have the players who finish last repeat the drill to ensure players are giving maximum effort.
55
Basketball players must have overall leg strength, both in the quads and the hamstrings. The 55 drill helps them develop this. This drill helps develop strength in the legs by performing a maneuver---backpedaling---that is sometimes needed on fast break defense during the game. Players line up on the baseline and sprint to the far baseline. When they reach the other end of the court, instead of turning around and running back, they will backpedal as fast as they can back to the near baseline. Players go out and back four times, with the free throw line extended on the near end being the finish line for the final lap. This will prevent players from running into the wall upon finishing.
Timed Layups
A proper layup requires full use of the body, and having players race against the clock can help develop strength in the legs and arms as they hurry to make enough layups before time expires. The team is divided in half and players line up on either side of the basket at the three-point line. The first two players on the right side get basketballs. The first player on the right side dribbles toward the basket as fast as possible and performs a layup as the first person on the left runs to the basket and rebounds the ball if it misses or gathers it if it is a make, then passes the ball to the next person on the right side. This pattern is repeated for a certain period of time until a set number of layups are made, then players switch sides of the basket. You can also require that a certain number of layups in a row are made until the drill is over.
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