How to Do Seventeens for Basketball Conditioning

A team in great physical condition can outlast an opponent and capture the victory. Basketball is a unique sport to condition for, as the game is played in bursts of acceleration and direction changes. This article focuses on a basketball conditioning staple known as seventeens.

Things You'll Need

  • Basketball court
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      The team should be stretched and hydrated before participating in this conditioning exercise.

    • 2

      Line up the team along the sideline with their lead foot on the edge of the sideline.

    • 3

      When the coach blows the whistle, the players sprint to the other sideline.

    • 4

      When they reach the other sideline they bend down to touch the line with their hand, change direction and head back toward the starting sideline. This is considered "1."

    • 5

      When they reach the starting sideline they bound down to touch the line with their hand, change direction and head to the other sideline. This is considered "2."

    • 6

      This process continues until they reach "17." They should end up on the opposite sideline that they started from.

    • 7

      To maximize the effectiveness and relevance of this exercise, the team should be given a time limit to complete "17." For high level teams this could be 60 seconds and for youth teams it could be as much as 90 seconds.

    • 8

      If the team does not complete the "17" within the proposed time, you can either have them do it again or give them another conditioning exercise to perform.