Basketball Drills 4 Defensive Drills

These defense and rebounding basketball drills used by Bob Huggins and Larry Shyatt are from Coach Scott Peterman of the Men’s Basketball Hoopscoop Coaching site.

6 on 4 Screening

Bob Huggins–West Virginia

Coaches are extra screeners.

4 & 5 are screening trying to get 2 & 3 open.

Defense has to get 4 stops to get out.

Really helps the defenders work on getting through screens.

Knick Drill

Larry Shyatt–Wyoming

This is a 5 on 4 drill. The 5 are on offense and try to score in the half court. When the 4 defenders finally get the ball, they will try to transition to score on the other end. They will have an immediate advantage because their center (a 5th player they now will have) will be stationed at the center court line. The offense has to get back, build a wall, keep the ball out of the middle, and force skip passes. Tell them to get their hands high and
their hips low.

When Coach Huggins plays 5 on 4, 5 on 4 they start with an unguarded offensive post player (who is live after the 1st pass). Defenders must help and recover, so the ball doesn’t get into the paint. Another way to play defense at a 5 on 4 disadvantage, leave the offensive point guard, unguarded to practice working on penetration and help and recover.

The final two drills are rebounding drills involving finding a player to block out. A defensive possession isn’t complete until the basketball is secured off a rebound, or getting a loose ball/steal. By starting rebounding drills with defensive slides or finishing defensive drills with blockouts and rebounding, players develop that connection.

Circle the Defenders

Larry Shyatt–Wyoming

This drill will teach our defenders to find their man first and then find the ball. They must rebound the ball and put it under their chin. Spread out 5 offensive players around the 3-point line. 5 defenders circle up in the lane and move in a clockwise direction, continually calling out the man they will block out. The offensive players do not move. On the coach’s shot the 5 offensive players crash hard. The defenders must find their man first and then go get the ball. They then fast break the other way and the offense must get back.

** if the offense gets a rebound here, you could give them 8 seconds to run a last-second play

You could change the drill to block out the closest man simulating a zone or blockouts out of a rotating or switching defense.

3 on 3 Rotate the Box

(1 ball, 6 players)

In any defense, zone or man, the person that you are supposed to block out will not be standing next to you.
This drill teaches you to find them, make contact and push them back. The defense blocks out and doesn’t go for the
ball until it touches the floor.

The defensive players have to block out someone that is not right next to them so they have to talk.

Offensive players are going straight to the rim.

In the diagram, X1 could block out number 3, X2 would block out number 1, X3 would block out number 2. The defense changes spots on each shot. You can also have them mix up their block out assignments on each shot.

A coach or player can shoot the ball.

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I received this article from Mano Watsa from PGC Basketball.

I posted another article from PGC about helping players cope with season ending disappointment. Here is the link to that one. Players are probably past that now, but you will want to file it to use for coming seasons. Helping Players Through Season Ending Disappointment

5 Ways for Basketball Players to Improve Immediately

Like most people, a lot of basketball players are looking for that one thing that will create an immediate impact for themselves and their team. Let’s take a look at five things any player can do to gain immediate improvement:

1. Take Higher Percentage Shots

All basketball coaches love having a good shooter on their team. The way to instantly improve your shooting percentage is to eliminate shots that are difficult to make. If that seems simple, it is. It’s amazing how an athlete can appear to be a good (or better) shooter when they stop taking shots they don’t make very often.

To evaluate your shot, ask yourself these three key questions:
1. Was your shot on balance?
2. Was your shot within range?
3. Was your shot in rhythm?

If the answer is ‘no’ to any of these questions, you have attempted a shot that will make you a less efficient shooter. In addition, the shots you are taking will cause your teammates and coach to lose confidence in you. Earn your coach and teammate’s trust through your shot selection.

It’s been said that it doesn’t matter how beautiful a swing a baseball player has. If he always swing at bad pitches, his batting average will be embarrassingly low. The same applies in basketball. It doesn’t matter how sweet your stroke looks if you constantly shoot poor shots. Eliminating poor shots during a game can increase your shooting percentage significantly. Good coaches love that.

2. Increase your Activity on Defense

Imagine before your next defensive possession, you step into a tray of bright pink paint. How much of your team’s backcourt would be covered by your footprints? I have the pleasure of observing high school and college basketball players across North America. The vast majority might only sprinkle a few footprints across their side of the court.

It’s amazing how many more steals, leather touches (deflections), bothered passes, altered shots, and tipped rebounds basketball players could get if they would just ‘PAINT THE FLOOR.’ Paint the floor with your feet, always be moving, and cover the court with your activity. This is the universal sign of a good defender. Your defensive coverage is immediately adjustable. It requires no training or practice. It only requires a commitment of focused effort. Become pretty in pink.

