Basketball Agility Training: More Important Than Your Vertical Jump!

Football has the 4.2-second 40-yard dash, baseball has the 100mph pitch, and tennis has the 100mph serve. In basketball the 40-inch vertical jump is often perceived as the pinnacle of basketball success. However, we have seen time and time again athletes succeed despite exhibiting poor scores in these tests. I receive many emails from aspiring basketball players wanting to know the "secrets" of improving their vertical jump. This whole concept of focusing a training program around one test is very discouraging.

Even though my athletes perform very well on standardized tests, this is not our goal. Our mission is to win championships. An impressive vertical does give an athlete advantages. However, if the coaching staff or the team focuses solely on the vertical jump, we are not properly preparing our athletes. Whenever I am asked how to improve one's vertical jump, I respond with the following question, "how many jump shots are you taking a day, how many hours are you working on ball handling drills, and how often do you perform drills perfecting proper footwork?" These drills are more important than a vertical jump, yet the response to the question is often disappointing. We need to re-assess what is important to create champions.

There needs to be a starting place and an end in mind. Always begin every season with specific goal setting, both as a team and individuals. Determine three strengths and weaknesses of the team and of the players. You should then work on building on to the team's strengths and reducing its weakness.

In every program always make sure to address all components of The Wheel of Conditioning. From range of motion to skill training, nothing gets left out. How much time we devote to each section depends upon the time of year and the goals of the cycle.

So, what does a basketball player need to be working on to improve their performance? Below I will review some of my favorite drills in different areas of physical preparation. Some of these drills are designed for those athletes that do not have access to the most current equipment or highly skilled coaches.