How to do the drill
- 1
Warm up for 5 minutes: jog, skips, high knees, side shuffles.
- 2
Mark lines 5, 10, 15 and 20 steps (10, 20, 30 and 40 feet) from your start.
- 3
On a court, use the free throw line, half court, far free throw line and far baseline.
- 4
Sprint to the first line and back, then each line after that. Plant your outside foot on every line.
- 5
Have a parent time each run, or film it. Do 4 runs with 2 minutes of rest. Log your fastest time.
Coaching cues
- Low at the line.
- Touch every line.
- Run tall between lines.
What good looks like
Quick stops right on each line, a hard push out of every turn, and times that stay close together.
Safety
Run on a flat, dry surface in sneakers. At home, set the course away from the street with no cars moving. Stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain, or if a run is much slower than your first. Skip it the day before a game, and compare times only with your own best.
Why this drill
Basketball is sprint, stop, turn, sprint again, over and over. Suicides train exactly that, and a timed run lets you see your fitness improve over a season.
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