Here is one of my favorite basketball defense drills. This is a good drill to handle tough defensive pressure and also to apply effective defensive pressure. It is called the 12 second drill.
12 Second Drill
One on one man to man defense in a confined area(i.e.the paint) with the offensive player with the ball holding the ball for 4 seconds while only pivoting to protect the ball.
After 4 seconds, the offensive player may dribble for 4 seconds in the confined area and then pick their dribble up for 4 seconds.
All this occurs while the defensive player is trying to steal the ball playing tough aggressive defense.
This teaches the offense to avoid the 5 second count that the official may be counting while the tough defense is applied while also improving ball handling skills.
I allow the defense to be aggressive but still maintain control during the drill. Rotate until all have played offense and defense.
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