5 Workouts you can do from Home to Improve your Game

December 29, 2022

By Madisen Carter

There are many ways an athlete can improve their game on the court, whether that is their ball handling skills, their foot work, or working on their shot. Most of the time, ball players will work on these skills at the gym on the court, but there are many ways an athlete can improve themselves off of the court.

We will be going over five different workouts that athletes can do off the court, by themselves and at the comfort of their own homes. Some of these workouts do not even include a ball and can help an athlete in many different ways including working on their lateral movements, speed, power and endurance. 

1. Interval Running:

Although conditioning and running may not be every athlete’s favorite, it is still a beneficial key for an athlete’s success on the court. Basketball players do not need to always work on their endurance with longer runs, but with interval running. Interval running is important because it helps athletes build endurance and gets an athlete used to stopping and starting as well as changing direction - something they will do consistently during a game.

Suicides: Suicides can be done on the court or off the court with the right measurements. Suicides on the court will have an athlete line up on the baseline and run to the free throw line and back, then to the half court line and back, to the further free throw line and back, to finally running to the opposite baseline and back. All of that running is one suicide. To do suicides from home, an athlete can work on this in their front yard or neighborhood and mark where each spot will be. Below are the measurements:

Baseline to free throw line: 19 feet (NBA/College court) or 19 feet (High School court)

Baseline to half court: 47 feet (NBA/College court) or 42 feet (High School court)

Baseline to further free throw line: 75 feet (NBA/College court) or 65 feet (High School court)

Baseline to opposite baseline: 94 feet (NBA/College court) or 84 feet (High School court)

2. Lateral Lunges

Lateral Lunges are highly valuable to work on due to the fact that they mimic the standard defense shuffling motion. While doing a lateral lunge, the motion opens up the muscles on an athlete’s hips and groin. 

Here is how to do it: Start by standing up straight, while keeping the toes pointed forward and keeping both feet flat. Step with your right foot to the side and lunge onto that leg. Keep the left leg as straight as possible while putting your weight onto that right foot. Hold the position while squatting as low as possible. Return back to the starting standing position and do the same on the opposite side. You can do 2-3 sets of 15 reps for the lateral lunges.

3. Single-Leg Hurdle Hop

The Single-Leg Hurdle Hop is extremely beneficial to add to an at home workout because this drill will help reduce common basketball injuries as an athlete works on improving their ability to handle and absorb force when they land back on the ground. 

Here is how to do it: You can use actual hurdles for this drill, or use anything you can successfully jump over. It is common to separate the hurdles or other objects by at least 20 inches. Once you have your set up, you can go ahead and jump over the objects with one leg, focusing on landing and absorbing force from your hips and glutes while staying on your toes. When going back to your starting point, use the opposite leg while keeping your focus. As you work on this drill and improve, you can increase the speed each time to work on explosiveness.

4. Medicine Ball to Squat Press

The medicine ball to squat press workout is important because it mimics a basketball player’s proper jumping motion.

Here is how to do it: Start by standing up with the medicine ball at your chest level, then while keeping the medicine ball at your chest, go into a squatting position. Once you hit the squat, you will then use your force to jump through your hips with the ball and launch your body as well as the ball as high and straight as you can into the air. 

5. Download the UPBasketball App 

Last but not least, an athlete can improve their game from home by purchasing and downloading the UPB Virtual Training App! This app is perfect for athletes who want to work on their shot without having to travel to their local gym, as the app allows athletes to train and work on their game from anywhere and at any time. The five week course designed by NBA Player Development Coach Packie Turner focuses on shooting fundamentals that will give athletes the confidence to become a scorer with step-by-step guidance. 

Athletes do not need to be at a gym to follow along in the course and work on their game. All the athlete needs is a hoop to perfect their shot with UPB! You can click here to learn more about the virtual shooting course.