Basketball Defense

Speed to defend, or perhaps i mean, speed in getting back quickly to defend is a vital component in winning basketball games. Most important is being quick after your attack has finished and your team has failed to score. Maybe it was an interception, an unsuccessful rebound or just dropping the ball your team should be fully trained in turning their minds around from attack to defense like robots. They should retreat immediately.

From a shooting position when the shot is taken you may have as many as four players lined up for the rebound. Should your team fail to collect the rebound then the opposition will be aiming to get down the court to score as speedily as they can. You are defending immediately you lose the ball.

The non-rebound player is the first to get into a good defensive position. He has to be certain that the most forward attacker is tightly guarded and not positioned to receive a long ball from his defense. The closest player to the ball needs to tie up the player with the ball and delay him making a fast pass. Harrass him. If he dribbles, harrass him. Should he pass, get back and begin defending in a new position. The other three team members should be running back to their own goal area and positioning themselves to stop the attack early.

Returning to defense should be practised until it is automatic in your team.it is not easy to coach but one good drill which hammers home the principle is to play imaginary basketball, without the ball. Yes i did say without a ball.

Put your players into two teams and and make them play a game, with no ball. They pass and dribble and play exactly the same way, except without a ball. The coach directs the play. If a player passes the ball you either stay quiet and let them play on, or you blow the whistle and call missed shot, and call out the players name who now has the ball.

If someone has a shot you indicate whether it is a score or a miss. If you call a miss then indicate who has possession. What you want to do remember is see plenty of turnovers. When a team loses the ball you want them retreat fast. You want to see the nearest to the ball hounds the player with the ball.

The coach calls the decisions. If a side is fast and performs the right moves, positioning themselves and harrassing the man with the ball then reward them by not allowing the other team to score. If they fail to defend speedily then allow the opposition to score. It is my experience that this training exercise can be very quick and effective at training the mental muscle in the art of reverting to defense mode. You can play this at a fast tempo, with losing possession being a constant theme of the drill. Have the teams run up and down and get the players tired. They will find some of it rather funny for a while. They will naturally learn quickly.

Remember defense is a vital part of basketball. Everyone should defend and everyone has to play a defensive role. Whilst defending is not the time to be taking a breather. It is the time when you need to be the most focused and at your most aware. Stopping a basket is as crucial to the team as scoring points. If you or your team need a little respite from the action, rest when you have the ball, not when your opponents are.

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Basketball Coaching

Perhaps you are a relatively new coach then you will need to think how practice sessions will be run. It is necessary to work out ways to coach your team that work. Coaching sessions do not just fill in time that you spend with your players. Coaching and the time in practice should be used to make your team better.

If you spend twenty minutes on a drill, is not a mere time filler, but to improve your players and the team. It is better that your training sessions are fun. All players play basketball for fun, but your coaching should also be effective.

Here are a couple of drills to get you started. Perform the drills with a with maximum intensity. Maximum efforts are vital to gain any long term improvement in your squad.

Dribbling

All players like to dribble so give everyone a ball and have them dribble in a marked area, say a half court or what is suited to class size. The objective is to get team competent at bouncing in confined areas. When everyone is dribbling then blow the whistle and give the signal to tag the other players. If someone gets tagged then they are out. Alternatively you can let them knock the ball of others away.

This drill puts the players under pressure when they are dribbling. They need all round vision, to the sides as well as behind and they need to be quick to get themselves out of the way. You can reward a knocker with a five or ten seconds immunity from being eliminated. Change the rules how you feel with your players. Brilliant way to see your squad dribbling with the ball whilst busy with pressure.

There and back drill

Great for young players and lower skill players. Have races from one end of the court to the other and back again. Either singles in pairs or teams. They go down court with their right hand, and they return with their other hand. And this is against the clock or in a race.

Anybody who loses control of the ball has to go all the way back to the start again. Add new rules as the players become more skilled. Put obstacles in the way, have them zig-zag through posts. Keep them in a very tight lane. This can be a fun exercise and it helps a lot with the basics. The fundamentals are crucial in developing their game.

Motivation helps if there are some rewards. The occasional candy bar for winners or twenty chin ups for losers can help to motivate and encourage. Some players need gentle persuasion, others need handling with a little more aggression. Understand your players and you will work out how to treat each individual.

Shooting Drill

Shooting drills are always fun and helps improve your players skills. Three misses and off creates a focus of attenton and puts the players under pressure. Each player in turn shoots at the basket and if they miss they lose a life. Lose three and you are out. An interesting variation is to have all the players shooting at the same time. The coach blows the whistle and they have five or ten seconds to get the ball in the basket. This puts the shooters receiving pressure as they not only have to score, but also time their shot so they do not collide with the shots of team mates.

Basketball Coaching

It is important that the team you train are given positive indicators that what they are doing, and how they are playing is effective for the team. The main route for positve feedback is from the coach..

When in a game, the team members, particularly the novices will want to see your positive reaction. You cannot always stand there yelling so use non-verbal signs. You can clap, hand signals, facial gestures and head motions. Sprint up the touchline and leap to the sky if something is really good. More crucially give them tons of support for good play. Good positive reactions is crucial for players and their motivation, even more so for younger players.

As trainer, this is your most valuable contribution. You cannot hold their hands, but you can be mentally by their side. Signal your support whenever possible and exaggerate your feedback whenever possible.

Also teach them that their disposition whilst playing is crucial. Their thinking and acting is as important as how they play the game. Always applaud their efforts as for their good play. Applauding their effort will motivate as much as approving their good play.

The right attitude and approach to their game will arise from your encouragement and above all, from positive feedback of the hard work they are applying. This will help spur them on and they will respond to you, the more they feel that you have confidence in them. Give positive feedback as coach and you will be helping your team.