Defense basketball drills

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Playing defense is a skill like everything else. It requires skill, understanding of the game, and dedication.

There are 112 individual basketball drills in this category.

Deny Guard-Forward Weakside

This drill is designed to teach the denying of a guard to forward pass and when the ball is passed guard to guard, the drill teaches players to fall in the lane while playing weakside defense.

Defensive Slide Drill or Defensive Triangle Drill

Players start underneath the basket and get in good defensive posture. They slide directly up the lane to half court. Once they reach half court, they drop step with the right leg and slide diagonally to the side line (foul line extended). Once they reach the side line, they slide on an even plane directly across they court to the opposite side line. Here we have them stop, do 10 finger tip pushups then resume a diagonal defensive slide back underneath the basket to the starting point.

Defensive Shuffle Drill

A defensive conditioning and agility drill. Can be done as a prelude to your Shell drill or at the end of practice.

Defensive intensity and desire

Each player must take a charge, get up and dive on a loose ball, pass the ball to the coach without traveling, get up and cut to the basket and receive a pass and make a power layup(can be contested).

Defensive Close and Recovery

Teaches players proper footwork ( shuffling ) and defensive reaction. Getting ahead of the ball and cutting off the man on/near the sidelines. Good drill to preclude introduction of presses.

Defensive ball pressure

Two defenders start in the center of the lane in defensive position facing the coach who is at the top of the key. There are two offensive players each with a ball standing just inside the sideline about 12 feet apart on both sides of the floor. On the whistle, the two defenders sprint to an offensive player (whichever direction the coach indicates), and about 8-10ft from the player they break down into approach position. When they reach the offensive player, the offense moves the ball in every direction as quickly as possible while the defense stays in a good defensive position while following the ball with the hands. Pressure for 20-30 seconds then blow the whistle and the two defenders take the place of the offense and the defense sprints to the other side of the floor to repeat the drill.

Death-D-Drill

Divide your team in pairs. Let them stay with ca. 3 m (ca.12ft.) space between, facing each other. One ball pr. pair.

Cut-throat

Break up your team into teams of three. This is basically a 3 on 3 game. The team on offense must pass 3 times before taking a shot. All passes must be a bounce pass unless the pass is dumped in the post. The team on offense can score 1 point on a made basket, fouled in the act of shooting and an offensive rebound. The defense can score a point on a defensive charge. On the charge the defense now gets the ball and the offense is off and the next team of three is on.

Basketball categories

Ballhandling 160Probably the most basic of basketball skills, but sometimes the most neglected. These drills will show you how to develop ballhandling skills. Remember that weak hand!
Big man 36Perhaps more than any other position on the team, the big man needs drills to perfect inside and post-up moves.
Combination 74Drills that combine other skills, and puts emphasis on technique and fundamentals.
Conditioning 159Basketball requires all around conditioning; stamina, strength, speed, jumping ability and more. These drills show you how to improve in all those areas.
Defense 112Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Playing defense is a skill like everything else. It requires skill, understanding of the game, and dedication.
Offense 79If you want to develop a sound offensive game, this category is for you. These are drills for the individual player and for the team.
Passing 74Another fundamental skill that is often overlooked. These drills will teach you everything from individual passing drills, to team passing drills.
Rebounding 77Like defense, rebounding takes dedication. But rebounding is easier if you understand the basics of boxing out, timing, and the importance of defensive positioning.
Shooting 260More than any other skill, shooting takes practice. Lot's of practice. Fundamentals include form, timing, and mental training.
Skills 32Drills that teach other aspects of the game are collected here.
Transition 47The transition from defense to offense can be a very effective weapon. Teams that know how to run the floor and establish a set offense quickly, have a powerful weapon for scoring easy points.
Warmup 24These drills cover everything from individual to team warmup drills, both for game and practice situations.
Wheelchair 10I'd like to have a lot more drills for wheelchair basketball, so please help me add more drills to this category!
Youth 23For those just starting out playing basketball, the game should be all about having fun. These drills will show you how to make sure the kids enjoy themselves while they learn the basics of basketball.