2 Minute Closeouts

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Two minute closeouts is a great daily drill to build good defensive habits. Players get multiple reps of closeouts, as well as jumping to the ball. It’s a good warmup drill to ingrain proper defensive techniques. Coach starts out with the ball at the top of the key 2 players (or other coaches) are on each wing A line of defensive players is under the rim. The first 2 players are on the midline (Diagram 1) (Diagram 2) Coach passes to 1 x1 closes out to 1 1 passes to 2 x2 closes out to the ball x1 sprints middle x1 steps off (Diagram 3) (Diagram 4) x3 take’s x1 spot in the middle. X3 should run into the correct help position spot One progression of the drill is to make it 4v4. This allows you to include more players and guard different spots on the floor. Now the drill is 4 on 4 Coach starts with the ball Players 1-4 are on offense Players x1-x4 are on defense Coach passes to 1 x1 closes out on the ball (Diagram 5) (Diagram 6) x2 fills the gap x3 and x4 jump into the midline. They should communicate their positioning to the x1 & x2. 1 passes to 3 x3 and x4 shift to the left side. The defender must move on the flight of the pass. (Diagram 7) (Diagram 8) x1 and x2 shift middle. x1 & x2 need to sprint to their help spots. If they slide, they will be too slow. x1 and x2 step off 5 and x5 step on The drill is continuous Place an emphasis on proper footwork and closing out hard. Individual coaches have varying preferences on technique. Whatever yours is, enforce it. The drill also works on defensive positioning one pass away from the ball. Player must jump to the ball on every pass. Onthe catch the offense should fake and/or jab at the defender. They should be inan athletic position. Offensive players shouldn’t go through the motions. Take away shot first with a high hand and then bring hands down to the side when taking away the drive When the ball is brought low by the offensive player, the defense needs to give a little space in case there is a drive (Diagram 9) Depending on your numbers, use both ends of the court to get more reps Made by Breakthrough Basketball

Full Court 1v1 W/Close Out

Video by BreakthroughBBall

This is an alternate way to work on guarding the ball 1v1. Instead of guarding a live dribbler from half court, the defender has to closeout on the offensive player and then prevent them from scoring. Offense and defense start on the baseline. The offensive player has a ball. (Diagram 1) The offensive player tries to beat the defender down the floor. The defender tries to turn the ball as many times as possible. Once the ball crosses half court, the offensive player passes to a coach who’s on the sideline. After passing to the coach, the offensive player sprints and touches half court. The defender sprints and touches the baseline. The coach passes to the offensive player. The defender closes out. 1 & x1 play 1v1 The defender should close out with an understanding of who they are guarding. Good shooters require a closer closeout while drivers should be played with space. Make sure players close out with the stance angle you teach in your zone. (Diagram 2) Encourage the offensive player to attack on the catch - make holding the ball a turnover. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

Full Court 1v1 With Turns

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Good zone teams can guard the ball 1v1. Even though they don’t play man to man, they take pride in being able to guard the basketball. Offensive and defensive players start on the baseline. The offense has a ball The offensive player tries to beat the defender down the floor. The defender tries to turn the ball as many times as possible. (Diagram 1) Once the ball crosses half court, it’s live 1v1. Stress proper defensive footwork. Players will need to use a combination of sliding and sprinting to contain the dribbler. Limit the space the offensive player can use. You can give them half the floor. To make it harder on the defense, make the space wider. Play through the rebound to develop good rebounding habits. You can switch offense and defense every time or have a player stay on defense until they get a stop. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

Defensive Slides Into a Jumper

Video by One Up Basketball Training

Shuffle from one lane line to the other in a defensive stance, then quickly pick up the ball and square up for a jump shot. Work both sides from progressively farther spots.

Closing Time

Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)

A defensive-conditioning drill: defenders start bunched in the paint and, one at a time, sprint out to close out on a cone along the three-point line, chopping their feet and getting a hand up before recovering to the paint and repeating on the next cone. Each round adds another defender until the whole line is closing out simultaneously, and coaches time how long it takes the group to close every spot. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).

Slide-Cross-Help Closeout Sequence

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A full defensive footwork progression that chains multiple techniques together in one continuous rep: stance, defensive slide, a cross step, a rotation into help position, and finally a closeout, all called out and executed back to back. Meant to be run as a daily warm-up sequence, with additional steps (like a backdoor slide, a snap-recover, or a skip-pass close) layered in once the base sequence is second nature. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Three-Line Closeouts

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Three lines are set up across the floor — left corner, middle, and right side — each representing a different closeout angle. A defender starts in a gap position (not lined up straight on their man), tosses the ball out to the offensive player, and closes out taking away two of three options (the three-point shot and the strong-hand dribble) while live-guarding the remaining one. The angle and starting position change by which third of the floor the defender is closing out in, so all three lines are run to cover every realistic closeout angle a defense will see. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Touch & Closeout

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Partners face off on a line with a ball each: on 'chop it up,' the defender chops their feet, touches the ball handler, then closes out under control. Coaches cue defenders to force the ball toward the 'outer third' of the floor (away from the middle) by leading with their head and inside shoulder, since knowing help is coming from a specific direction lets the on-ball defender play with more aggressive ball pressure. Rotate offense and defense with a new partner after each rep. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Three L's Closeout

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A live 1-on-1 attacking drill built around three closeout cues: Low (get shoulders below the offensive player's), Level (match up square with the first defensive step so there's no gap for a straight-line drive), and Lock (stay attached once engaged). The defender closes out from a help position, the offensive player attacks hard, and coaches specifically flag lunging on the closeout as the number-one mistake — it takes the defender out of the air and gives up the drive before they can even land. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

1 on 1 Close Outs Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A progressive closeout series: the passer calls out the receiver's name, delivers the ball, and the defender sprints out to close, touching the ball handler live on the first rep to build the habit before going fully live. The defender's job is to force the ball away from the middle (never a straight-line drive to the rim), stay down in a stance, and finish the possession by boxing out and securing the rebound. Run it in waves down one side, then the other, and once comfortable, skip the initial touch so the closeout is live from the first pass. Award points for stops to keep it competitive. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Criss Cross

Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)

A closeout and help-defense drill: one team lines up on the baseline, the other across from them at the three-point line. Each baseline player passes to a teammate, then sprints to close out on a player diagonally or directly across from them, working the closeout footwork (accelerate, chop the feet, get low, one hand up on the shooter, one hand down on the dribble) before the ball reaches the far side and the possession goes live. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).

1v1 Closeouts

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A footwork drill for the defensive closeout: players sprint out from a line, throw their weight back and chop their steps to gain control, then push-step laterally across before sprinting back to close out again from the opposite angle. Run multiple lines at once to keep reps high, and vary the pattern (a single closeout and recover vs. a full zigzag down and back) to keep it fresh. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

D Time

Video by Championship Productions

Three Cone Reaction

Video by Championship Productions

Rebel Drills

Video by Championship Productions