There are literally dozens, but what’s the best basketball training program in 2019? Is there even just one that could somehow make you the next LeBron James or Zion Williamson?
Let’s be real… No there’s not.
But what you can do is vastly improve your skills by getting a high quality training program. There are so many different types of programs out there, and some are extremely specific by only focusing on shooting or dribbling. So…
We broke it down into categories for you:
- Athletic Training
- Total Training
- Offensive Training
We analyzed and sorted through to find the top programs in each category and you might even find some that cross into multiple categories. The key here is to be honest with yourself and choose the areas you are lacking the most.
If you are pretty athletic already, but can’t dribble, focus on those programs with ball handling as a highlight. Or if you already have excellent handles, but can’t shoot the ball, start there. If you have no idea where to begin, take a look at the Total Training programs and see what they have. Let’s get started!
Page Contents
Best Basketball Training Program For Athletic Improvement
So this is probably one of the most Googled basketball training programs out there. Everyone wants to know how to jump higher and there are enough wannabe programs out there that can fill up a library. But here’s the ones we truly believe will work for you if you put in the time and effort. So add those inches!
1. Vert Shock
Vert Shock claims they are the #1 selling vertical jump program on the planet, and we aren’t arguing. They have the success to back it up on every account.
The two guys that created this program are both professional basketball players. One of them even won the Nike World Dunk Contest being judged by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This program is extremely advanced from all other programs we’ve seen which is why we ranked it #1 in our best basketball training program for vertical jumping.
Program Length: 8 weeks of 4 days/week
Program Cost: Standard cost for programs
Guarantee: 60-day money back guarantee
Extras Included:
- Full online access
- Full mobile/app access
- Daily printable workout schedules
- Step-by-step drill library
- Avoiding 4 “jump-killers”
- Jumpers nutrition diet
- 5 dirty secrets to jumping
Areas Covered in Vert Shock:
- Quick start guide
- 1-week pre-shock phase
- 6-week shock phase
- 1-week post-shock phase
- Vert tracker
- Improve reaction time and lateral quickness
Vert Shock Program Overview
The initial purchase can be a bit clunky. So you’ll have to bear with me if you choose to purchase this program by Adam Folker. The main page you land on is a little “over-hyped” to say the least.
With huge promises of gaining 15 inches on your vertical, this program definitely comes across a little salesy. Plus there’s several add-on features you’ll click through once you say yes to the initial purchase.
But after you get into the program, it’s pretty user friendly.
It’s got a nice menu option on the side for navigation and plenty of videos from Adam helping you understand the premise and structure of it all.
From the main page, you can navigate around to the program and see each week and the exercises.
Week 1: Pre-Shock
This one week phase basically is designed to prep your body for the remainder of the program. It’s extremely intense if you haven’t been working out lately. So keep that in mind.
What many people like though (assuming they complete this phase even), is that they can usually see a small gain in vertical jump even after this week. Now take that with a grain of salt, because it will depend on the person.
But even an extra 2 inches will be enough to keep most customers pushing through the pain to keep working!
Week 2-7: Shock Phase
As you can imagine, the main meat and potatoes of the program. This is where the body gets its biggest bang and biggest gains.
These several weeks will be a TON of plyometrics and calisthenics exercises to truly push your body to the limit. Plus some sprinting exercises to crush those fast twitch jumping muscles.
The biggest takeaway from these weeks is effort. Adam talks about it also in a video that effort will be a huge impact in your gains. You need to go ALL OUT on your exercises to get results. Every rep you do halfheartedly will slowly destroy your progress.
Week 8: Post Shock
The phase built for you to maintain and fortify the vertical gains. By now you should see several inches of gains in your vertical jump training program. And this week is all about recovery and maintenance.
Why We Like The Training Program:
There is a reason this is ranked #1 in the world for jumping programs. It’s got more testimonials to back it up than any other program we’ve seen. What really makes this program fantastic is the flexibility of the workouts. You need literally nothing (except some space) to do these workouts.
Plus you can get everything on your phone so you don’t need to bring anything with you. The workout phases are extremely well structured to walk you through everything. It’s the most simple vertical program we’ve seen that can actually get results! That’s the best thing we can possibly say. You can learn more about Vert Shock here.
2. Jump Attack
Created by legendary training Tim Grover, Jump Attack is his ultimate athlete training program. Grover has trained Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade just to name a few.
And he’s been featured on ESPN and Sports Illustrated! Jump Attack is the ultimate training for power, quickness, explosiveness and endurance. We know that if MJ and Kobe went to Tim Grover, it’s safe to say he knows what he’s doing.
Program Length: 12 weeks broken into 3 phases
Program Cost: One of the cheapest
Areas Covered in Jump Attack:
- Detailed daily workouts
- Program guide to follow
- Complete analysis of techniques
- Breakdown of the true jumping methodology
- Unique Lift-Jump-Stretch program design
- Detailed pictures to explain workout/lift/jump
Jump Attack Program Overview
Overall, this program is laid out nicely. It’s just a book you read through and then it has the training program at the end.
