Tip From Behind

Video by BreakthroughBBall

This drill is a great drill to use no matter what defense you run. Whether you press or not, players will find themselves trailing the ball and many times have the opportunity to tip from behind and create something positive from a negative situation….. if you practice this. Players partner up on the baseline The offensive player has a basketball. The defensive player lines up next to them on the dribbling hand side (in this diagram, all players would be dribbling with the right hand). The offensive player speed dribbles to the other end. The defensive player is trying to tap the ball away. If the offensive player changes hands, they must wait until the ball comes back or run behind to the other side. Never tip across the offensive player’s body. Defenders should tip the ball up softly with their inside hand. (Diagram 1) Tip: The defensive player MUST tip the ball with the hand that is next to the ball handler. So in the diagram above, each player would tip the ball with their left hand when the ball handler is dribbling with their right hand. This doesn’t always feel natural to players and takes practice. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

1v2 Zone Press Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Handling pressure is a must have skill at all levels. This drill is a great way to teach players how to value the ball when they are being trapped. It also allows your defenders to work on proper trapping angles and technique. Player 2 has a basketball and is in the free throw line area. Player 1 is on the sideline, level with player 2 X2 guards 2. X1 waits back at the opposite volleyball line. Cones are placed down the center of the court to limit the area 1 has to use. 2 passes to 1. 2 is then out of the play. 1 catches and attacks with speed. X2 sprints towards half court to attempt to trap play 1 with x1. Play continues until the offensive player gets to the opposite volleyball line or the defense forces a turnover. (Diagram 1) Stress to the defenders the importance of good trapping technique. They should look to take good angles and then lock feet when they trap 1. 1 should look to attack with speed. The slower 1 goes, the more time for the defense to set a trap. 1 should attack and look to split or beat the trap making one hard move. Make the drill easier for the offense by moving the dribble ahead of the passer by a couple steps. Make it harder by moving them behind the passer. You can adjust the difficulty of the drill by where you place the cones. The more space you give the offense, the more it gives them an advantage. Instead of having play stop if the offense gets to the volleyball line, consider having the offense try to score. Remind your players that in a game, they should look to pass when the other team attempts to trap. This drill is meant to challenge their ball handling more so than replicate what they would do in a game. Sometimes the defense won’t be able to trap. In those situations, encourage them to look to back tap up on the ball from behind. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

Ball Handling with Defensive Slides

Video by Coach Ashworth

Each player needs two basketballs set a few feet apart. They attack the first ball with two hard dribbles and a move — crossover, between the legs, or behind the back — then defensive-slide back to the second ball and attack it the same way, repeating down the floor. It doubles as a warm-up and a defensive-footwork drill, and works well as a race between partners or small groups. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.

Team Shield Steal

Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)

Offense dribbles inside the paint while defenders try to steal or deflect their balls; every successful steal swaps that pair's roles (thief becomes offense, victim becomes defense). Coaches encourage defenders to hunt in pairs — two defenders working together on one ball carrier get results faster than one alone — while noting that in a real game, doubling up like that risks leaving somebody else wide open. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).

Jailbreak

Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)

Dribblers start bunched in the paint and have eight seconds to break out past a ring of defenders spaced along the three-point line; defenders can't reach in and grab the ball, only slide to cut off driving lanes. Any dribbler who breaks through becomes a defender for the next round, continuing until just one dribbler remains uncaught. Also a good chance to work the off-arm as a ball shield against pressure. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).

Alley Hoops

Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)

Two connected obstacle-course alleys test dribbling and defense at once: in the first alley (baseline to half court), the ball handler just has to get past the defender without getting turned around; in the second (half court to three-point line), they try to actually score on the defender. Pairs cycle through both alleys, switching roles each time through. Defenders are taught to stay within arm's reach and push the dribbler toward the edges rather than letting them go straight down the middle. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).