Individual Drills: Defense

In this video, you will discover someexercises to help improve your defensive stance and movement.

To practice the different movements, here is a series of exercises.

First exercise: defensive moves on the ball-carrier.

Start at the baseline and sprint up to the centre of the court.

Touch the center line with your hand, then return to the baseline adopting the defensive stance in a zigzag motion.

Each time you reach the sideline or the line of the two baskets, touch the ground with your hand then change direction.

The lower you stand, the quicker you'll be able move and change direction.

Second exercise: placing your arms

Start from the point where the center line meets the sideline, with a ball in each hand and your arms reaching out to the sides.

Cross the width of the court adopting your defensive stance, without dropping the balls.

This exercise forces you to keep your arms raised, as if to block an opponent, and to hold yourself upright to maintain your balance.

Third exercise: quick movements.

Start from a point where the key meets the baseline.

Sprint to the corner diagonally opposite the key.

Move backwards with your arms raised to the other point where the the key meets the baseline.

Move sideways across the length of the key, and then back again, adopting your defensive stance.

Follow this up straight away with a sprint to the opposite corner of the key, then finish the exercise in the same way.

To move around quickly, maintain a low centre of gravity by keeping your knees well bent.

Defensive exercises can be physically testing. Why not follow them up with shooting exercises, to mimc the intensity of real-game conditions? Over to you!