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Purpose: The following drills are meant to teach the fundamental skill of starting from the basketball position as it pertains to running in basketball. The main point to focus on in these drills is to start in the basketball position and push off of the back foot. Many players will want to push off the front foot and step forward with the rear foot. This isn't necessarily wrong, but by pushing off the back foot the start speed is greatly enhanced because you are eliminating an extra, unnecessary motion.
Drill 1: Push-Offs The purpose of this drill is get the players used to pushing off the back foot. It is a basic muscle-memory drill. The drill is run with the players lining up at the free throw line (or any line), one at a time, five to ten feet away from the coach. After the coach sees that the player is in the proper stance (basketball position), he will give the command "Go!" The player then will push off the back foot, taking 3-4 steps forward. Speed and distance run is not a factor in this drill. The importance is proper technique in starting from the basketball position. |
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Drill 2: Push-Offs and Go
This drill expands on drill 1 as the players will now push-off in the same manner and sprint through the midcourt line. The focus is on pushing off the back foot and sprinting through the midcourt line as quickly as possible. The setup is the same as in drill 1 and should be performed in the same manner. Since the players are now comfortable in pushing off the back foot, the emphasis can be on having a quick, explosive start. Added Variation: Once the push-off and go is learned, add the following variation. Perform drill as above but have the players stop at the end of the run in a basketball position. The stopping action in this drill is not a jump stop, as that will worked on in different drills. To stop while running a player needs to be able to slow down and get into the basketball position. To slow down, simply slow down your speed, get low by dropping your rear and stop under control in the basketball position. Learning to stop, under control, is essential in basketball. This drill will be added on to in subsequent drills, so it is important to learn this skill. |
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