But all the scientific aspects are in their to prove what Tim Grover is talking about. Plus he’s got a few fun references to MJ and D-Wade for those sports nuts like me.
Here’s the basics of the program.
Three major phases designed to work for your body type. And the book walks you right through it. You should have an ideal balanced ratio of strength vs plyometric ability.
For example, if you can’t squat 1.5x your body weight, you need to choose the Jump Attack program based on improving strength and power.
Or if you cannot do 25 consecutive box jumps, your plyometric ability is lacking and you’ll choose that Jump Attack program.
So the book will help you tailor your workouts to your current body type and then build a workout routine around that.
Typically, the workout phases have you exercising for 2 days straight and then 1 day of rest.
Why we like this program:
The easiest way to promote this program is to say two words: Michael Jordan. If that doesn’t get you tingling a little, then I don’t know what will. This is where two of the top players in history went for their basketball training.
Tim Grover does it all in this tiny little book and for the cheapest cost you could image. It covers strength, balance, plyometrics, stretching, mental toughness and more. But what is the most impressive is how detailed the pictures and explanations are. You will never feel lost in this book.
Tim does a great job guiding you through a very challenging program. Be prepared because this program will knock your socks off. Most of the reviews complimented how well structured the workouts are and how they definitely feel confident after just a few weeks of training.
You can see more review and pricing for Jump Attack here.
Best Basketball Training Program For Overall Performance Improvement
In this category, we’re looking for complete programs that combine every aspect of basketball (or at least most) into one program. The good thing about these types of programs is that it’s almost a one-stop-shop for the information you need. That can save you a lot of money depending on your current skill level. If you’re not sure what area to focus on, or you already know you need help in every category, these are your best guides.
The only downside to these programs is they usually don’t get into the best detail for everything. They have to fit a lot of information into the training so they’ll leave some more advanced techniques out. That’s where a more specific program like shooting or dribbling will come in. But let’s investigate the top 2 Total Training Basketball Programs available:
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1. Point Guard Academy
This program does specifically say “for point guards” because it focuses on the aspects point guards need to think about: controlling the basketball, keeping great vision, making excellent passes, etc. But that doesn’t mean it can’t help you regardless of your position. Think about LeBron James, does he always act like a small forward? Not always, and in fact, some consider him an elite-level point guard even at his size! So if LeBron can harness the skills of a point guard, shouldn’t you?
Program Length: 12 weeks of daily training modules
Program Cost: Standard price for programs
Guarantee: 60-day money back guarantee
Extras Included:
- Complete course breakdown and curriculum
- Online access to course to take with you
- Tracking progression sheets
- Diagrams of drills
- HD videos of drills
- Leadership handbook
- Articles from elite athletes and coaches
Areas Covered In Point Guard Academy:
- Mastery of drills: passing, dribbling, shooting, etc.
- Finishing at the rim against bigger players
- Open court awareness
- Pick-and-roll beginner and advanced modules
- Advanced ball handling drills and modules
- How to be tougher on the court
- Improve leadership and mental strength
Why we like this program: You’d be surprised, but very few programs cover this much ground. Especially throwing in the mental and toughness aspects of basketball. This is what separates this program in our opinion. Plus, it is so well structured and laid out that you’ll never be wondering and guessing what to do next. Every day is planned out for you with drills, exercises, visualization, and excellent attention to detail.
It even separates out one of the most powerful aspects of point guard play: the pick-and-roll. I’m sure you’ve all watched Steph Curry dominate games using the pick-and-roll in deadly combination with Draymond Green. Curry lights up the NBA with it, so it should be a strong focal point in any point guard related training. This is the only program with that. You can see more about the Point Guard Academy here.
2. The Scoring Academy Review
The title is misleading as it makes you think “offense only” but it actually covers so much more. This little gem of a program was created by the “average-Joe-turned-European-professional” player. His story is pretty amazing being the last player on the bench in middle school and only average 1 point per game his junior year in high school.
Then, he met a trainer and newly drafted NBA D-League player who showed him how to effectively train for situations in basketball and not just random drills. He completely turned his game around and walked-on to his college team and was picked up by team Sparta in Luxembourg. If you’re the average-Joe type player now and want to see someone who’s successfully made the jump to a paid professional, this is what you need.
