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How to strengthen your legs for basketball
How to strengthen your legs for basketball
9 Essential Leg Exercises & Workouts for Basketball Players
By Cody Roberts
Home > Player > Athletic Development > 9 Essential Leg Exercises & Workouts for Basketball Players
For basketball players, the legs are undeniably important. They are necessary for jumping, landing, pivoting, running, and lunging for the ball. And if you want to excel in basketball, you can't skip leg day.
Improving your leg strength, mobility, and coordination can help you better maneuver on the court. It allows you to jump higher, change direction quickly, run faster and defend at a high level. It also contributes to a reduced risk of injuries.
Yet, many basketball players have the same problem; they jump into plyometric training without first focusing on the basics.
This isn't to say that plyometrics, agility, power, and speed aren't important. It just means that these movements aren't as efficient without the proper foundation.![]()
Ideally, a solid leg training program should focus on various factors. You want strengthening moves, plyometrics, balance and coordination exercises, and mobility-focused movements. Combined, these factors give way to efficient movements on court and during a game.
So, what exercises should you consider including in your basketball leg strengthening program?
Check out the 9 exercises below that we think are essential exercises for basketball players.
1. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
The Single Leg Romanian Deadlift exercise contributes to foundational glute strength, balance, hip stability, and coordination. Slow and steady always wins during this exercise. If you lose balance, restart the rep.
2.
Goblet Squat
This is a full-body movement, with a focus on the lower body. Add load with either a dumbbell or kettlebell.
This exercise is also all about control. Go slow on the way down, feel tension in the hips, full foot pressure, and drive up strong. Doing this movement regularly will strengthen not only your lower body, but also will contribute to better balance and stability overall.
3. Glute Bridges
Glutes are vital in core strength and athletic development.
The glutes are part of the power behind your jump. By performing glute bridges, you develop a mind-muscle connection, and lay the foundation for further exercises and movements for complete preparation and injury prevention.
4. Isometric Split Squat
The Isometric Split Squat is a foundational position. It helps build strength and hip stability, establishing the basis for strength in your lower body.
5. Isometric Lateral Squat
This is another isometric exercise that works to build strength by creating tension in a low, long, and extended range of motion.
A position crucial for the movement quality needed to be a lockdown defender..
6. Lunges
Lunges are an active movement that mimic the various actions a player experiences on the court. Further challenging the hip, knee, and ankle to be both mobile and stable, while engaging the muscles of the lower body.
7. Marching Plantar-Dorsiflexion
The Marching Plantar-Dorsiflexion exercise helps develop structural integrity through the foot and ankle. It uses an end-range of motion to engage the stabilizing muscles of the ankle joint.
This is important since a lack of ankle mobility may inhibit your ability to squat or lunge properly. In turn, this can prevent a proper loading phase involved in jumping, as well as cause inefficient movement mechanics.
8. Snap Downs
Snap Downs are all about force management. After youve learned to load slow and controlled with your squat, snap downs are the starting point to establishing proper loading and landing mechanics with increased velocity. This develops the stiffness and coordination needed to generate an explosive and reactive takeoff.
9. Seated Box Jumps
Seated Box Jumps are all about force production.
With the proper coordination and movement efficiency from the lower body exercises above, youre ready for takeoff. Seated box jumps provide an effective way to challenge your explosiveness and improve your jump height.
If you want a step-by-step program to help you improve your basketball game and technique, check out the 12 Week Athletic Development Program for Basketball Players. This program provides a full-body guide on what you need to do to improve your movement efficiency, power, and strength. And this all starts with improving your foundation and doing the right exercises to get you to where you need to be.
NBA legs circuit for explosive power
In the UK we don't usually associate height with sporting heroics. There's no denying Peter Crouch's ability as a dancer but, no matter how many goals he scores, he won't be remembered for his athleticism. In the high-flying NBA, where the average height is 6'7", it's a different story. And nowhere is the speed and explosive power exhibited by skyscraper-sized athletes more apparent than at the Brooklyn Nets.
