Defense Wins Championships by: Joe Waters - webmaster
This is a great defensive basketball drill Theodore. Defense is the foundation of all great basketball teams and players.
Becoming a great defensive player takes a lot of hard work, and this drill is a great starting point for becoming a solid defender.
The one thing I really like about this drill is that yes, it is a simple defensive drill; however, it can and should be used at all levels of play.
Often times, the simpler the drill - the more effective it is at properly teaching the basketball fundamentals.
The most important thing to remember with this drill is that it is not a race. The players must focus on staying in their defensive stance and work on their defensive slide footwork.
Coaches should watch for these common errors:
1. Players will often bring their feet too close together on their slide forcing them to pop up and down as they are sliding. They should stay low, in a good defensive stance and slide their feet in a short choppy manner to move.
2. Players must never cross their feet while they are sliding. Younger players are most likely to do this until they get the hang of the defensive slide footwork.
This is a great drill that works defensive footwork, quickness and conditioning.
