This is an excellent drill to stress the importance of keeping space between the defender and offensive player. It creates the situation where, if the space rule is not followed, you can be back cut very easily. This basketball defense drill is fast and fun, and helps build confidence in your players that they can defend anything.
“Defending the Back Cut” Basketball Defense Drill
When an offensive player goes out on a motion, if the defender can stay in his position and mirror cover the offensive player, that’s great. But that’s not always going to be the case. The back cut can come quickly, and your defender has to make a decision.
#1) He can either commit to the person he is checking, and when the offensive player leaves you, you swivel your head and putting the other hand out as a stop sign.
#2) You can decide to open up and commit more to the ball. This means the defender is taking his top foot (the foot of the direction he wants to travel) and opening it all the way back up so that he can see both the offensive player he was checking and the ball.
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