Women's Basketball Training

Training for women's basketball consists of a very specific set of drills and exercises that are tailored to the women's game. Women's basketball is unique unto itself as the game consists of a smaller ball and different rules than the men's game. Women's basketball is dominated by players who can hit 3-point shots and who are adept ball handlers. Additionally, women's basketball players' strength training workouts focus on lifting light weights at high repetitions as a means to achieve strong, toned bodies.

  1. Warm Up

    • Jog at a medium pace from sideline to sideline. Jog back and forth three times, gradually increasing your speed each time. After jogging back and forth three times, turn your body to the side and execute defensive slides from sideline to sideline. When sliding remember to keep your knees bent and your head up. Defensive slides are an important part of women's basketball and should be practiced properly when being used as part of a warm-up.

    Ball Handling

    • Practice executing basic dribble moves while moving from sideline to sideline. Start with the speed dribble first and then move onto the crossover move and behind the back move. Begin your speed dribble by starting the ball in your right hand and dribbling quickly, but under control, to the other sideline. Use your left hand when dribbling back. The crossover is executed by dribbling toward the opposite sideline and switching the ball to your other hand with a low sweeping dribble. The behind-the-back move is executed the same way as the crossover but executing the move behind your back, not in front of you. Practice each move five times. Dribbling skills are imperative to becoming a solid women's basketball player, as the game of women's basketball is typically a perimeter, guard-oriented game.

    Three Pointers

    • Practice shooting 3-point shots from the women's 3-point line. On some courts there may be two 3-point lines. The closer one is always the women's line. The 3-pointer is a big part of women's basketball as women play with a smaller ball than men, thus making it easier to make 3-point shots. Start in the corner and work your way around the perimeter. Shoot 100 3-point shots. Start by shooting 20 from each spot. The spots are the corners, the wings, and the top of the key. Focus on taking your time and shooting each shot with proper form and follow through. Your elbow should be in and your follow through should be high. Count how many shots you make out of 100 and try to beat it during the next workout.

    Weight Lifting

    • Lift light weights with high repetitions. A good total body workout will consist of abs, chest, legs and arms. The chest exercise is the bench press with three repetitions of 15. The leg exercise is the leg press with three repetitions of 15. The arm exercise is bicep curls with three repetitions of 15. The ab exercise is two repetitions of 30 curls. Remember to keep the weight light and concentrate on getting it up a minimum of 15 times.

    Sprints and Foul Shots

    • Start under the basket and sprint to the other basket and back three times. After you arrive back after the third sprint, pick up the ball and shoot two foul shots. It is important to practice shooting foul shots when you are tired. Focus on shooting the foul shots with good form and technique. Repeat this drill a minimum of three times or until you make six foul shots in a row. Not only is this a good conditioner but it helps you shoot foul shots under pressure.