3. Increase your Talk

Dale Carnegie has said, “Communication enhances every human experience.” Saying you’ll do something makes you more likely to actually do it. If I tell my check before a game that I won’t give them an easy shot all night, I’m more likely to be hell-bent on making their evening as difficult as possible. If you want to be a better help side defender, communicate emphatically that you have your teammate’s help on a dribble drive. If you want to make more lay-ups around the rim, run down the floor telling the ball-handler you have the finish. If you desire to achieve something, say it. You are more likely to hold yourself to the standard you set.

4. Hit Someone

“Honestly, you’re just too physical. You’re too tough. You box out too hard and screen too rough. You are so physical on defense that I think you need to back it off a little bit to be more effective.” NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD THESE WORDS! All athletes can find ways to be more physical. Tomorrow you can be a better defender, screener, driver of the basketball, and rebounder if you HIT SOMEONE. I don’t mean to haul off and punch anyone. I mean playing physical within the rules. Make contact with your hip, shoulder, forearms, and butt. Basketball players who excel in this game thrive by learning how to create contact to create advantages. Bump, nudge, check, shiver, and move your opponent the entire game – both on offense and defense. This will make you instantly tougher to guard, more difficult to box out, more challenging to post up on, more frustrating to play against, and completely indispensable to your coach.

5. Question Yourself

Few athletes constantly question themselves. Most just react to the situation or experience during a game. I will offer you – the motivated athlete – this challenge. At your next basketball practice question yourself each moment there’s a stoppage to breathe and think. Which question should you ask? “Is there anything more I can do?” You will always get the same answer: Yes! Then DO IT. Do it immediately. Do it again. Make it a habit. Average athletes are always satisfied with what they have done previously. Elite athletes live in a state where they are always asking themselves how they can increase their contribution. Become anxious and hold your feet to the fire. You will be amazed at how many things you recognize that you could be doing to improve your game. As you continue to perform better, the amazement will spread to your coach and teammates. Never fail to ask yourself this crucial question: “Is there anything more I can do?”

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Main Men’s Assistant Zak Boisvert has assembled some of his favorite offensive sets from the 2014 NCAA tournament.

His You Tube channel has 58 videos with various types of man to man plays, zone sets, and inbounds plays.

You can subscribe to receive an update when he posts a new vid Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

He also is also very active on Twitter: @ZakBoisvert

Coach Boisvert has also diagrammed the plays from the video and has provided a download link to the pdf. You can download the pdf here.

These competitive basketball drills from Coach Bruce Weber come from Coach Scott Peterman of the Men’s Basketball Hoopscoop Coaching site.

2 and 1

1. To win a team must get a stop, score and a stop in 3 consecutive possessions.
2. If defense gets a stop, they go to offense and must score, then must get a stop to win.
3. If offense scores, they go to defense and then must get a stop, score and stop.
4. Therefore there is a change of possession after each play.

24 Second Drill

1. This is a 5 on 5 ½ court drill.
2. Black vs White as an example.
3. There are 24 seconds on the clock.
4. Black begins on defense and white on offense.
5. The white team has 24 seconds and black must stop white throughout the entire 24 seconds.
6. If white takes a shot and the black gains possession at 12 seconds then white gets the ball back, but there are now 12 seconds on the clock. If white takes another shot and black gains possession at 5 seconds then the shot clock is at 5 and white has possession again. This continues until black stops white for an entire 24 seconds of the shot clock.
7. If white scores they go to defense.
8. If white gets an offensive rebound the clock goes back to the 24 but black is still on defense.
9. Great drill to end practice because it is very competitive and difficult. Very tough drill.

Defensive Cut Throat

1. Make 3 teams. Can go 3 on 3 or 4 on 4.
2. An offense a defense, and a team waiting at half court.
3. Defense must get 3 stops in a row to win the drill.
4. If the offense scores, they go to defense, the defense goes off, and the team that was off comes in on offense.
5. If the defense gets a stop, the offense is off and the waiting team comes in on offense.
6. On any foul the defense goes off, offense goes to defense, .
7. Ball must always comes back to the coach after a score or a stop. Coach can give it to the offense at any time.

Shell Drill – No Man’s Land

1. The defense cannot let the offense get two-feet in the lane in a position to make a play. It does not count if the offense is below the basket.
2. If the offense gets in the lane the defense loses.
3. If the offense scores on a shot from outside the lane the defense loses.
4. If the defense commits a foul, they lose.
5. The goal is to get 3 stops in a row.
6. Each possession is 20 seconds long.
7. This is a great drill to help stop dribble penetration and to encourage dribble penetration.

These competitive basketball drills from Coach Bruce Weber come from Coach Scott Peterman of the Men’s Basketball Hoopscoop Coaching site.

If you are interested in adding to your Coaching Toolbox take look at what I believe is our best offer.

CLICK HERE to select from a list of more than 70 eBooks.