4 On 3 Overload Drill
You start the drill with three defenders and four attackers. The ball starts on either wing. As passes are made, defenders have to leave their man, hurry to cover the ball or be in a helpful position. Players are allowed to dribble penetrate in their areas. Once the players get a hang of rotating the ball and hurrying to cover, the play is to go live and the attackers will look to score.
No Paint Defense Drill
You have four defensive players matched up with four offensive players. The coach starts the drill with a pass from the top. The objective of the game is to stop the other team from getting the ball across the paint(lane). The team that can penetrate the paint on a dribble drive or a pass gets a point. It’s just a like a regular half-court game, except the only way to score is to penetrate. The first team to 3 wins. Playing for lower scores increases competitiveness.
Five on Five Whistle Change
You start with five defensive players matched up with five offensive players. On the coach’s whistle, the offense will set the ball down on the ground. Any player from the defensive side has to pick the ball up. As soon as the ball is picked up the defense is now on offense. The offensive side now has to scramble to cover the other players since they are the defense now, they however cannot cover the person they were previously covering.
1-on-1 Close Out
This is a fast-paced drill to practice in order to get better at closing out, contest shots, and prevent dribble penetration. Two defensive players start under the basket. Each player has a basketball. The two offensive players are on the wings. The defender on either side passes the ball to its respective wing offender and follows it by a close defense. The defender’s job is to keep the ball out of the paint area and force a shot, then block out the offense and get the rebound.
Man in the Hole
This is a great 1 on 1 transition drill that works on your ability to stay in front of a ball handler in the open court. The ball handler has the ball on the baseline. A defender is standing in front of the offensive player ready to cover him. The offensive player will try to beat the defender down the court. The defensive player tries to stop the offensive from advancing the ball. Once the ball handler has reached the other end, they will pass it to another player on the offense who will then pass the ball down the court, to a player on the opposite. This is where the defense will defend the ball for the last time. The defender is now out of the hole and now the next defender has to do the exercise, and the previous defender becomes the ball handler.