Here’s a selection of my favorite defensive drills, including techniques for improving individual defense, team defense, and defensive communication. Give ’em a try – and make sure to leave a comment and let me know how they go!
Slide Run Slide Drill
Players learn the proper footwork to recover when beat on defense in this drill.
Boxout Drill
Boxing out is a way to block an opposing player with your body to prevent them from getting a rebound. This is a great drill that focuses on boxing out and hustling.
Reminder Slides
Even a player with great footwork needs a reminder every once in a while, otherwise they’ll get sloppy. That’s the goal of this drill –to work on footwork in a safe environment where there is no concern of an offensive player taking advantage.
Step and Slide Drill
Players learn defensive footwork fundamentals in this fundamental drill.
Take The Charge Drill
Players learn how to get into position to take the charge in this drill.
Partner Closeout Drill
A closeout is a defensive tactic where the player on defense quickly closes the open space between themselves and the offensive player with the ball, in an effort to limit their progression towards the basket. This drill allows your players to practice close out fundamentals.
Defensive Stance Chair Drill
Players learn the proper fundamentals of a defensive stance in this fundamental drill that is great for beginners!
Transition to Defense Drill
Players learn the proper footwork for quickly transitioning from offense to defense in this drill.
One on One Drill
Players learn to put defensive fundamentals into play in real game-like action in this high-paced drill.
Shell Drill
This is a great drill for working on team defense, communication and positioning.
One of the great tragedies of basketball is that the most important jobs in the game often get the least credit. We’ve all heard that defense wins championships, but scoring sells shoes. And because of this, players who excel in certain areas – your great screeners, the dominant rebounders, and the lockdown defenders – rarely get their due in the media and with the fans.
That’s a mistake you can’t make as a coach. A lot of the time you’ll hear sports commentators talk about how being good at defense is just about effort. And while that’s true to a certain extent, it’s not just about trying hard. And frankly, saying so is an insult to the great individual defenders who spend all that extra time perfecting their craft.
If you’re interested in some more advanced training, make sure you check out the Team Defense Drillbook and Individual Defense Drillbook as well.
More Defensive Basketball Drills
- 10 Easy Tips for a Killer Basketball Defense
- Lane Slides (video)
- Six Man Slides (video)
- 1 on 1 Kick the Can (video)
- Jump To Stance Drill (video)
- Man on Ball Drill (video)
- Deny and Deflect Drill
- Wing Denial Drill
- Mass Footwork Drill
- Full Court 1 v 1
- Super Drum Drill
- The Shell Drill
- The Bowl Drill
- The UCLA Drill
- Defending The Dribble Drill
- Half Court Half Court Drill
- Rush Transition Defense Drill
- Stack Fake Baseline Defense Drill
- Triangle Breakout Drill
Featured Product
The Team Defense Drillbook is jam-packed with 26 fun and effective defensive basketball drills to help you lock down your opponents and win more games this season.
You'll learn the best way to teach basic team defense principles, competitive practice ideas to help your kids take pride in their "D" - and advanced in-game strategies to shut down your competition. All explained with simple, step by step instructions and diagrams that any coach can understand.
Best of all, it’s delivered in PDF format, so you can get instant digital access… right over your computer screen, smartphone, tablet, or eReader… from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection!