During this blog post, I’m going to share a number of basketball conditioning workouts with you that will be great for helping your players to train and improve.
Pillars
With this basketball conditioning workout, your players will be in a type of push-up position.
The elbows are straight down from the shoulders. The hips should be raised up so there’s a straight line from the ear right down to the ankle.
The hips shouldn’t be up high that the butt’s up in the air, and we don’t want a sway in the back. A nice straight line through the body, focusing on flexing the abs and the lower back at the same time.
Do three sets of 10-30 seconds.
Side Pillars
With this workout, you’ll be on your side.
Stack the feet on top of each other. With the elbows straight down from the shoulder, keep the body in a straight line and the head in a natural position. Lift the hips up so you’re in a straight line, working your inner and outer obliques, your abs, and your lower back all at the same time.
Start with three sets of five seconds, building up to three sets of 20-30 seconds.
Make sure you work each side equally, both right and left. If you’re weak on one side, maybe hold for an extra five seconds to work more specifically to balance out your body so that you have good strength and stability at your core.
Core Rotation
During this basketball conditioning workout, you’ll be laying on your back.
Bring the knees straight up in the air and rotate side to side. Leave the shoulders and the head flat on your back. Keep the arms out wide for a good stable base.
Next, lift the legs straight up in the air, try and bring your toes down and touch your fingers.
Start with three sets of five of each of these. Work to the point where you can do 10, 15, maybe even 20 each direction. This’ll really work your inner and outer obliques and your core for great stability and performance.
Medicine Ball Drills
Start with slams. Reach back over the head, and extend the body as far as you can. Use the core, the abs, and the back to slam that ball down into the ground. Do three sets of 10.
Next, do some figure 8’s. Bring the ball around the hip, over the head, and slam. This is rotational motion.
We want to get that core to rotate and move like we have in a game. We have to be explosive in multidirectional areas.
We want to use everything from your toes to the top of your fingers as you do this basketball conditioning workout. Do three sets of 10 or five each direction.
For the next workout, grannies, you’ll work from a good squat position. Keep the back flat and the core solid as you throw the medicine ball up in the air.
If you’re outdoors and you don’t have to worry about a ceiling, you can rip that ball as high as you want. If you’re indoors, watch out for the ceiling so you don’t break anything. We want to do three sets of 10.
The next medicine ball drill is the partner chest pass. Get the hands up and ready and respond by pushing that ball back as quickly as possible. The more force behind the ball, the more you have to stabilize your core. Keep the knees bent for good balance and stability on the front part of the foot. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.
With the lateral slide with a medicine ball chest pass, you’ll pass the medicine ball back and forth in a lateral motion.
Remind your players to make it short and crisp. Down and back with the medicine ball and then down and back with the basketball is one set. Do five sets.
Next are overhead throws. Keep the ball over the top of the head and the hands ready. Respond quickly. As soon as you touch the ball, pass it back. Keep the knees and hips slightly bent so that you’ve got a good base of support for balance. Do three set of 10 repetitions.
If you enjoyed these basketball conditioning workouts, be sure to check out my YouTube page for even more great training drills!