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5 Drills to Build Suffocating Man-to-Man Pressure Defense

By Brian Williams on May 27, 2026

5 Drills to Build Suffocating Man-to-Man Pressure Defense

Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Southern Oregon

This video is a segment from one of the 120 Videos in Glazier Drive Basketball.

Explore coaching clinic replays, practice plans, skill development videos, and more.  Click here to see all that’s included.

The full video that this clip came from is available on Glazier Drive:  SOS Man-to-Man Pressure Defensive System: Philosophy & Fundamentals

A transcript of the video is shown below.

OVERVIEW

A coach walks through her SOS Man-to-Man Pressure Defense system, introducing the core terminology and drills she uses from the first week of practice. The video is filmed during an actual practice session with her team.

THE MASS DRILL (TERMINOLOGY INTRODUCTION)

The foundation of everything. Players mirror the coach in a Simon Says format, learning three key positions — Set, On, and Smother. This builds stance, footwork, and defensive vocabulary simultaneously. Works for all levels, including youth camps.

THE SOS PROGRESSION

Players work through three on-ball scenarios in sequence. The Three Dribble Pickup reinforces the Set → On → Smother → Dead cycle. The Three Dribble Continuous focuses on turning the ball handler as many times as possible with active, choppy feet. The Sprint Recover drill simulates getting beat and teaches players to take a low sprint, find a spot ahead of the ball, and force the offense back to the sideline.

OFF-BALL DEFENSE DRILL

Covers one-pass-away denial, lane line deny footwork, the high and low eye positions, and a three dribble push to the baseline. Key emphasis is on choppy feet, no crossing, and keeping the head on a swivel to see both the ball and the player.

CONTACT SWITCHING

Drawn from a clinic by her grandfather, this section covers physical, aggressive switching techniques including down screens, back screens, cross screen switches, and fronting the post (called “White”).

KEY COACHING TAKEAWAY

Once players learn the individual pieces, the coach ties everything together in full-court live scenarios. She stresses finishing drills live so players can problem-solve on their own.

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