It's getting closer to basketball season. If you are playing a fall sport, good for you! The coach should be running your butt off to get you in shape. Keep working hard! You'll be glad you did when basketball tryouts start.

If you're not playing a fall sport, then you need to get yourself into good cardiovascular shape for the upcoming season. Long distance running is a good start. Begin a program with short distances and gradually increase. But remember that basketball is a sport of constant stopping and starting. When you have established good basic cardiovascular fitness from the long distance running, start adding a sprint workout to increase the anaerobic conditioning you need for basketball.

Warm up for at least five minutes before attempting any sprint workout. Warm up by stretching, jogging, cycling, etc.

Sample Sprint Workout # 1
Mark off a distance of 40 yards. Run the full 40 yards at half speed. Walk back to the start and run again at half speed. Now return to the start and run at 3/4 speed, and repeat as before. Finally, run the 40 yards at full speed twice.

Sample Sprint Workout # 2
Mark off a distance of 50 yards. Time yourself on this drill. This drill is a 300 yard sprint. Your goal is to decrease your speed over the course of the next couple of months before tryouts. A good beginning goal is about 75 seconds. When you have reached that time, try to get your time below 60 seconds. Begin the workout at one end of the 50 yards. Sprint the entire 50 yards and turn around to sprint to the starting point. Continue until you have completed six (6) 50 yard sprints for a total of 300 yards.

Sample Sprint Workout # 3
Suicides are your coaches best friend! Make them your best friend too! Find a full size basketball court, or mark off about 84 feet in any open area. Suicides have many variations, but the basic drill consists of starting at the baseline, sprinting to the free throw line, and returning to the baseline. Then you continue by sprinting to the half-court line and returning to the baseline. Next, sprint to the farther free throw line and return. Finally, sprint the full court and return. Remember that this is a continuous drill. There is no stopping. If your team is slow, goofing off, making lots of mistakes, or just not paying attention, your coach will make you run suicides. Please note that I said suicides. Many coaches have been known to make their teams run several suicides back to back. This will be sure to get your attention if you aren't prepared!

Sample Sprint Workout # 4
Another coach favorite when you are messin' up! Full court sprint - the coach will do this when she feels you aren't trying very hard just to get your attention. Remember that you signed up for this! Start at the baseline and sprint to the opposite baseline, then sprint back to the beginning. The coach will set the time for the entire team to complete the drill. It could be 15, 12 or even 10 seconds for the whole team (even you slow post players!). If the team doesn't beat the coach's time, guess what! She'll make you try again! And keep on trying until you succeed or drop. She probably won't care which! Get yourself ready by performing this drill on a full court or measure off 84 feet in an open area. Time yourself. Try to decrease the time it takes to complete the baseline to baseline circuit. 10 seconds is your goal, but keep working at this drill whatever time you take. You can increase your speed with hard work!

If it came in a bottle, everyone would have it! Hard work pays off!

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