How to Teach Basketball Defense by Drill Progression

Teaching basketball defense by drill progression involves starting out in simple 1-on-1 situations and building up to 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 total team defense. By implementing a series of progressive drills, you are able to slowly teach and reinforce basic concepts that will carry over to the next drill. Progressive defensive drills will allow a player to form a defensive foundation that can separate them from the average players. Furthermore, progressive drills will help instill a sense of team because the drills focus on individual and then ultimately team defensive concepts.

Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a 1-on-1 situation where the defensive player must stop the offensive player from scoring three times in a row before they can rotate. Focus on the basic individual defensive fundamentals. Make sure that the player's head is up and the eyes are focused on the belly button area of the offensive player. The knees should be flexed and the back should be straight. This stance is often referred to as "sitting down." Furthermore, the hands should be out in front of the player, just outside of the shoulders, with the fingertips facing up. The defensive player slides his or her feet quickly being cautious not to cross the feet over. The offensive player should be allowed three dribbles to get a shot off when starting at the foul line area.

    • 2

      Add an additional offensive and defensive player. The offensive players should start at the top of the key and one of the wings. The defensive players focus on getting three stops in a row before they can rotate. The defensive player guarding the offensive player with the ball sits down in a stance and aggressively pressures the ball by sliding the feet quickly. The defensive player guarding the offensive player without the ball should be in one-pass-away position. This position will differ depending on the coaches philosophy but the two most popular positions are deny and gap. Deny means denying the player the ball and gap means being in the gap between the ball and the player you are guarding focusing on stopping dribble penetration.

    • 3

      Add a third offensive and defensive player. The offensive players should be at the top of the key and on each wing. The defensive players should focus on getting three stops in a row before they can rotate. The defensive player guarding the ball should focus on pressuring the ball by being in the proper stance. The other two defenders should focus on being in either one-pass-away position or two-pass-away position. Two-pass-away position is always help position. You are in two-pass-away position when the ball is at least two passes away from the man you are guarding. When in help position you should have both feet in the lane and focus on helping the player who is guarding the ball if they get beat off the dribble.