One of the biggest problems I had for years was to keep up the intensity level at practice. I found the solution a few years ago. We call one of our favorite [tag]basketball defensive drills[/tag] – The Duke.
It stresses defense, as you only get points for good things being done defensively. It goes like this:
1) You can only collect points while on defense.
2) To get on defense, you have to score. If you get points, you stay on defense.
3) Scoring-Rebound-1 pt.;Steal/Interception-2 pts.; Charge-5 pts(or more if you want it emphasized).
4) I also limit dribbling (2 per player per possession)
5) You can use 3 teams of 4, 2 teams of 5, or 4 teams of 3(depending on how many players you have)
6) New offensive team waits at half, and when the defense secures the ball, the old offensive team clears off quickly. The [tag]basketball[/tag] is tossed to half, and it starts over.
My players look forward to this every day, and are disappointed if we don’t play. You have to referee, as it can get a little too intense at times!
Want some more defensive ideas to use in practice? Then go read this new article
I just posted: Drills For Basketball Defense