Most offenses begin with a pass to a wing player and as defense has evolved they have made this pass more and more difficult.  Offenses want to start within range of a good shot so the farther away from the basket they are forced is better for the defense.  Defenses force this when they deny the ball on the wing level to make the offense extend out to get the pass.  It is a little thing that leads to wins.

When practicing denying the ball start with 2 players on each side of the top of the key.  These players are not guarded and are strictly there as passers in the drill.  Each wing has an offensive and defensive player.  When the ball is passed from one guard to another at the top of the key, the defensive players want to deny an easy pass to the wing.  This is done by going ‘half a man’ over with an arm extended but remaining in position in case an immediate backcut is made.  The point guard will try to make a pass to the wing player.  The other wing offensive player is effectively 2 passes away from getting a shot so the defender on him is ready in a help defense position by being in the middle of the key.  As the ball is passed to the point guard on his side then he immediately goes into denial position and the other defender becomes the help defender.

This drill should be done slowly at first until the players understand the rhyme and reason for what they are doing.  Once that is understood then this drill should be played at full speed with offensive players trying to score once they get the ball.  Basically a 2-2 drill.

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Coaches that understand and teach defense are few and far between in today’s game.  As I watch youth basketball i get very frustrated at the level of effort that is put out on the defensive end.  Even when I watch game tape of myself when I was younger I am amazed at how poorly coached we were in this area. 

One drill that teaches players some solid fundamentals on the defensive end is the Slide and Attack.  This drill is done by using half the floor and 8 players at one time.  Each side of the floor should have an offensive and defensive player on each side of the basket for a total of 8 players.  To be effective the drill must be done at game speed. 

The offensive player takes the ball to the out of bounds side at a 45 degree angle and goes hard.  The defender needs to stay a half step ahead of the man in a slide.  Once the offensive player gets to the out of bounds line he picks up his dribble.  The defender then gets up close and mirrors the ball for a 5 count.  The offensive player then is able to dribble again and takes the ball to the mid court line where he stops his dribble again.  The defender then mirrors the ball for another 5 count.

Have the players switch from offense to defense and head back to the baseline where they started.  Players need to rotate so that they face different dribblers and the drill is not complete until a player has been on offense and defense from all 4 spots.

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Scouts love to look for lateral quickness in players because they use it to determine that players ability to play solid defense.  Players that are slow laterally have a harder time staying in front of their man on a consistent basis.  Can you work on lateral quickness?  Of course you can.

When you are working on something you have to have what I call measurables or something you are working against.  If I want to get faster I first time myself to see how fast I run and then work to improve it.  Same with anything really that is worth anything.

The Slide and React drill is a great way to test your lateral quickness and improve it by working on it.  Here’s how the drill works:

Start in the middle of the lane, key or paint (whatever you call it).  Get in a good defensive position and be facing the foul line area.  If you are a coach using this drill then point to a corner of the key and have the player slide to the corner and return to the starting point.  This should be timed with a stop watch to truly judge improvement by the players.  If you are doing this drill yourself start in the middle and do every corner while using a stopwatch.  When you have completed the circle record your time and try to beat it. 

For coaches running this drill remember that you don’t have to force them to go in a circle of spots and that you can mix it up.  Typically run the drill for 30 seconds before making them complete the drill by sprinting to the other end of the court and back. 

Don’t forget to truly measure how quickly you are doing this drill so you can determine if your lateral quickness is improving.

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If anyone watched Texas play North Carolina the other day they got a lesson on how to slow down or stop a fast break and it was a good one.  I’m not a fan of Coach Rick Barnes at Texas.  He gets a lot of talent but they always seem to disappoint come tourney time.  He’s a solid recruiter who sells the program very well but until Saturday I wasn’t really sold on him.

North Carolina has a strength of running on made baskets.  They like to get the ball out and go and they have the most feared secondary break in all of college sports.  However, when i watched that game the other day I watched Texas get at least 3 layups off bad inbounds passes to start the secondary break.  Texas would use the man who was throwing the inbound pass as a way to slow down the point guard from getting down court.  Several times a blind pass was thrown and intercepted for an immediate layup.  It was a great coaching move on Barnes’ behalf.

When teams try to stop the fast break the first you have to convince them to do is to get back on defense and not try to steal the ball from the rebounder.  When the shot goes up and is rebounded by the other team then teach your kids to sprint back until they get to the opposite 3 point line and then turn and find their man.  SPRINT back on defense.

Next thing I teach is to stop the dribbler immediately or slow him down.  Get in his path or force him into a certain direction.  When a point guard is getting ready for the outlet pass have the defender crowd him and make him retreat to get the ball.  Never let him get the ball running full speed down to the other end.  If he does get the ball and is going then try to funnel him to a side to shrink the court.  If  the point is allowed to stay in the middle he can do a lot more damage with the ball.

