35 drills
Build a low, sliding defensive stance and change of direction.
Teach how to sprint out and stop under control on a shooter.
Put the day's skills into a real, game-like situation.
Warm up the defensive stance and lateral movement.
Make contact, seal your player, and go get the rebound.
Build a strong, low defensive slide across the lane.
React fast and compete for a loose ball, then score.
Win your 1-on-1 (or small-sided) battle to stay on the court.
Compete straight up — create a shot, or get a stop.
Play with a partner — screen, cut, and help on defence.
Play team basketball with spacing, movement, and help defence.
Put it all together in a game with coaching stops.
Sprint the floor and play both ends.
Learn team defence: help, recover, and talk as the ball moves.
Keep the court by getting stops and scoring — three teams rotating.
Warm up defensive movement and reacting to a signal.
Deny a pass to your player one pass away from the ball.
Help a beaten teammate, then recover to your own player.
Close out under control, then recover across to close out the other wing.
Defend a target (the 'castle') as a team.
Attack and defend a real catch-and-go from the wing.
Use an on-ball screen to create a shot, 2-on-2 live.
Exploit (and defend) a numbers advantage with real spacing.
Compete hard to box out and win every rebound.
Practise real game situations in a controlled scrimmage.
Defend a side ball screen by 'icing' it — forcing the ball-handler away from the screen toward the baseline.
Defend a ball screen by hard-hedging with the big, then recovering to the roller.
Defend the ball screen by dropping the big to protect the rim while the guard chases over.
Cover for a defender who helped by rotating and 'X-ing out' to the open man.
Fix a mismatch after a switch — a guard and big trade the post player back (a 'scram' switch).
Apply organised full-court pressure to trap and speed up the opponent.
Sprint-and-break-down closeouts that contest the shot and take away the drive.
Sprint back, stop the ball, and match up when outnumbered.
Finish a 2-on-1, then instantly transition to defending the other way.
Compete in live 1-on-1 from a set start to sharpen scoring and on-ball defence.