Agility Training for Basketball

Part I
F ootball has the 4.2-second 40-yard dash, baseball has the 100mph pitch, and tennis has the
100mph serve. In basketball the 40-inch vertical jump is often perceived as the pinnacle of
basketball success. However, we have seen time and time again athletes succeed despite
exhibiting poor scores in these tests. I receive many emails from aspiring basketball players
wanting to know the "secrets" of improving their vertical jump. This whole concept of focusing a
training program around one test is very discouraging.

Even though my athletes perform very well on standardized tests, this is not our goal. Our
mission is to win championships. An impressive vertical does give an athlete advantages.
However, if the coaching staff or the team focuses solely on the vertical jump, we are not properly
preparing our athletes. Whenever I am asked how to improve one's vertical jump, I respond with
the following question, "how many jump shots are you taking a day, how many hours are you
working on ball handling drills, and how often do you perform drills perfecting proper footwork?"
These drills are more important than a vertical jump, yet the response to the question is often
disappointing. We need to re-assess what is important to create champions.

There needs to be a starting place and an end in mind. Always begin every season with specific
goal setting, both as a team and individuals. Determine three strengths and weaknesses of the
team and of the players. You should then work on building on to the team's strengths and
reducing its weakness.

In every program always make sure to address all components of The Wheel of Conditioning.
From range of motion to skill training, nothing gets left out. How much time we devote to each
section depends upon the time of year and the goals of the cycle.

So, what does a basketball player need to be working on to improve their performance? Below I
will review some of my favorite drills in different areas of physical preparation. Some of these
drills are designed for those athletes that do not have access to the most current equipment or
highly skilled coaches.

Range of Motion
The hip mobility drills outlined in Coach Davies' Renegade Training for Football are fantastic for
basketball players as well. They teach proper body positioning for defensive stances, triple threat
position, and optimizing your vertical jump. If you do not have access to hurdles, you can use the
Crossack+Lunge+Hip Turn drills adapted from Pavel Tsatsouline's Super Joints and Windmill drill
used by world-champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Stephen Maxwell. They do not require any equipment
and free up the movements in the hip.

Crossacks

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Agility Training
Proper body, foot, and head positioning are crucial for creating a quick first step on a defender,
keeping in front of the opposition's best penetrator, or assisting in proper help side defense. In
addition to utilizing the jump rope, we use agility ladders and cones as great tools. There is no
reason not to become accomplished at a variety of jump rope drills. Many individual athletes do
not own an agility ladder, so I will focus on cone drills that are inexpensive and easy to set up.

Box Drill with Crossover

Purpose: To learn acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction with the ball.

• Place four cones approximately 15 feet apart

• Begin at one cone in a triple threat position
• Speed dribble to the first cone
• Jump stop, pivot, and crossover to the other hand
• Continue to speed dribble to the following cone

"M" Drill with Reverse Pivot

Purpose: To teach acceleration and deceleration; to learn proper footwork for screening and
coming out of the screens.

• Keep the cones in the same position as with the Box Drill, but now place one cone in the
middle
• Sprint to the middle cone, jump stop, and assume a proper screening stance
• Reverse pivot to open up to the next cone
• Sprint to the following cone
• Sprint across the lanes

"M" Drill with Reverse Pivot

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T-Drill with Pass

Purpose: To learn proper defensive slide, athletic stance, and reaction to the ball.

• Set up the back cone to first cone at approximately 15 feet

• Set side cones approximately 10 feet apart from middle
• Speed dribble to first cone
• Jump stop and pass either to partner or wall
• Shuffle to each lateral cone while chest passing
• Make sure to hit each side cone before speed dribbling back to start
• Without ball make sure to back peddle to start

T-Drill with Pass

Note: On all acceleration and deceleration drills, the intensity at which the drill is performed will
dictate the number of steps required to stop or change direction. With lower intensities the
number of steps will be smaller. This is important to see the efficiency in which the athlete moves.

For those that do have access to an agility ladder, you may try these drills once you have
mastered proper positioning without a ball.

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Attack and Retreat

Purpose: To teach proper dribbling height, arm bar, and body positioning. Good to use in
teaching how to avoid traps.

Attack and Retreat

Defensive Slide

Purpose: To learn how to pass from a proper stance; learn not to bring feet together, and to keep
eyes up.

Defensive Slide

Conclusion
The key to success in any of these drills is to become proficient with the more basic versions and
then advance to more difficult ones once you can perform them at game speed. This includes not
looking down at your feet, or coming out of the athletic stance. Next week, I will include drills to
discuss strength and work capacity training.

Josh Henkin is Director of Advanced Athletic Performance a sports and fitness company
helping people become extraordinary. Please visit www.aaptraining.net to subscribe to
our free monthly e-newsletter

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