Basketball exercises/drills to increase agility...

[ChiLLiando]

After a night of letting some young punks force me to get my grown man on and push them out the lane on their drives.. i need some exercises that increase agility, lateral quickness so i can play defense with my feet once again?

[Shaolin Temple]

I hate playing against guys that use their hands on defense. Basketball refs need to start giving out yellow and red cards.

HIIT is great. On the trendmil go hard at 10 to 11 for a quarter of a mile, faster if you can handle it, then go easy until your heart rate is relatively normal and repeat about 5 to 10 times. And since a sport like basketball, your heart rate, if played at an intense level, can exceed a HR level of 180, this exercise is a great option.

Work on explosive and balance exercises. Perform squats with very light weight and explode up and go slower on the negative, and do 15 to 20 of those. Same idea for thigh and quad exercises. Other than that defense is about reading the player and letting them use their weakness. If they can't shoot, go under the picks and beat them to the lane. Give them an extra three feet. Look at their center of gravity rather than the ball or the feet. Also, after doing some balance exercises, just look it up online - you will be able to maximize your balance as you keep most of your weight off your heels. You do not want to be caught flat-footed. Also, keep your feet on the ground. A common scenario, anything I see my defender leave their feet, even when they are moving laterally, I go the other way. And lastly use one hand to guard the crossover and the other to play the passing lane.