To practice this drill: 

3 Offensive players spaced evenly along the baseline.  3 defenders line up equal to the foul line and on each man.  The coach passes the ball to one of the offensive players and they are off and trying to score.  This is a 3-3 full court drill.  The defense should run back as quickly as possible and work together to stop the other team from scoring. 

The player who gets the ball needs to be immediataly slowed down and funneled to a side.  When in practice have the kids be physical and allow it.  Let them see ways they can slow the dribbler down and make it more difficult.

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This is a great coach speak line that never really gets explained well enough to the kids trying to learn the game.  When a coach says beat a player to the spot he means that you have to get to the spot on the court where you believe the offense is heading before he gets there.  It is one thing to say and another thing to actually do. 

A drill that you can use to help in this area is one that is called ‘Race to Defend’ or simply “Win the Spot” and here is how it works.

Simply take two cones and place them near on opposite sides of the court the exact same distance from the basket.  I would suggest being around 35 feet away from the hoop on both sides.  Two lines of players line up under the hoop with one being the defense and the other being the offense.  The object is for the offensive player to get a layup before the defense can get there and stop him or slow him down.  When the coach yells go both players must go around the cone before heading to the basket.  Since the offense is dribbling I say to give them a 2 count head start before letting the defense run to the cone.  If you find the defense is catching up to easily then simply adjust that time. 

The defense should be able to get there in plenty of time to be able to contest the layup or draw a charge.  The offense must go in for a layup and nothing else.  They must go in and not veer away or anything.

On offense, teach the player with the ball to go in the straightest line possible so as not to take a slower path to the basket.  This drill does involve contact but it will get everyone hustling and is a real team builder.

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When playing post defense many coaches teach playing in front of the offensive player and this is called ‘fronting’ just as it sounds.  However, when a shot is made from outside that leaves the offensive player in excellent position for the rebound.  Teams generally shoot below 50% from the field so the thought on this is that you want to mix it up and do a little of playing behind and ‘front’ the post player.  For me I play behind knowing that they will miss half the shots they take during a game and I want to have a better chance at rebounding the misses.  Here are some ways you can’t teach and practice correct post defense:

During practice run a shell drill with 3 players on the outside (point and 2 wings), 1 post offense and 1 post defense.  EVERYONE needs to learn to play post defense including guards.

Have the offensive player cut from block to block as the ball is moved around the perimeter.  The defender needs to make it difficult for the offense to get to his spot.  Understand that the offense is trained to catch the ball a little above the block and just outside the key.  The defense is supposed to keep them away from that area or push them a little higher.  This drill should be physical with a lot of lower body being used. 

The defender should stay BOTTOM side with a hand up and forcing a pass, if there is one, to the middle of the floor where help defense can easily get there.  IF the defender is playing top side it is too easy for the pass to go in and have a clear lane to the basket.  The defender should not go through the offensive player to stop the pass but should make the pass go to a spot where the offense is uncomfortable catching the ball.

The defender should always maintain physical contact with the offensive player and not allow space.  Once the offensive player catches the ball he should try to score.  If the ball is scored the defense stays until they get a rebound or create a turnover.

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I’m a huge proponent of full court pressure defense especially in the women’s game but in general also. In the high school women’s game very few teams have multiple players who can handle the ball and beat a press so it is extremely effective and the best teams press consistently in women’s basketball.

Overall though lets look at some reasons why coaches employ a press and why it works:

1. CONTROL FLOW OR TEMPO: Controlling the speed of the game is very important for some teams and coaches because they have players built for the system. If you look at MIke Anderson at Missouri you’ll see a coach who recruits kids who can play this style so it is crucial that he controls the tempo of the game because it plays to his strength.

2. FORCE TURNOVERS: This is the most common thought among players and coaches but a press should force turnovers and create easy shots for the team who created the turnover.

3. CHANGE THE TEMPO: Great coaches realize that something has to be done to change the flow/tempo of the game and a press is a great way to do it. It gets all players involved and changes the way the game is currently being played. When you are younger and the games are shorter these adjustments are even more important for the coach to notice and make.

4. TEAM MENTALITY: Coaches really want to control the mentality of their players and for the players to want to press is a great thing. Ideally the team mentality needs to change from having to create pressure to wanting to create pressure. When that happens you’ll have a great pressing team.

5. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The more teams press and practice pressing the better they get it. If your team is pressing a lot they feel comfortable playing that style and they learn to love and enjoy it. It also teaches them to always play hard.

6. PRACTICE TIME DEFICIENT: Teams today aren’t focusing enough practice time for beating presses and pressure defenses. While most teams work on man to man offense and defense your team is working on several different presses and having that be your style. It is a serious advantage because kids don’t like to be pressured while dribbling the ball or while players are running at them. It causes confusion and uncomfortable feelings. If that happens enough you’ll create turnovers and easy baskets.

