Practice Time

Defensive Tips and Drills

Learn how to be the lock-down defender your team needs with these tips from the experts.

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  2 Ball Slides

  How to build your defensive speed and quickness with the 2-Ball Slide Drill

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  Close Out - Box Out Drill

  Rebounding is all about positioning. Learn how you can be in the right place

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  Defensive Rebounding

  Defensive rebounding is very important in helping your lead your team to victory! Here is a drill to help you become a great rebounder.

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  Defending The Aggressive Attacker

  By denying the passing lane to your opponent, they are often forced to receive a pass without getting “squared-up” as they receive it

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  Defensive Slides - Catapult

  The Defensive Slides - Catapult drill helps improve defensive footwork by forcing the body, lower body in particular, to push past its comfort zone.

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  Guarding A 'Move Player'

  On defense, victory doesn't always go to the swiftest or most athletically gifted. Often times playing effective defense requires brains over brawn.

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  The Zig-Zag drill

  The Zig-Zag drill teaches players to change direction in a low, defensive stance by simulating the guarding an offensive player with the ball

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  6 Tips For Better Perimeter Defense

  Perimeter defense is crucial for disrupting an offensive attack. These quick tips will strengthen your fundamentals so you can lock down the best guards.

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  4 Steps To A Smothering Defense

  Defense is more than just effort. Find out the four steps every coach needs to know to put a stout defense on the floor.

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  Perfecting The Art Of Rebounding

  Rebounding is a huge part of winning basketball. But how do you crash the glass right--and what do you do once the carom is secured?

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  The Art of Overplaying

  As an opponent who is playing a perimeter position is receiving a pass close enough to the basket to shoot or drive, you must be ready to perform a number of tasks.

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  Popping (Defensive Footwork)

  In front-court play, you will often have to guard a player immediately after he/she receives a pass or ends a dribble

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  8 Drills To Create A Great Shot Blocker

  Though natural shot blockers are hard to come by, technique and teaching can help immensely. Here are eight drills that will have post players swatting shots with authority.

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  Defending A Player With All The Right Moves

  The best offensive basketball players will square up with the basketball and open up a lot of opportunities. As a defender, here's how to make life tough on even the most skilled ball-handlers.

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  Defending a Squared-Up Player

  Your goal as a defender is to try to limit their options and thus take away the “square-up” as often as you can. How do you do this?

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  Guarding The Dribbler

  When guarding an opponent who is advancing the ball up the court, follow these six steps to keep the dribbler at bay.

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  Playing Deny Defense

  You and your teammates who are guarding players without the ball, should be trying to create a situation in which the player with the ball has no one to pass to.

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  Proper Jamming Techniques for Defenders

  To prevent your opponent from making a big play, jamming is a vital youth basketball skill to learn on defense. Here is a breakdown of how to get in your opponent's face and prevent points.

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  Step Slides

  Step slides teach players the correct stance for on-the-ball defense. The step and slide method gets players to understand the footwork involved with playing defense.

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  5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Basketball Rebounding

  Rebounding is as much about effort and strategy as it is height. Here are five easy things you can do to improve your rebounding totals.