Bankrolled by hip-hop giant Jay-Z and boasting four players taller than 6'10", the Nets are a prime example of how to combine extreme height and power to devastating effect.
Living legend Kevin Garnett is the Net's biggest star in more ways than one. Standing at 6'11'', he has been dominating the NBA for 20 years. The key to his success? In basketball, friends don't let friends skip legs day. "One of the biggest things we work on with all our players is lower body strength; it’s something that is particularly difficult for very tall athletes because of their biomechanics," says Brooklyn Nets strength and conditioning coach Dr Jeremy Bettle. "If you can focus on building your leg strength then your power, your agility and your speed will all follow."
Try Bettle's circuit below to improve your performance in every sport.
Perform one set of each exercise then go straight on to the next move without resting. Rest for 90 seconds after each circuit and do four circuits in total.
Dumbbell Lateral lunge
5-8 reps each side
Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take a big step to your right, keeping your foot facing forward. Bend your knee and lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground. Keeping your back straight, reverse the movement back to starting position. Repeat to the other side.
Click here for a video demonstration of the exercise
Speed skater squat
4-6 reps each leg
From a standing position bend one knee, raising the opposite leg behind you. Keeping your back straight, squat down until your non-standing leg almost brushes the ground. Keeping the weight on the heel of your planted foot, push up and return to the starting position.
Click here for a video demonstration of the exercise
Single leg Romanian deadlift
8 reps each leg
Stand with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
Engage your core muscles and pull back your shoulder blades. Slowly lift your left leg as you bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight. Bend your knee until your torso is nearly horizontal. Exhale and slowly bring your torso back to a vertical position.
Click here for a video demonstration of the exercise
Side plank with leg lift
15 lifts each side
Lie on your side with your legs straight; propping yourself up on your elbow and forearm. Tense your core and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Keeping your body straight, lift your top leg to create a 45 degree angle before slowly lowering it to the starting position.
Click here for a video demonstration of the exercise
By: Edward Lane; Photography: Getty
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TOP 10 JUMP EXERCISES - maaario's blog
It is very important for a basketball player to have a high jump.
Moreover, each player entering the court must have trained legs to perform explosive work. Today we will analyze the 10 most effective exercises to increase the jump.
So, let's begin. First, let's look at strength exercises:
1. Barbell squat. Weighted squats develop all leg muscles, abdominals and lower back muscles. Thus, this is the only exercise that allows you to strengthen all the muscle groups necessary for high jumps. We recommend that you sit at least until your thighs are parallel to the floor. When doing a squat, make sure that the knees do not go ahead of the socks, because in this case there is a high probability of damaging the ligaments, and in basketball they always get a lot of stress anyway;
2. Squat with a barbell on a pedestal or bench. The exercise is similar to regular barbell squats. However, it has its own peculiarity. A cabinet or bench is designed to limit the amplitude of squats. This is necessary in order to already use explosive power.
You should sit down in two counts. As soon as you touch the bounding surface with your hips, you abruptly get up to the starting position. Thus, you provide a slow stretch and a fast contraction of the thigh muscles. This exercise is performed with a lighter weight than a regular squat. Up to 70% of the maximum;
3. Snatch. Great weightlifting exercise. Perfectly develops intermuscular coordination, which is very important in basketball. Plus, explosive strength is trained and most of the muscle groups involved in the jump are alternately involved in the work. Watch your back while doing this exercise. Start doing with small weights so as not to get injured right away;
4. Forward lunges with dumbbells. In this exercise, you will thoroughly work out all the muscles of the thigh and also use the back stabilizers. An excellent exercise for training the endurance of the thigh muscles. When performing, special attention should be paid to the position of the knee at the time of lowering.
