Use these 9 progressive defensive drills to build a stronger defense by teaching players how to guard individually and as a team. As we all know, there are two sides to basketball: offense and defense. Here at FMS, we admittedly focus a lot on the offensive side of the ball; probably too much. Which is…
Pack Line Playbook: Lock And Trail
Pack Line Playbook: Defending single and double down screens within the Pack Line Defense using the “Lock and Trail” technique. The Pack Line style of defense features some unwaivering absolutes. There are specific rules and techniques that change little from game-to-game or opponent-to-opponent.The mindset is to do a few things and do them well. We will…
More Than Just Talk: Building Communication on Defense
Ideas, drills and an overall plan for developing good communication habits on the defensive end of the court. *This is Part 2 of a 3-part series. Check out Part 1 on Why Team Communication is Important, and Part 3 on Offensive Communication. When discussing communication in basketball, most coaches immediately focus on the defensive side of…
Buying in to Defense: 8 Drills to Guard the Basketball Better
Sure, a huge part of playing defense is mindset and attitude, but these eight drills will teach skill and technique. Oftentimes, when coaches talk about focusing on skill development in practice, they are referring to working on offensive skills like shooting, passing, ball handling, and finishing. Being a successful defender is almost always considered an…
Defending Disadvantage Situations
Transition defense starts with being able to defend in disadvantage or outnumbered situations. On paper, basketball is played 5v5. But in application basketball is played in advantage/disadvantage situations. Creating advantage situations is paramount for offense and the ability to neutralize disadvantages makes for championship defense. The difference between winning and losing may come down to…
Individual Defense – “Bigs And Smalls”
Two individual defensive drills (“Bigs” & “Smalls”) to teach the basics of post and perimeter man-to-man defense. Success on the defensive end of the floor often comes down to winning individual match ups. But of course, defense is more complex than one-on-one. It involves individual players helping, rotating, communicating and giving effort in concert to…
Pressure Man Tips – Baseline Push
In Vol. 8 of this series on pressure man defense we address the “baseline push” concept and the “Near Man Rule.” When defending the ball on the wing, as with any other spot on the floor, the checkpoint concept dictates the stance angle. As with the rooftop rules and one-on-one defense on the perimeter, a corresponding…