Purpose

To improve defensive footwork and conditioning

Drill Setup

  • Players spread out in the half court
  • Coach stands in front of group facing the team

How it Works

  1. Drill leader yells ‘Stance!’ and players drop down into fundamental defensive stance.
  2. Drill leader then yells ‘Pepper!’ and players begin to ‘pepper’ the ground, firing their feet up and down as quickly as they can while still maintaining their defensive stance.
  3. Periodically, leader will yell ‘Left!’ or ‘Right!’, cueing the players to quickly rotate 90 degrees in that direction before jumping right back into forward facing pepper.
  4. Continue for 60 seconds, rest, repeat for 2 more reps

Coaching Tips

  • You can also add more commands like ‘Shot!’ or ‘Ball!’, making players challenge a jump shot or dive for a loose ball and get right back into Pepper.
  • Emphasize the importance of staying in a good defensive stance, with knees bent, head up, arms wide and palms up.