In the offseason, it’s easy to fall into bad habits when it comes to your fitness. Sometimes it’s because you’re playing other sports more often than basketball, or you’re just relaxing on vacation in the summer. But in order to hit the ground running when you lace up your sneakers for this basketball season, you need to start early.

If you’re trying out for a team, this is even more important. You can’t show up on tryouts Day 1 out of shape, unable to complete wind sprints with the rest of the team. When there’s no one around to motivate you, you need to learn how to motivate yourself. With the Hustle app, you can favorite the drills you need to work on, so make sure you favorite some of the following drills to get you into game shape prior to your first day at practice.

Stair Jumps

As part of the Scoring Factory’s Park Series of exercises, check out a few of their variations on typical stair climb workouts. Start with a set of 15 to 20 stairs and hop up each step with both feet at the same time. Don’t let your heels touch the steps. Be careful to hold onto the railing on your way back down the steps, but keep up your speed to increase cardio opportunity. Advanced athletes can continue to hop up the stairs, but this time skip a step so that you’re hopping up 2 stairs at once.

Man Up Drill

Next feature from the Scoring Factory’s Park Series is the Man Up Drill. In this drill, all you need is a flat surface and a commitment to strength and endurance. The drill consists of 2 main motions: Tuck Jumps and Clapping Pushups. Start with 5 Tuck Jumps and then transition into 5 Clapping Push Ups. Next, do 4 Tuck Jumps and 4 Clapping Push Ups, and continue this process with 3, 2, and 1 of each. Then repeat this series for 3 sets. This is a great full-body workout that’s easy for anyone to do anywhere.

Hanging Knee Raises

Again, in a Scoring Factory’s Park Series, work on your core through Hanging Knee Raises. For this exercise, you’ll need monkey bars to hang off of that allow for enough room to hang on without your feet hitting the ground. Hanging with your arms extended, pull your knees up toward your chest and slowly repeat for 25 reps. Keep your core tight throughout the exercise, making sure that your body doesn’t rock back and forth.

Five Ladder Drills You’ve Never Tried

For lower body quickness, coordination, and agility, add ladder drills into your workout. In this video, you’ll learn how to do five different ladder drills, including the Crossover Step, the Ickey Shuffle & Rhythm Jab, the Jab / Crossover Step Combo, the Half-Spin Agility Step, and the Lateral Explosion with Stick. These are not your everyday ladder steps, and will take your agility to the next level. 

Slideboard Walk-Out Push Up

To incorporate both upper body and core workout, try out the Slideboard Walk-Out Push Up. Don’t have a slideboard? You can simulate this drill by putting a hand towel down on the court and resting your toes on it during the push up process. Start at the top of the key and complete a push up. Then while still in push up position, use your hands to slide your body to the foul line and complete another push up. Do not let your toes leave the hand towel underneath them. Next, use your hands to walk back to the 3 point line, staying in push up position with your toes sliding. Complete 3 sets of 15 to target both upper body and core.

3 Dribble Drill

More fun than typical wind sprints is the 3 Dribble Drill. Starting at one baseline, give yourself 3 dribbles to get down the court and shoot a layup. To do this requires a sprint while pushing the ball well in front of you as you hustle down the court. Complete a set of 10 and rest for 90 seconds before beginning another set. This drill is sure to get your heart rate up and improve your cardio conditioning. Depending on your skill level, you can increase this to four dribbles if necessary.

As try-outs are approaching and you’re preparing to get ready for the upcoming basketball season, it’s important not to show up at a disadvantage. Those early practices are not the time to get back in shape! With the Hustle app, you’ll have the tools you need to get yourself into mid-season shape before the season starts.