Running Exercises for Basketball Athletes

Basketball players need advanced running skills to perform well on the court. Incorporate running drills or exercises into your routine to develop skills such as speed, focus, coordination and vertical jumping. Remember to hydrate well when running to replenish your body, and cross-train with other types of exercises for overall fitness development.

  1. One-Mile Drill

    • Build leg muscles and endurance by doing one-mile drills that consist of jogging, running, jumping and walking. Start by doing a 20-second sequence of jogging, then running, then jumping and walking. Repeat and continue until you reach one mile. Do this exercise three to four times each week to increase your strength, stamina and speed while also developing vertical jumps.

    Venture Drill

    • The venture drill improves agility, endurance and speed. Use cones so that you can make sharp cuts when making turns. Start at the baseline where it meets the lane, then sprint to the nearest sideline at a point even with the foul line. At that point, change directions and sprint to the middle of the court. Slap the floor lightly once at midcourt to assume a defensive stance, then run diagonally to the foul line, switch direction again and continue running to the point where the baseline meets the lane. Finish by sprinting toward the near sideline, then backwards to the opposite baseline. Do two reps.

    Cardio Drill

    • Perform this drill to build leg strength and increase cardiovascular fitness. Begin at the baseline and run to the foul line, then back to the starting position. Continue running toward midcourt then back to the sideline. Then run up to the opposite foul line and return. To complete the drill, run across the entire court to the opposite baseline and back without slowing down.

    Sixteens

    • Improve cardiovascular fitness with this simple running drill. Run from the baseline to the opposite baseline 16 times. Consider a run from the starting baseline to the opposite baseline and back as two counts. After running 16 times, start immediately and go again for eight times, then go four times, then two and then finish with one last count to complete the drill. Start over from the beginning if a player walks instead of running.