To become an effective defender on the basketball court, an athlete needs to perform a variety of small, simple tasks consistently well. A defender must run forward and backward at high speeds, react quickly and move laterally, elevate to challenge shooters, utilize his strength to hold his ground on the court and maintain mental focus while doing all that. While any player can develop those defensive skills, mastering them requires sweat equity in practice. By realistically simulating multiple game conditions in defensive drills, a player will be better prepared for the pressure of defending in game situations.
Defending From the Ground Up
Step 1
Begin your defensive drills by teaching a proper defensive stance. Instruct players to bend their knees, spread their feet shoulder-width apart without crossing over their feet and extend their arms. Defenders must always keep their backs to the baseline of their backcourt, while keeping their head and eyes up to see the whole floor.
Step 2
Stress the concept of "chopping the feet" to all players during defensive drills. Whether it's moving laterally to cut off a ball handler or closing out on a player receiving a pass on the perimeter, a defender is forced to chop his feet, or take small, controlled steps that will allow him to change direction quickly. This movement can only be achieved when a defender utilizes proper stance and posture and keeps his weight on the balls of his feet, not back on his heels.
Step 3
Remind defenders to keep constant communication with their teammates, making their job and all other players' defensive assignments easier. Players should always call out whether they are defending the ball, or if they are one pass or two passes away from the ball. Defenders must also call out screens, picks and shots so their teammates know when and where to react on the court.
Useful Defensive Drills
Step 1
Perfect a player's defensive stance and defensive slide by using the zig-zag drill, which will enhance a defender's lateral movement. To complete the zig-zag drill, the defender will begin underneath the basket and slide laterally along the baseline to the corner of the court. There, she will make a forward pivot and slide diagonally to the elbow at the free-throw line. From the elbow, she will then pivot back and slide laterally to the sideline, repeating the zig-zag motion all the way to the half-court line. Once the defender reaches the sideline at half-court, she can finish the drill by sprinting back to the baseline.
Step 2
Teach defenders proper technique for closing out on the perimeter using a simple one-on-one close-out drill. In this drill, the defender will start from a defensive stance in the lane, with a coach or another drill leader on one side near the 3-point line and an offensive player on the other side. The coach will dribble into the lane, forcing the defender to stop his dribble, then pass to the opposite side of the floor to the offensive player. When the ball is passed to the opposite side, a one-on-one play begins and the defender must close out on the offensive player. Remind the defender to chop his feet, extend his arms and stay low in his stance to prevent getting beaten off the dribble.
Step 3
Execute individual defensive principles in a team environment using the shell drill, which can be performed as a four-on-four or five-on-five drill. Place four offensive players around the perimeter, with two on the wings and two in the corners near the baseline, then spread out four defenders across the baseline. In a five-on-five version of the drill, position one offensive player in the low post and five defenders across the baseline. The coach will begin the drill by passing the ball to any offensive player, at which time the defenders will close out on the player they're guarding. One player must always be guarding the basketball, while players one pass away seek to take away their opponent's passing lane. Defenders guarding a player two passes away from the ball should sag slightly toward the lane, ready to help the on-ball defender should he get beaten off the dribble.
Tips and Warnings
- Make communication between teammates a critical part of team defensive drills, particularly in the shell drill. Communication should be as important to a defender as the actual movements he performs on the court. Defenders can communicate by pointing to their defensive assignments, but should especially focus on verbally relaying information to their teammates with cues such as "I've got ball" if guarding the ball handler, or "I've got help" if playing help defense.
- Reward and encourage players who execute proper defensive principles, but don't criticize a defender too harshly if he uses proper technique and gets beaten by a strong offensive player. Sometimes even the best defender with the most flawless technique can't stop a perfect shot. When that situation happens, reinforce the fundamental defensive principles and move on in your drills.
Things You'll Need
- Two or more basketballs
- Practice partners
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