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Every good basketballer has a few home workouts that they use for conditioning. The thing about conditioning drills is that, as necessary as they are, they tend to get monotonous and boring sometimes. This is especially true if you do them every day. However, if you can find different types of drills to achieve the kind of conditioning you want then you don’t have to get bored or tired of the same old moves. Here are 10 popular basketball workouts at home that you can try from today:
1. Romanian deadlift (RDL)
The Romanian deadlift or RDL helps you to build strength in your hamstrings, back and glutes. This drill is integral to helping you jump much higher and making you more explosive when it comes to defense, shooting and even dunking.
How to do the Romanian deadlift (RDL)
Keep your feet about shoulder width apart and hold a dumbbell on each hand and at your sides. Putting the as much weight as you can on the back half of your feet, shift your hips so that you mimic a sitting position and lower the dumbbells as far as you can while keeping your back straight. Using your glutes and hamstrings, return to the standing position and repeat the entire process again for 10 reps.
2. Goblet squat
This is a drill that helps you develop more power in your lower body. This will help with your defense as the stance often calls for strength in your lower body as well as jumping power.
How to do the Goblet squat
Take a kettlebell and hold it up against your chest using both hands (you should look as though you are trying to drink from the kettlebell). Keeping most of the weight on your heels, squat without lifting your toes. Maintaining contact between your chest and the kettlebell, squat until your elbows gently touch your knees. Hold that position for a second or two then rise up with most of the power coming from your hips. Repeat the process for 10 reps.
3. Single-leg hurdle hop
Most common basketball injuries occur because the player can’t efficiently absorb the impact of landing back down after they’ve made a huge leap to either block a shot or get the rebound. This drill helps to condition you for that and make you find the sweet landing spot with every jump.
How to do the Single-leg hurdle hop
Line up a row of low hurdles one after the other. Stand on one leg and then jump over each hurdle each time jumping and landing on the same leg. The landing should be soft as you try to absorb most of the force through your glutes and hips. Once you are done with the course, change legs and repeat.
4. Alternating dumbbell press
To execute the perfect jump shot, you need to achieve full extension through your lats and back. You also have to maintain excellent shoulder stability. This drill helps you achieve all that and more.
How to do the Alternating dumbbell press
Lie on a bench facing up and holding a dumbbell on each hand. Lift both dumbbells to your chest as if doing a bench press. Straighten both arms so the dumbbells are directly above your chest. With one arm straight and stiff, lower the other dumbbell so it touches your shoulder and then push it back out to the original position. Do the same movement with the other arm and repeat for 10 reps all the while alternating arms.
5. Pull-ups
If you are doing it correctly, a pull-up will help you build strength in your back, shoulders, wrist and lats. These are all the areas you need to execute the perfect jump shot.
How to do a Pull-up
Hang from a bar (you can do the overhand or underhand hang). Pull your shoulders back and lift your body up using your arms until your head is over the bar. Return to the starting position and make sure that you are fully extended to achieve maximum benefit.
6. Stair Sprints
This is a wonderful conditioning drill that not only works on your aerobics but also works on your calves, quads and hamstrings.
How to do Stair Sprints
Find a flight of stairs – the bigger the better. Run up the flight of stairs making sure to step on each and every step. Once at the top of the case, walk back down and cool down for 30 seconds before running up again.
7. Box Run Relay
This is a drill that helps you to develop quick movements in any direction as well as improve your agility.
How to do the Box Run Relay
Set up four cones about 15 feet apart so they form a square. The idea is to run to one cone, then side peddle to the next, back pedal to the third and side peddle to the starting point and repeat.
8. Hop Jump
This drill is designed to increase your explosiveness when reaching for rebounds. It’s also intended to teach you how to land softly and correctly.
How to do the Hop Jump
Starting from a standing position, take one big jump or leap forward making sure to land with both feet at the same time and in a semi-squatting position. Once you land, take half a leap back and then repeat the process again for the specified distance (often half a court).
9. Defensive Slide (with or without resistance band)
You are going to have to play defense and you need to practice the slide so you know the movements and can easily glide through it during a game.
How to do the Defensive Slide
Start by standing in a defensive stance and then slide laterally. Slowly at first until you reach the end of your space and then quickly back to the starting point and repeat. You can do this with a resistance band around your ankles to make it tougher and condition you better.
10. Toe Touches
This drill is perfect for those who want to improve their conditioning as well as their foot speed.
How to do Toe Touches
Stand in front of a step like on a staircase (the bottom step). Then mimicking a running motion, kick up on foot and touch its toes to the stair, bring it back down and do the same with the other foot. Increase speed for better agility and conditioning.
Not only are these drill easy enough to do but they are effective and come with numerous variations to improve your agility and keep you from getting bored.