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I spend a lot of time talking about offense because I love playing offense. Who doesn’t? There is nothing like scoring the ball in any sport whether it be a touchdown, a home run or a slam dunk. However, the older I get the more I realize how important defense is in the scheme of things. Let’s cover 3 practice strategies that coaches can use to teach sound defensive fundamentals.

1. JUMP TO THE BALL: This refers to jumping a half man to a full man over to the side the ball is passed to. By jumping to the ball you accomplish 3 basic things: a) the offensive player won’t be able to pass and cut to the basket with position on the defender. Basically it will stop the give and go. (B) The defender is able to play better help defense because you are officially between the ball and your man. (C) The defender is immediately more aware of the rest of the players on the court instead of just focusing on one player.

2. Cutters: Most offenses rely on cutters going to the basket. To effectively eliminate cutters make sure the defense is taught to always stay ball side half a man over. This won’t completely eliminate cutters and I’m not teaching to overplay the offense. Just understand that most offenses are taught to pass and cut to the basket. If you jump to the ball and bump the offensive player you will reduce the amount of succesful cuts done against your team. Practice this by running a basic defensive shell drill where players are only allowed to cut once they pass the ball.

3. Help and Recover: Simplify this by making it a 3 on 3 drill. Force the action to one side of the court with a point, wing and post player. This isn’t an offensive drill so make sure that defense is the sole focus. Once the goes to the wing, the point defender needs to jump ball side to avoid or stop the cut that is coming. Have the wing drive the ball any direction to see what type of help defense comes. The point defender should act as a deterrent should the wing player keep his drive alive. Work with the defense to make sure that no layups are allowed by someone driving all the way to the basket. Focus on the cutters to make sure they are not allowed. Make sure the defense plays to its strength and to it’s help.

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When you are a rookie coach the best thing to learn and understand is defense. If you can keep a team from scoring and can get your team focused on playing good defense then you’ll be in every game.

Here are some principles to remember when working as a first time coach or younger players:

1. TEACH MAN TO MAN: Don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of a zone defense. It is easy to coach and kids love playing it but when they are younger they view it as an excuse to be lazy. Bad things will happen early on and later when you realize you made a mistake and have to go to the man to man defense. Kids will pick zone over man most of the time and they’ll learn bad habits.

2. Stop the ball: The player with the ball is always more important than a player who doesn’t have it. Now don’t teach the kids to all attack the basketball, but they have to learn early on that if a man is driving to the basket they need to let their man go and try to stop the ball.

3. Understanding Help: Each player should understand that he/she needs to be ready at all times to play help defense. If the ball is on the baseline you don’t want your kids chasing a guy at half court for no reason. The principle needs to be taught that if a player needs help then you need to be able to help him and stop the ball.

4. Know where the basket is: How many times do young players completely lose sight of where they are on the floor? I see it all the time. They don’t know where the basket is in relation to where the player they are guarding is. The basic rule is to form an imaginary triangle between the ball the man and the basket at all times.

5. Run the shell drill: In practice run a shell drill with the defense guarding players on the outside who only pass or dribble but never shoot. The players will learn that the defense should move as a whole unit. Have the offensive players pass the ball on the outside and teach them principles like help preparation or denying a pass to the wing. The Shell will give your players knowledge that is practical for beginning basketball players.

There you go. I know it is a little short and I’ve written entire articles on the subjuect at www.hoopskills.com that you can reference also.

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Pressing is a term that is used to describe teams that play pressure defense to try to force the other team to into turnovers and to change the pace of the game. There are times when pressing is effective but others when it is not.

For coaches who don’t get to handpick their personnel this is more for you. Other coaches, who are allowed to recruit, can handpick or recruit kids to fit the style that they like to coach. Can you imagine Mike Anderson at Missouri with a tall slow team? It wouldn’t happen. He will sacrifice size and height for athleticism and quickness because it fits his style. High school coaches in typical areas don’t have this luxury so they have to be more creative. Let’s talk about the 2 reasons why pressing isn’t for every team.

1. Coaches should always coach to the strength of the players. No good coach should ever press just because that’s what they do. If you have several of your best players as bigger, lumbering players and your strength is to pound the ball inside then you should never press. This sounds simple but you’d be surprised stuff that we see every day. I’ve seen some teams best player as the only defense back on the press and he’s just begging for foul trouble and an early exit from the game. Don’t press if the strength of your team is a big player who is prone to foul trouble.

2. Depth is a huge factor and key when pressing. If you have limited size but don’t have a lot of quality depth then why press? Coaches often press to hide weaknesses in size. By speeding up the game they get the game to their tempo and that is a plus. However, many times coaches will press and not know when to stop the press. Full court pressure defense will always take its toll on the players involved. If you don’t have quality defensive depth then don’t press full time. Know when to call it off for a few minutes or know when your subs can come in and give the others a rest before going at it again.

I’m not opposed at all to pressure defense especially for smaller teams, but coaches have to be smart with it if it is to be as effective as it can be.

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