How to Not Get Tired Playing Basketball

Playing basketball requires many sprints and stops, and this is how you should condition your body so that you can avoid getting too tired on the basketball court. Basketball drills focus on demanding a high amount of force from your muscles in quick bursts. Mixing the abrupt exercises with long jogs can put your body into the best shape possible so that you can help your team outlast your opponent.

Instructions

    • 1

      Jog between three and six times per week on a regular basis for approximately 30 minutes each time. You will start to build stamina after about 15 minutes of jogging, so 30 minutes is a decent target. Additional jogging time will improve your stamina even more and combining sprints will help your body react to changes in speed, which regularly occur in basketball. While basketball is more of a sprint-and-stop method of exercise, long-distance running will increase your ability to perform from tip-off to the final whistle.

    • 2

      Start at the baseline and then run and touch the free-throw line. Run back to the baseline and then run and touch the half-court line. Run back to the baseline and then run to the free-throw line on the other side of the court and then continue until you touch the baseline on the other side of the court. Try to complete the drill within 30 seconds. Complete the drill once if you are combining it with Step 3, but do it three times with two-minute breaks in between if you aren't. Repeat for between three and six times per week.

    • 3

      Repeat running to and from the baseline while raising your knees high in the air and touching them with the palms of your hands. Repeat the drill, but touch you heels to the palm of your hands behind your buttocks. Complete a total of three sets with a two-minute break in between. Complete the drill once if you are combining it with Step 2, but do a total of three repetitions with two-minute breaks in between if you aren't. Repeat for between three and six times per week.

    • 4

      Run from your sideline to the opposite sideline 17 times. Each time you reach a sideline tally another number on route to 17. When you can do this within one minute, you are well-conditioned to play basketball, according to Basketball Drills and Plays, a website produced by basketball coaches. Repeat three to six times per week.

    • 5

      Stand beside the basketball with your feet beside each other. Jump back and forth over the ball as fast as you can for 30 seconds. Count how many times you jump over in the 30 seconds and try to improve each day. Complete three sets with 30-second breaks in between. Repeat the drill three to six times per week. The drill trains your plyometric reactions, which causes your body to become less tired when exerting quick muscle movements such as jumping.

    • 6

      Take a brief rest when your team is on its offensive end of the court. Your team should pass the ball around before making an attempt at the hoop, allowing everyone to catch a breath. This requires effort from the defending team, but your team can regain energy by passing the ball around before the shot clock expires. As the opponent controls the action to some degree when it has the ball, you need to constantly be prepared to exert full energy when on defense.

    • 7

      Regularly rotate from the bench to the court so that you can regain energy. Many coaches switch players frequently to keep them energized throughout the game.