17s (Baseline Sprints)
Sideline-to-sideline touches — 17 in a target time. Classic conditioning finisher.
Setup
Full court, sideline to sideline. Players start on one sideline. You need a clock and a target time — around a minute is the common high-school standard, adjusted for age and level.
How to run it
- 1Sprint sideline to sideline
Touch the line with a HAND every time. A foot touch isn't a touch.
- 2Count every crossing
Across is one, back is two. Seventeen finishes you on the opposite side from where you started.
- 3Hold a realistic target time
Set a time the group can hit with genuine effort, not one nobody reaches.
- 4Fixed rest, then repeat
Two to four sets with a short, fixed recovery. The short rest is what makes it conditioning rather than sprinting.
- 5Everyone finishes or it doesn't count
The last player over the line decides whether the set counted.
Coaching points
- Hand touches, not foot touches. Getting low is the part that actually costs energy.
- Set the target time before the first rep. A target nobody can hit stops motivating within one session.
- Fixed rest, not 'when you're ready' — the recovery interval is the training stimulus.
- Run it at the end of practice. Conditioning before skill work ruins the skill work.
- Hold the team to the slowest finisher occasionally for accountability, but not every time.
Common mistakes
- Touching with a foot, which removes the change-of-direction cost the drill is built on.
- Rounding the turns instead of stopping and pushing off.
- A target time so aggressive players pace themselves from the first rep.
- Running it every single practice until it becomes something to survive rather than compete in.
Make it harder or easier
- Easier: 11s or 13s for younger players, or a more generous target time.
- Harder: shave a second or two off the target across the season.
- Harder: shorten the rest between sets rather than adding sets.
- Hardest: 17s followed immediately by free throws — the classic pairing.
Coaching focus: Conditioning
Basketball conditioning should mirror the stop-start demands of the game — short, intense bursts with real recovery, not steady-state cardio. Tie conditioning to competitive targets whenever you can.
Frequently asked questions
Full court, sideline to sideline. Players start on one sideline. You need a clock and a target time — around a minute is the common high-school standard, adjusted for age and level. 1. Sprint sideline to sideline: Touch the line with a HAND every time. A foot touch isn't a touch. 2. Count every crossing: Across is one, back is two. Seventeen finishes you on the opposite side from where you started. 3. Hold a realistic target time: Set a time the group can hit with genuine effort, not one nobody reaches. 4. Fixed rest, then repeat: Two to four sets with a short, fixed recovery. The short rest is what makes it conditioning rather than sprinting. 5. Everyone finishes or it doesn't count: The last player over the line decides whether the set counted.
17s (Baseline Sprints) works well for players in Ages 13–15, Ages 16+, and can be scaled up or down in speed and complexity for other age groups.
Run 17s (Baseline Sprints) for about 5 minutes as part of a broader practice or individual workout — enough reps to build the habit without losing quality.
Touching with a foot, which removes the change-of-direction cost the drill is built on. Rounding the turns instead of stopping and pushing off. A target time so aggressive players pace themselves from the first rep. Running it every single practice until it becomes something to survive rather than compete in.
No special equipment is required for 17s (Baseline Sprints).
Coaching 17s (Baseline Sprints)?
Swap notes with coaches running this drill in the free community, or build 17s (Baseline Sprints) into a timed practice plan, assign it to your roster, and track who's completed it in the app.
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