Fitness Testing
Fitness Testing > Tests > Speed & Power > Sprint or Speed > 3/4 court sprint
3/4 Basketball Court Sprint
Running speed is very important for basketball players, particularly running up and down the court. This test is used in the Basketball SPARQ testing and at the NBA combine.
- purpose: The aim of this test is to determine running speed over 3/4 court distance (75 feet, 22.86 meters).
- equipment required: marked basketball court, 4 cones, stopwatch or timing gates.
- procedure: The test involves running a maximum sprint over 3/4 of a basketball court (75 feet or 22.86 meters). Place two cones / timing gates at the baseline and free-throw lane lines, and two cones at the elbows of the opposite free-throw line (see diagram). A thorough warm up should be given, including some practice starts and accelerations (see warming up for sprint testing). Start from a stationary position behind the court baseline, with one foot up to the line (a two-point stance). The tester should provide hints to maximizing speed and encouragement to continue running hard past the finish markers. If using hand timing, the stopwatch should be started with the first movement.
- results: Two trials are allowed, and the best time is recorded to the nearest two decimal places.
- target population: basketball players
- reliability: Timing reliability is greatly improved if timing gates are used.
- comments:
- not all courts are the same length. Measure the court distance to confirm that the 3/4 distance is equal to 75 feet.
- for safety, you may wish to place crash pads against the wall at the far end of the court.
Related Pages
- more about fitness testing for basketball
- See more about the Basketball SPARQ testing and at the NBA combine.
- general information about Sprint or Speed Testing
- Training for Speed
- warming up for sprint testing
- other anaerobic tests and about anaerobic testing
- All about timing gates
- Sprint Test Results
- World Records for Speed tests
