16 Basketball Conditioning Drills To Get Your Team In Top Shape

Basketball conditioning drills are a great way to build mental and physical agility, flexibility, and strength. Teams that make it a priority to be challenged in this area tend to compete, endure and win more as they are able to maintain high energy during entire games.

Avoid the "Old School" Conditioning Drills

We recommend that conditioning is done during the context of your practice. Setting time aside to run laps, sprints, or up-downs might bring back some memories for you... but that's an old school tactic and there are more effective ways to get in shape and improve basketball skills.

Instead, your regular drills should be taxing enough to get players in shape. This is far more efficient use of your time. Players should be improving some aspect of basketball when they are conditioning (multi-task).

Not to mention, if you wait to "condition" at the end of practice, your players will sandbag and not give 100% during the regular practice because they know "running" is coming at the end.

The key to quality basketball conditioning drills is to offer clear instruction and be challenging. The right ones incorporate all skills of basketball (passing, dribbling, rebounding, shooting, and defense). This way mental toughness and getting into excellent game shape is fun.

Here are some highlighted resources that will support your team getting into excellent basketball condition. Man in the Hole is a one-of-a-kind and demanding defensive drill that will test players' grit. Also, check out this next-level transition offense drill from the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Danny Miles.

Below, view more conditioning drills for basketball coaches to use during practice for all ages.

16 Conditioning Drills to Help Your Team Get In Top Shape

1. Full Court Dribble Moves With Finish

2. 1v1 Speed Dribble

3. 10 Second Fast Break Drill

4. Continuous 1 on 1 Games

5. Danny Miles' Pride Drill - Defense, Fast Break, & Conditioning

6. Defensive Slide Drill - Cup Slides

7. USC’s Five-Man Fast Break Drill

8. Fast Break "Pass and Replace" Drill

9. Improve Shooting & Conditioning With the Hornacek Shooting Drill

10. Transition & Conditioning Drill

11. 2-Man Layup Drill: Combines Conditioning with Layups

12. 4-Line Full Court Shooting & Conditioning

13. Man in the Hole

14. 1v1 Overlap

15. Star Close-Out Drill

16. Inside Out Ballhandling Drills