Best Basketball Training Equipment: A Buying Guide
A practical buying guide to basketball training equipment — cones, agility ladders, resistance bands, scrimmage pinnies, and rebounders — covering what each tool actually trains and which ones are worth buying first.
Cones: The Cheapest, Most Versatile Tool
A set of basic disc or field cones is the single most versatile piece of training equipment a coach can own — they mark dribbling courses, define spacing drills, set screen locations, and create shooting spots, all without needing to be reset between different drills. Buy more than you think you need (a set of 20-30 small, stackable cones), since running out mid-practice forces you to compress a drill that needed the full set. Flat discs are better than tall cones for most basketball drills, since players are less likely to trip over them during fast-paced ball-handling work.
Agility Ladders: Footwork, Not Basketball Skill Directly
Agility ladders train foot speed, coordination, and change-of-direction mechanics, but it's worth being clear-eyed about what they don't do: ladder drills alone won't make a player better at actual basketball moves, since the patterns are generic footwork rather than basketball-specific actions. They're most valuable as a short warm-up component (5-10 minutes) that primes footwork and coordination before moving into basketball-specific drills, rather than as a standalone training tool a team spends significant practice time on.
Resistance Bands and Parachutes: Strength Under Basketball Movement
Resistance bands (looped around the ankles or waist) and running parachutes add load to basketball-specific movements like defensive slides, closeouts, and sprint starts, building strength and power in the exact movement patterns a player uses in games rather than through generic gym exercises. They're inexpensive and packable, making them a good addition to a conditioning or pre-practice warm-up segment, but they require some coaching to use safely — resistance-band defensive slides done with poor form can reinforce bad habits rather than good ones, so a coach should demonstrate proper form before handing bands out.
Scrimmage Pinnies and Practice Jerseys
A set of reversible pinnies or scrimmage vests is essential for running organized scrimmages and small-group drills where players need to be visually split into teams at a glance — buy at least two contrasting colors, and consider a third color if you regularly run three-team rotation drills. Numbered pinnies make evaluation and note-taking significantly easier, since a coach can jot down 'blue 7' during a scrimmage instead of trying to remember which specific player did what. Mesh, moisture-wicking pinnies hold up better over a season than cheap solid-color vests, which tend to degrade fast under regular wash cycles.
Shooting Rebounders and Ball Return Tools
A shooting rebounder — a net or frame that redirects a made or missed shot back to the shooter — dramatically increases the number of reps a player gets in a fixed amount of solo practice time, since they're not chasing every rebound themselves. They range from simple over-the-rim attachments to standalone frames, and while pricier than most other equipment on this list, they're one of the highest-leverage purchases for a player doing serious individual shooting work, since more reps per minute directly compounds shooting improvement over a season.
What to Buy First on a Limited Budget
If you're building a training kit from nothing, prioritize in this order: cones first (cheapest, most versatile, used in nearly every drill), pinnies second (necessary the moment you run any scrimmage or team drill), then a rebounder if the budget allows and a player is doing serious individual shooting work, with agility ladders and resistance bands as lower-priority additions that enhance rather than enable your core training. A coach with a bag of cones and a set of pinnies can run the overwhelming majority of basketball practice drills without anything else.
Gear mentioned in this guide
As an Amazon Associate, SixSevenBall earns from qualifying purchases made through the links below — at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Cones first, since they're the cheapest and most versatile tool used in nearly every drill, followed by scrimmage pinnies, which become necessary the moment you run any team scrimmage or split-group drill.
Agility ladders train foot speed and coordination but don't directly translate to basketball-specific skill — they're best used as a short warm-up component before moving into basketball-specific drills, not as a standalone training focus.
Yes, for a player doing serious individual shooting work — a rebounder dramatically increases reps per minute by returning the ball automatically, which compounds shooting improvement over a season, though it's a pricier purchase than most other training equipment.
At least two contrasting colors to split a full roster into two scrimmage teams, and a third color if you regularly run three-team rotation drills; numbered pinnies also make evaluation and note-taking significantly easier.
Put it into practice
SixSevenBall gives you the drills, practice plans, and play designer to run everything in this guide — free to start.