4 weeks · 3x / week · High School
First-Step Quickness
Four weeks of reactive starts, decel work and hip control for guards, receivers and anyone who wins with the first two steps.
How to run it
- Quickness is stopping as much as starting. Half of every session is deceleration.
- Keep every rep under six seconds and take 45 to 60 seconds between them. The instant reps get slow, the session is over.
- Train on the surface you compete on. Court quickness does not transfer cleanly off grass.
Springbak® note
The first step is one violent ground contact against a hard floor. Springsoles sit 3/32 of an inch under your existing insole, so your shoe fit and feel do not change while the platform underneath does.
Shop SpringsolesThe goal
Beat your defender off the first two steps — measured by a faster 5-yard and 5-10-5 shuttle.
How it progresses
Week 1 · Week 1
Planned starts. Learn the push-off angle before adding reaction.
Weeks 2-3 · Weeks 2-3
Reactive starts on a call, a ball drop or a defender's hip.
Week 4 · Week 4
Live one-on-one constraints, then retest 5-yard and shuttle.
What you test
- 5-yard dash
- From your sport stance, two attempts, best time.
- 5-10-5 shuttle
- Both directions, full recovery, best of two per side.
- Deceleration control
- Sprint 10 yards, stop in two steps. Count steps, not time.
What you need
- Cones
- A partner or coach for cues
- Stopwatch
- Hard court or turf
The week
Day 1
Planned starts
Lateral push-off starts
8 x 5 yd per side
Drop step and go
6 x 8 yd per side
Skater bounds
4 x 6 per side
Split squat iso hold
3 x 20s per leg
Day 2
Deceleration
Sprint to two-step stop
8 x 10 yd
Backpedal to sprint
6 x 10 yd
Lateral shuffle to stick
6 x 5 yd per side
Eccentric step-down
Five seconds down
3 x 8 per leg
Day 3
Reactive
Mirror drill
6 x 8s
Ball-drop starts
8 reps
Closeout to slide
6 x 3 per side
Single-leg pogo
3 x 8 per leg
Questions about this block
Is four weeks long enough?
For reactive quickness, yes — it is a skill and nervous-system block, not a hypertrophy block. Repeat it twice a year and hold strength work in between.
Can I stack this with the vertical block?
Run them back to back, not together. Quickness first, jump block second, so you go into the jump work fresh.
Run this next
Build your next block
Tell us your sport, the number you want to move next, and the date of your first competition. We re-rank the program library against those answers and show you why each block placed where it did.
Off-season · Nothing to protect on the weekend, so this is where the heavy, high-volume blocks belong.
Best match · 12 weeks · 2x / week
In-Season Strength
Hold off-season strength through a full competitive season with no drop in game-day legs.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it was written for Basketball and strength work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Written for Basketball
- Fits off-season
Option 2 · 8 weeks · 3x / week
Vertical Jump Block
Add 2-4 inches to approach vertical through force production and a stable plant.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it was written for Basketball and jump work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Written for Basketball
- Fits off-season
Option 3 · 8 weeks · 3x / week
Volleyball Jump Durability
Hold approach jump height from set one to set five, with no drop-off in the back half of the season.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it was written for Basketball and jump work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Written for Basketball
- Fits off-season