It should not protrude beyond the toe. Otherwise, there is a chance of overloading the knee joint;
5. Stepping onto the step with dumbbells. This exercise will allow us to train the pushing process. This point is very important if you want to make noticeable progress when training your jump. Unlike lunges, you can do this exercise with more weights. Don't rush when doing it. Remember that too intense movements will lead to premature fatigue. It is, after all, a strength exercise.
So, we have analyzed the exercises aimed at strength work and at strengthening and developing muscle fibers. All exercises must be performed in 4 sets, including 10-12 repetitions. However, the number of repetitions in squats on a bench or bench, lunges forward with dumbbells and stepping on a step with dumbbells, we periodically recommend increasing to 16-18. This will allow your fibers to work in a slightly different way, which will also have a beneficial effect on your jump.
Next, consider jumping exercises for developing explosive strength, coordination and footwork speed, which is very important when training to jump.
1. Working with barriers. Using practice hurdles is an excellent way to develop fast footwork, coordination, leg hop and power. Hurdles are used in many professional basketball clubs. There are several steps to increasing the difficulty of training with hurdles. The main ones include regulating the height of the barriers and increasing the intensity of the footwork. Do not rush to immediately start with high obstacles and high speeds. Increase the difficulty gradually;
2. Running work. First of all, these are sprints with full gear at distances of different lengths and shuttle running. With such training, we will qualitatively work out a quick start, repulsion of the legs, and also prepare ourselves for the work at a ragged pace, which is necessary during the game. We recommend varying the length of the distance. Especially in the case of a shuttle run;
3. Jumping to the ring. The exercise is performed with two legs. In the starting position, the legs are shoulder-width apart.
This exercise perfectly trains balance and simulates the work of the body during the game. We divide jumps into two types. These are low-intensity jumps that are designed to work on footwork, landing, take-off and peak jumping. As well as serial jumps. In basketball, a very important factor is serial jumping, that is, the ability of an athlete to make several jumps in a row with the same efficiency. In the fight under the ring, this can be a determining factor. Therefore, we must work out both options for jumps;
4. Jumping on the pedestal. This is a great exercise to practice your jumping skills and increase your jump height. When performing the exercise, do not narrow the distance between the legs, they should be shoulder-width apart. When landing on the bollard, try to transfer the load exclusively to the socks. In this exercise, it is important to use your hands. Thus, we involve in the process all the muscle groups involved in the jump when playing basketball. We vary the load by increasing the height of the pedestal;
5.
Jumping from the depths. This exercise is aimed at practicing a repeated jump or a jump from a jump. Standing on the edge of the pedestal, you jump to the floor and then immediately jump as high as possible. Use your hands while doing this. Plus, landing is being worked out. Again, the main load should go to the socks, that is, to the calf muscle.
So, we have considered the basic dynamic jumping exercises. We recommend that you perform them on days free from game training. Try to do so many repetitions so that there is no distortion of technique. This will avoid muscle injuries and unnecessary stress on the joints.
Together, all the exercises discussed in this video will lead to inevitable progress and an increase in your jump. But once again we draw your attention to the fact that you should not immediately expose yourself to serious stress. After all, in training, the main thing is to make yourself better, and not vice versa.
So, that's it. Subscribe to our channel, ask questions in the comments and remember that a lot of interesting things are ahead of us.
Basketball practice hacks: how to score goals for beginners
Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.
Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners
1. Hands up
In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!
2. Make shield rolls
Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard.
If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!
3. Look at the ring, not at the ball
Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.
4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only
The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.
5. Throw with one hand
If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket.
All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.
6. Do not jump when protecting the ring
Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.
7. Don't look back
When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).
8. Bring the throw to automatism
Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.
Throw the ball with all fives and jump
Throwing Rules:
- Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
- Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
- A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
- The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
- Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.
The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).
Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.
How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball
How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.
9. Copy masters and play as a team
Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.
10. Do not throw in a straight line
The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.
11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand
This is the biggest newbie mistake!
Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time.
