Basketball Defense Training
Hardcore basketball fans know that while it might not be glamorous, defense wins games. Focusing on one's defensive skills can turn a below-average player into a potential high school or college scholarship recruit, or in the best-case scenario, an NBA draft pick. While the game has evolved throughout the years, there are fundamental skills that must be developed before one can be considered a complete player; and of all of these skills, defense is the most important.
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Defensive Awareness
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Educating players on defensive awareness involves ensuring that they understand concepts such as man-to-man, zone defense and player positioning on the court. Instruct them on how to maintain the proper defensive stance: legs shoulder-width apart, slightly bent knees and right or left foot forward, depending on which direction they are trying to force the offensive player. This can be done by watching taped games or through formal instruction, and it represents the mental aspect of the game, so it requires some study and application.
Stealing
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Coaches use two-on-two drills to train players to steal the ball. In these drills, one offensive player stands at the top of the key with the ball and attempts to pass the ball to a teammate in the post, while both players are guarded by two or more defensive players. The main focus of the defense here is to attempt to intercept the pass by staying in between the player and the hoop at all times, but to avoid obsessively swiping at the ball. When guarding someone with the ball in their possession, players are instructed to swipe up at the ball as opposed to downward to avoid fouling the offensive player. This exercise has dual benefits in that it trains the muscle memory, peripheral vision and hand-eye coordination necessary for stealing the ball, while also refining passing skills.
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Blocking
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Like stealing, if not done correctly, attempting to block a shot can result in a foul. Two methods of coaching shot blocking involve defending a player facing the basket and defending a player with his back to the basket in post position. In both cases, a fundamental skill for a player to master is to always keep one hand in the air, prepared to impede the pass or the shot. This practice will naturally result in more blocks and it is traditionally the one thing most students new to the sport forget.
Defensive Rebounding
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There are many methods to train players to rebound on defense. One drill involves having the entire team play a game of 21, in which all the players compete individually to score 21 points by boxing out their competitors, fighting for rebounds or stealing the ball. Another technique is to have players line up and one by one bounce the ball lightly off one side of the backboard. Each player catches the ball mid-jump and then bounces the ball back off the backboard for the player behind them. In addition to developing the skills needed for good rebounding, it trains the quadriceps, calf muscles and jumping reflexes.
Defending Pick-and-Roll
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It is important to run drills to practice different defensive styles, but also to condition players to handle pick-and-roll plays. In a pick-and-roll play, one offensive player positions herself to block a defensive player's ability to follow the person they are guarding. This play allows an offensive player moving without the ball to receive a pass. One way to train defensive players to adjust to pick-and-roll plays is to run five-on-five practice games and to halt the action occasionally to instruct the players on what they are doing right or wrong, and on how they should work to reposition when a pick-and-roll occurs.
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- Photo Credit basketball image by Kirubeshwaran from Fotolia.com
