It's very important for basketball players to have great speed when playing transition defense and running their lanes in transition offense. It is also important for these players, when playing defense, to be able to turn and sprint with their man. Our first step to improving speed is teaching our players proper body positioning for acceleration. When a player breaks out in to a full sprint, he must first lean his body at a 45-degree angle and drive his legs. The body lean comes natural; it is the powerful driving of the legs that we are trying to improve. The legs should feel like they are "pushing a car" or "driving a blocking sled" as in football. We use a two-step approach to improving speed and acceleration. The first step is to increase general leg strength in the muscles used for sprinting and playing basketball. Weight training exercises such as squats, leg presses, and step-ups will develop the strength important to sprinting. The second step is utilizing drills that develop specific strength for speed and teach proper positioning for acceleration. The following drills may be used to improve body positioning and specific leg strength.
Mountain Climbers - Start the players in a push-up position. Place the hands below the chest rather than over the shoulders. They begin by driving their knees up towards the chest while staying in the "push-up position". The knees continue to drive for three to five seconds. The team sprints out of this position when coach blows whistle.
Resisted Sprints - This drill is exactly the same as the mountain climber except a harness and surgical tubing is used for resistance. The team sprints the length of the court under resistance being applied by another player or manager. Each player should focus on driving his or her legs explosively and fast as possible. This is an excellent drill for improving leg strength. It also forces the athlete to lean and get the feeling of pushing off with the legs. Other alternatives for resistance are bicycle inner tubes, jump ropes, pulling a weighted sled, etc.
Running Uphill or Stadium Steps - These exercises force the players to run with body lean. They have to drive their legs to get where their going and the resistance is provided by the incline. If you run stadium steps, be sure to have the team walk down to minimize the risk of knee injury.
Get Up and Go Drills - Many times a player will lose their balance during a game and get knocked to the floor. "Getting Up" drills begin with the players in an awkward position and then, on a whistle, immediately regain body control and explosively accelerate in to sprint. Some examples of starting positions are: seated/legs straight and facing sprint, seated/legs straight and facing away sprint, flat on stomach facing sprint, flat on back, etc. Having competitions will bring out the best in your team with these drills. Evenly match players and see which ones can get to the finish first.
