You know, watching a player like Jason Perkins explode for 19 points in a crucial win, you can’t help but notice it’s not just about skill. It’s about speed. That first step to blow by a defender, the quick recovery on a closeout, the explosive jump for a rebound—it all hinges on how fast you can move your body. I’ve spent years both playing and coaching, and I’ve seen too many talented players plateau because their game is stuck in first gear. They have the handles, they have the shot, but they’re always a half-step behind. The good news? Court speed isn’t just a genetic gift; it’s a trainable skill. It’s about training your nervous system, building explosive power, and most importantly, practicing basketball movements at game speed. Over the years, I’ve curated and adapted a core set of drills that consistently deliver results. Forget just running suicides; we’re talking about targeted, proven exercises that translate directly to in-game situations. Let’s dive into ten of my personal favorites, the ones I implement with my own athletes to help them unlock that next gear.

First things first, you have to separate pure linear speed from basketball speed. Basketball is played in short, sharp bursts—rarely do you sprint 94 feet in a straight line. So, our training must reflect that. My absolute non-negotiable starting point is the Two-Ball Pound Dribble Sprint. It sounds simple: pound two basketballs as hard as you can while sprinting the length of the court. But the coordination demand forces your nervous system to fire at a higher rate. I have players do this for 4-6 reps, focusing on maximum force into the floor with each dribble. The carryover to pushing the ball in transition is immediate. Another cornerstone for me is the Lane Agility Drill, but with a twist. The classic T-drill is great, but I add a catch-and-shoot or a finish at the end of each sprint. We’re not training for a combine; we’re training for a game. So, you sprint to the elbow, shuffle to the wing, backpedal, then receive a pass and shoot under fatigue. That’s real speed. For first-step explosiveness, nothing beats resisted sprints. I use a simple resistance band anchored around the athlete’s waist. From a triple-threat stance, they explode for 10-15 feet against the band, then release into a full sprint. The immediate feeling of lightness after the band is removed is where the magic happens. Your brain recalibrates what “fast” feels like. I typically program 8 reps of these, with full recovery in between. We’re building power, not endurance here.

Now, let’s talk about changing direction, which is where most players lose precious tenths of a second. My go-to is the 5-10-5 Pro Agility Shuttle, but again, contextualized. Instead of just touching lines, I place a ball at the far end. The player sprints 5 yards, touches the line, changes direction and sprints 10 yards to the ball, picks it up, and immediately attacks the basket for a layup. This drill ingrains the habit of converting defensive agility—like closing out on a shooter like Perkins might have done—into an offensive advantage. Speaking of closing out, a dedicated Close-Out and Recover Drill is vital for defensive speed. I start a player in the paint, have them sprint to close out on a wing, then slide to cut off a drive before recovering back to the paint to contest a simulated shot. We do this for 45-second intervals, which is about the length of a high-intensity possession. It’s grueling, but it builds the specific stamina for defensive speed. For pure lateral quickness, I’m a huge fan of lateral skater jumps with a medicine ball hold. Holding a 10-15 pound med ball adds a stability challenge that strengthens those often-neglected hip muscles responsible for side-to-side movement. Do 3 sets of 10 jumps per side, and you’ll feel it in your glutes for days.

The final piece of the puzzle is integrating these physical gains into basketball skills. This is where many programs fail. You can be fast in drills but slow in the game if the neural pathways aren’t connected. My solution is the Speed Dribble Series with cones. Set up 5-6 cones in a zig-zag pattern the length of the court. The goal isn’t to navigate them slowly with fancy crossovers; it’s to attack them at full speed using one explosive move per cone—a hard crossover, a between-the-legs, a behind-the-back. The objective is to maintain 90% of your top sprinting speed while changing direction. It’s chaotic and messy at first, but that’s the point. Game speed is chaotic. Another killer combo is the Sprint-Stop-Pop. Player sprints from the baseline to the three-point line, comes to a violent, balanced jump stop, and immediately rises for a jumper. We do this from both wings and the top of the key for 10-12 reps total. It mimics pulling up in transition, a la many of Perkins’s baskets. For finishing at speed, I love the Two-Ball Euro Step drill. Dribble two balls at a full sprint, gather at the elbow, and execute a controlled Euro step around a pad or dummy defender. The dual dribbling forces you to control your body without relying on your off-hand to carry you, refining balance at high velocity.

Look, implementing all ten of these drills in one session is a recipe for exhaustion and poor form. I recommend picking 3-4 per training day, focusing on maximum quality and intent. Consistency over weeks and months is what rebuilds your athletic engine. Remember Perkins’s line: 6-of-12 from the field, 19 points, 5 boards. That efficiency and production in a must-win game comes from a foundation of conditioned speed—the speed to get to your spot, the speed to elevate for a rebound, the speed to beat your defender before the help arrives. It’s the difference between being a participant and being a catalyst on the court. Start integrating these drills, train with purpose, and you’ll soon find yourself not just keeping up, but setting the pace. Trust me, the feeling of blowing past a defender because you’ve put in the specific work is worth every drop of sweat.