Basketball Agility Drills

These basketball agility drills will improve your speed around the court, quickness, co-ordination and most importantly your ability to change direction with minimal deceleration. Basketball players who excel move with lightening-like speed. But it's not necessarily the athlete who can run a quick 100M time that makes the quickest player... Much more important in basketball is your ability to rapidly switch between forward, backward, lateral and vertical movements. Integrating the basketball agility drills below within a speed training program can have a dramatic impact on your game. Not only will you be able to move from one end of the court to another much more quickly, you'll be able to transfer much or all of that energy into other basketball-specific movements.

Basketball Agility Drills

Agility Drill #1 - Super Shuttle 1. Starting underneath the basket with your back to the court. 2. Shuffle backwards with hands in a defensive ready position to point A.3. Sprint backwards from A to B focusing on minimizing the time to change direction. 4. Side step facing the court from B to Start position (again keep hands in defensive position).5. Jump to touch the net or backboard.6. Repeat the back shuffle from Start to C.7. Sprint forwards from C to D.8. Side step with back to court to Start position.9. Jump to touch the net or backboard.10. Repeat for 6-8 repetitions with at 60-90 seconds rest between.

If you use this drill with a team of players, simply stagger the start. So player 2 starts just as player 1 reaches point A. The group can be split into two equal teams at either end of the court. A race makes things more interesting.

Agility Drill #2 - Weave In Weave Out 1. Place 4 markers out in a straight line approximately 3 yards apart (see right).2. In between each set of markers place another marker only 3 yards to the left.3. Sprint to marker A and then side step/shuffle to marker B leading with the left leg.4. Side shuffle to marker C this time leading with the right leg.5. Repeat to the finish.6. Walk back to the start and repeat for up to 6-8 repetitions.

Agility Drill #3 - Shuttle With Passes

1. Start on the baseline facing the court to the left hand side of the basket.2. Sprint to point A and receive a pass from another player or the coach (red marker).3. Immediately pass the ball back to the coach, turn and sprint to point B.4. At point B, jump to touch the net or backboard.5. On landing, turn and sprint to point C. Receive a pass and return it.6. Turn and sprint to point D. Jump again to touch the rim or backboard.7. Turn and sprint to pint D. Receive a pass but this time keep the ball.8. Turn with the ball, dribble or drive towards the finish. 9. Repeat for 4-6 repetitions.

Agility Drill #4 - Box Drill

1. Mark out a square approximately 6 yards X 6 yards.2. Place a cone in the center. This is the starting position.3. Give each cone a letter or number. The coach calls out the a number/letter at random.4. The player sprints to the cone and shuffles back to the center.5. As soon as they arrive at the center, the coach calls another number/letter.6. Repeat for 6090 seconds.

With a group of players set out several boxes. Switch players every 60 seconds. Basketball agility drills like these are great for combining physical AND mental awareness. It's uncanny how often players fail to remember how the cones were originally numbered when they are fatigued.

Combine these basketball agility drills with other speed training sessions. Together they will help to significantly increase your quickness and quality of movement around the court. Paramount to optimal speed and agility is sport-specific strength training. Be sure to look into the most effective approach for developing basketball specific strength and explosive power.