Program Length: 3-6 months at 4-5 times per week
Program Cost: Standard price for programs
Guarantee: 60-day money back guarantee
Extras Included:
- Complete course breakdown and curriculum
- Online access to course to take with you
- 6 complete training modules
- Daily workout sheets to use or print
- Full length HD videos explaining every drill
- Special in-season training guide
- Special training guide for youth players
Areas Covered in The Scoring Academy:
- Improve your basketball moves after the catch
- Improve your shooting confidence
- Increase shooting efficiency
- Ball-handling
- Eliminating fear
- Mental preparation
- Earn teammates respect
Why we like this program: It’s rare to find a program created and endorsed by an actual professional player. Even if he only played in Europe, you still don’t see any NBA players with training courses out there. This guy also got most of his stuff from players in the D-League anyway. There’s even a video shown where the guy makes 46 out of 50 three pointers so he’s got game. Augie has a smooth style of explaining WHY the drills are effective and not just that they’re good for your game. The most unique aspect of this training program is teaching you how to actually attract the attention from college and pro coaches. We’ve never seen anyone try to work that into a program, and it’s definitely a positive spin. You can learn more about The Scoring Academy here.
Best Basketball Training Program For Offensive Improvement
1. Effective Ball Handling Program
First off, this program is amazing since they are so confident, they’ll give you 4 weeks free as a trial! That part blew us away immediately because that is complete confidence in the system. Then, you look at what some of these 40,000 people have accomplished with this program and it starts to blow your mind. We’ve seen a lot of “improve your ball handling” programs out there, but none as effective or efficient as this one. That’s probably how it got the name…
Program Length: 16 weeks
Program Cost: Standard cost for programs
Guarantee: 60-day money back guarantee
Extras Included:
- Extra videos about quickness
- Complete online course
- Extra 3-point shooting workout
- How to become “unguardable” video
- 7-Day quickness improvement training
Areas Covered in Effective Ball Handling:
- Assessing your current ball handling
- 4 cycles of 4-week training sessions
- Dribbling tests you must pass to move on
- 12-15 minute workouts
- Complete video library of all drills
- Effective warm-up exercises to prevent injury
Why we like this program: We’ve honestly never seen a more detailed basketball dribbling program online. This program covers everything from the baby-steps up to the crazy advanced techniques. It teaches how to effectively create space and get opponents off your back.
The program does require serious discipline because even though the workouts are only 12-15 minutes, they expect you to keep practicing until you perfect the drill. That’s the point of the test making sure you’re ready to move on. We love that aspect most, because you never truly master anything until you pass a test on it. This ball handling program was well designed and gave our experts an amazing workout. You can check out more about the Effective Ball Handling Program here.
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2. JJ Redick Better Shooting Training DVD
If you follow the NBA, you probably know JJ Redick is the most efficient three-point shooter in the leage in 2016. He’s shooting almost 50% from long range which is even better than Steph Curry. Redick is also one of the best shooter in NCAA history if you remember his time at Duke.
This DVD is packed with over 3 hours of instructions, explanations, and drills you can implement immediately. It comes with a full scale shooting regimen to keep you actively focused on improving your shot. We all know great players are consistently developing their outside shot, so you should too.
Program Length: 3 hours of video training
Program Cost: Cheaper than other programs
Extras Included:
- Pro footage to show detail
- Shooting regimen
- Shooting chart for tracking
- Progressive workouts for beginners to advanced
- Shooting success formula guide
Areas Covered in JJ Redick Shooting Video:
- Proper hand position
- Proper footwork for shooting
- Proper shooting form
- Shooting drills for all ages
- Increase accuracy from long range
- Advanced three-point shooting module
Why we like this program: First off, it’s hard to debate that JJ Redick is one of the best shooters in basketball. Although he doesn’t have the flare of Steph Curry or the quick release of Klay Thompson, Redick has consistently ranked as a top 3-point shooter each NBA season.
This program breaks down his shooting method which many believe is the near perfect form for proper basketball shots. The detail in this video is unparalleled. We rarely see the shot mechanics broken down to this detail and explained so thoroughly.
Although it can be long and sometimes you think it’s taking forever, putting the techniques into practice prove the results. This won’t disappoint. Put in the work to practice what this DVD teaches and you will see significant improvements.
You can see more review and pricing for this DVD here.
Which One Would We Choose?
Honestly, it would be a tough challenge to pick just one. Because these programs do so many different things, I think we’d choose 2 total.
First, for your physical fitness we’d go with Vert Shock.
The results from this program are truly remarkable and people have been raving about it all over the internet. Just YouTube it and see some of the results people are sharing. Gaining major inches and quickness overall.
Second, we would choose Point Guard Academy for structured basketball improvement.
Let’s face it, the world of basketball is changing dramatically. You see guys like Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo acting like guards these days. No matter how big you are, having guard skills is tremendous. And scouts love seeing guys with handles and court vision.
So that’s our recommendation, but obviously you need to do what’s best for you. If you lack shooting, check out the shooting programs. Do what’s best for your game and ask coaches if you need more advice!
Wrapping It All Up
So we’ve analyzed and presented the very best basketball training program on the market today. Which category do you need to work on the most? Which program seems like the best fit for you right now? Take a shot at one and let us know how it went for you. Tell us what you liked and what went well! We’re all ballers so the more success you have, the most success we have. Go get it!
I think egt should be on here