Team Defense

These drills and articles will help you craft a comprehensive defensive system that limits opponents points and improves your defensive toughness, connections, rotations, and communication.

The Defensive Shell Drill Sucks? This article explains why the shell drill is a MUST for building team defense. It also gives some ideas for how to maximize its effectiveness.

Basketball Weak Side Help Defense & Positioning Teaching help defense can be very challenging. This article provides 5 hard & fast rules to create clarity for players. Using these rules will help your team function as one defensively.

Dictate Your Basketball Defense - 5 Advantages of Force Left Defense The Force Left concept has become more and more popular, and with good reason. This article explains the Force Left system and shares 5 advantages of making it your defensive system.

3 Simple Tricks That Will INSTANTLY Double Your Defensive Quickness What if you could get your players to play quicker than they are? You can! This article shares three tips that help get your players moving quicker, erasing offensive openings and making you hard to score on.

What defense should you teach YOUTH players (zone, man, press)? Youth coaches often struggle with the decision to play man or zone. This article breaks down the pros or cons before arguing passionately that there is a right choice!

An Easy Way to Improve Your Team's Communication on DefenseTeaching defensive communication. Many coaches tell players to “talk,” but very few teach communication. This article gives some advice on how to teach defensive communication.

2 Great Defensive Tips That Will Lower Your Opponents Shooting Percentage Shooting is the number 1 determinant of winning. This article provides 2 tips that will force your opponent to take tougher shots, leading to less points for them and more wins for you!

10 Tips for Taking Charging Fouls Nothing can change momentum like a player sacrificing their body for the team by taking a charge. Unfortunately, most players are never taught how to take a charge. This article eliminates the fear of taking a charge by teaching proper technique.

7 Reasons that Defense Wins Games and Should Be Your Priority -- Can You Come Up With More Reasons? Offense or defense - what’s more important? Obviously, you need to work on both. That said, this article makes a persuasive case for focusing on defense, arguing that the path to elite defense is quicker than the path to great offense.

On Ball Defense

On ball defense is the starting point for elite team defense. When your players can guard the ball effectively, you get beat less. When you get beat less, you stay out of rotation. When you stay out of rotation, you stay in ‘neutral’ - 5 against 5. Use these articles to help create skilled on ball defender.

Defensive Close Out Fundamentals -- 5 Keys To Better Close OutsClosing out is a critical piece of on ball defense. This article gives 5 keys to elite closeouts. Use them to teach players to take away open shots AND straight line drives.

10 Keys to a Great Basketball Defense Stance Many players neglect their defensive stance. They are off-balance or stand up too straight. This article teaches 10 keys to a great stance. Coaches should use those to teach players. If they start from a good stance, they’ll be much more likely to keep the ball in front of them.

5 Tips for Better On-The-Ball Defense 5 quick tips to guard the ball. These are all tangible tips that give players a slight edge on the ball. Most can be taught in an ‘if/then’ manner, enabling players to quickly react to what the offense does.

Video with Tricks to Improve One on One Defense and Ball Pressure More tips for elite defense from one of the best defenders in NBA history, Bruce Bowen. In the video, Bruce discusses how to determine the right level of ball pressure, as well as the benefits of ball pressure.

Decrease Your Opponents' Shooting Percentage By 25 Percent Using This Defensive Tactic Blocked shots are fun and exciting. However, trying to block shots often leads to defensive breakdowns, either through fly by’s or fouls. This article proposes a better way to contest shots.

Improving Defensive Quickness & Debunking The "Don't Cross Your Feet" Myth Most youth players are taught never to cross their feet. If you watch the best players play, they all cross their feet on defense. This article explains why the “conventional wisdom” is wrong, and suggests a better way to teach.

Man to Man Defensive Systems

Man To Man Defense With Jim Huber - Coach Jim Huber goes over every aspect of man to man defense. He starts with how to guard the ball 1 on 1 and builds from there. This is an A-Z system for how to teach man to man defense in a logical way. It’s great for a coach who’s looking to teach man to man defense throughout their program and build a defensive identity.

Man Left Defense With Rob Brost - for those who want to teach man to man by making players use their weak hand, the Man Left is for you. This defensive system is based around forcing the ball left. It forces players to make plays using their non-dominant hand. It’s a great way to force your opponent to play uncomfortably. One hidden benefit is that your players will improve their weak hand by practicing against this defense on a regular basis.

The Outer ? Defense With Nick LoGalbo - this defensive system forces on keeping the ball on 1 side of the floor. This makes defensive rotations easier. It is also a nightmare for offenses, as most offenses are built around the value of ball reversals. Taking that away stalls out almost every offense you’ll see. This system gives players clarity, helping your players stay connected on the defensive end.

Complete Instructional System for Man to Man Basketball Defense - eBook

Basketball Defense Drills

1 on 1 Contain Drill For Individual Defense

The Defensive Cutthroat Dril To Develop Elite Habits

1v1 Attack To Work On Controlling The Dribbler In Transition

Ball Screen Defense Drill

3v3 Closeout To Teach Closeout Technique & Help Positioning

The 3 Best Man Left Defense Drills To Lock The Ball Left

Charge Technique Drill

Triangle Charge Drill

The Ultimate Team Defense Drill To Test Rotation & Communication

6 Relentless Pressure Defense Drills For Full Court Pressing

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