Every player in the nation is looking for the set of basketball speed drills that will push him or her to the next level. However, the best drill is not a drill at all—it’s consistency. Simply choose the move you want to develop, select the proper speed drills for that move, do them on a regular basis each week for a long period of time and you’ll become faster and better at it.  (Stop the search. We have all the speed drills you need.)

To prove my point, here is a quote from Yuri Verkoshansky, an industry icon in the area of developing athletes: “Systemization of the training stimuli. The workload should be considered as a complete unit, in which great care has been taken over the chronological order of the training stimuli. This implies continuity, consistency, and interdependence of the effects of the training stimuli on the athlete’s organism.” [1]

He was writing about the overall training load of an athlete and what is needed to achieve the goal, but we can apply his concepts to developing a set of basketball speed drills. Here are the steps to take your game to the next level:

• Define what you want to accomplish and break it down into pieces.
• Take your time and choose drills that will develop those particular pieces or actions.
• Make sure all the drills work together to produce the desired outcome.
• Consistently work on those drills until you master them.
• Put the pieces together and test your results.

This may seem simplistic. But just because your favorite player does a certain drill doesn’t mean that it will make you faster than everybody else. (See Five Variables to Consider When Developing a Training Program.) Break down your crossover or turnaround jumper into smaller pieces. Find drills that work on those pieces. If you consistently and systematically work on each one, you will accomplish your goal in due time.

Photo: miamiherald.com

[1] Verkhoshansky, Yuri, “Organization of the Training Process,” New Studies in Athletics, pg. 1.