Man to Man Defense Basketball Drills

There are two types of defenses that a basketball team can plan--man-to-man or zone. Man-to-man is probably the most common and if you can become good at guarding your opponent man-to-man, you should be able to transition these skills to zone defense. Becoming a good defender takes desire and practice but with different drills you can improve this defensive part of your game.

  1. 1-on-1

    • This drill is probably the most straight forward but also the most effective you can do to improve your man-to-man defensive skills. Two players match up against each other with one ball. One player is the offense and one the defense. The offensive player starts at the top of the key and tries to score while the defender tries to prevent this and blocks out for the rebound. This is also an effective drill to improve your offensive game. Take turns being the offense and defense.

    Full Court 1-on-1

    • Start at the baseline with one player playing defense and the other offense. The offensive player with the ball will dribble back and forth using one side of the court while making his way down the court to the opposite baseline. The defensive player will try to get in front of the offensive player to make him turn and go the other direction. This is also an effective drill to improve your ball handling.

    Team Defense

    • Man-to-man defense isn't just about stopping your man, it also includes playing team defense. Helping your teammate stop his man is just as important as stopping yours. Start by taking five offensive players and spread them out along the three-point line. Match up a defensive player for each offensive player. Start with the ball between the free throw line and mid-court and pass it around to the offensive players. The defensive players should be on their man when he has the ball then back off when any of the other players have the ball. The defensive player should be between where the ball is and his man but always be able to see both at the same time. The offensive team can make this drill more difficult by occasionally making quick runs, or "flashing," to the basket to make sure his man is in proper position and paying attention.

    Slide Drill

    • Playing effective defense includes having the proper body position. You want to bend your knees while keeping your back straight up and down. Think about sitting against the wall--the tops of your legs are parallel with the floor. This is the proper defensive position. It keeps your center of gravity low which makes it possible to react quickly side to side. The slide drill is pretty simple, although not much fun. Basically you assume the proper defensive position and then a coach will point in different directions--side to side or front to back--and the players slide their feet in that direction. This drill can last 30 seconds up to a couple of minutes. It helps a player get in shape while at the same time bringing their muscles to the proper form and technique.