Cardiovascular Training for Basketball

Training players to be at a competitive level for basketball is a tough task, but with the right exercises and drills this task can be much easier. It is hard for basketball players to train to attain the level of endurance that they need for games because no drill or exercise can simulate the stop and go action of a basketball game; however, there are some drills that can help players gain this higher level of endurance.

One really good exercise that can be used to condition basketball players is a drill that incorporates slow and quick running over a long period of time. This drill requires at least five people, but ideally 10 people to be fully effective. There needs to be a large enough area for the players to run without going in too many circles, but the coach needs to be able to blow a whistle and have the players hear it, so a basketball court would be too small, but a football field would be too large--the outfield of a baseball field is a good size.

Get all of the players to line up single file. The coach, or whoever is leading the drill, should stand in the center of the area where the players are going to run. Upon hearing the leader of the drill tell the players to start, the players will begin to jog around the field in their single-file line.

While the players are jogging single file, when they hear the whistle being blown once, the person in the back of the line must sprint to the front of the line. The act of sprinting increases the endurance because as the drill gets longer and they get tired from jogging, they must still be able to give a quick burst of energy to get themselves to the front of the line.

Just as with one whistle, when the players hear the sound of the whistle being blown twice, the players must react. Upon hearing the whistle, the player in the back of the line must zigzag through all of the players in the line until he reaches the front of the line. This enforces spacing among the players in the line, but it also forces the player to try to quickly and easily weave in and out of the line to try and get to the front.

When the players hear the sound of the whistle being blown three times, the person in the front of the line must step off to the side of the line, put her hands above her head and jump up and down in place until the end of the line reaches him, and at that point he can join the end of the line. This forces a player to stop running and do something new, jump, which simulates something that would happen in a basketball game. This also gives the leader of the drill power because if she knows that someone is not giving enough effort, she can have him go from the front of the line to the back, blow the whistle to make him go back to the front, by sprinting (one whistle) or by weaving (two whistles) and then continue this process of making one person go back and forth until he is really tired.

When the players hear the sound of the whistle blow four times, the person in the back of the line must dive into the grass and then jump up and spring to the front of the line. This enforces self-sacrifice, by forcing the player to dive onto the ground like he would for a loose ball during a game, but it also forces him to sprint for a longer distance because as he was on the ground trying to get up, the line got farther away, so he has to try extra hard to catch up to the line, and then surpass the line to get to the front.

Once the leader of the drill has decided that the team has had enough, the team should slowly jog around the field one of two more times (depending on the size of the field) to allow the team to cool down. After the members have cooled down, they should all stretch to help relieve their muscles and prevent any soreness the following day. This drill has a lot of benefits; it has obvious endurance training benefits, but it also encourages teamwork. As the team is getting very tired from running around the field, the members must encourage each other to keep going and fight through the pain. They also must work together to try to figure out how many whistles they hear, and if someone forgets what to do with that specific number of whistles. This drill so encourages mind over body because the players must keep going, but they also must focus mentally on what is going on around them and they must listen for the whistles and remember what they have to do for each whistle. Overall, this is a very beneficial exercise for basketball cardiovascular training.