How a shooting guard should train

Vertical jump

Directly trains your standing vertical leap.

Defensive slides

Builds the lateral quickness and stance for on-ball defence.

Ladder quick-feet

Trains foot speed and coordination so you're sharper in tight spaces.

Barbell back squat

The foundational lower-body strength lift — carries over to every sport.

Setup: A hoop, a rebounder or passer, several balls.

1. 1. Sprint to a spot, catch with feet already set.
2. 2. Shoot in rhythm — the catch and the rise are one movement.
3. 3. Move to the next spot immediately.

Volume: 5 spots × 8 shots

Coaching point: Feet before hands. If you're setting your feet after the catch, you're late.

Make it harder: Add a closeout defender, then shoot off a relocation cut.

Setup: Two balls, any hard surface.

1. 1. Dribble both simultaneously, then alternating.
2. 2. Progress to high-low, then crossovers with both.
3. 3. Head up throughout — pick a point on the wall.

Volume: 6 × 45 seconds

Coaching point: Fingertips, not palms. Pound the ball hard — soft dribbles get stolen.

Make it harder: Move while doing it, then add a stationary defender's hands.

Setup: 5 cones in a line, 2m apart, one ball.

1. 1. Attack each cone and execute one move: crossover, between-the-legs, behind-the-back.
2. 2. Change pace out of every move — slow into it, explode out.
3. 3. Finish the series with a layup or pull-up.

Volume: 6 runs per move

Coaching point: The move doesn't beat anyone; the change of pace does.

Make it harder: Add a live defender at the last cone.

Setup: A hoop, a ball, the paint.

1. 1. Attack from the wing, gather just inside the free-throw line.
2. 2. Rise off two feet and release high and soft over the front rim.
3. 3. Alternate both hands and both sides.

Volume: 4 × 10 each side

Coaching point: Release early and high. The floater exists to beat a shot-blocker, so shoot it before they're set.

Make it harder: Add a defender with a raised hand or a pad.

Setup: Full court, a ball.

1. 1. Sprint the length, finish at full speed off one foot.
2. 2. Alternate the side you attack from and the hand you finish with.
3. 3. Jog back, then go again — this is conditioning as much as skill.

Volume: 10 lengths

Coaching point: Decide your finish before the last two steps. Deciding late is what gets it blocked.

Make it harder: Add a trailing defender so you have to finish through contact.

Setup: A hoop, a ball, and two cones.

1. 1. Attack the first cone hard with two dribbles.
2. 2. Plant, rise straight up — not forward — and shoot with your feet under you.
3. 3. Alternate pulling up going right and going left.

Volume: 5 × 10, both directions

Coaching point: Stop before you shoot. The drifting pull-up misses long every time, and it is always the last dribble that causes it.

Make it harder: Add a step-back before rising, or shoot off one dribble instead of two.

Setup: A hoop, a ball, and a chair or cone as the screen.

1. 1. Start below the screen. Set your man up with two steps the wrong way, then sprint off the chair, shoulder brushing it.
2. 2. Show your hands early and land on a one-two into the shot.
3. 3. Alternate curling over the top and flaring away from it.

Volume: 5 × 8, both directions

Coaching point: Hands and feet ready BEFORE the catch. A shooter who arrives and then gets organised has already given the closeout time.

Make it harder: Add a self-toss off the backboard to catch, or shoot immediately off a hard cut with no setting step.