Basketball Suffocating shooters

The foundation of good defensive play is being able to deny offensive players good scoring opportunities. The drills in this section focus on the fundamentals of defending shots: footwork and maintaining good body position.

• Slide and stop

The ability to stick close to good shooters is a great skill for youngsters to have in their defensive arsenal. The slide and stop drill forces your players to rely on good footwork and balance to defend shooters.

What you need: Four players. One ball.

How it works: Position two offensive players on each side of the lane above the key, facing the basket. The other offensive player starts with the ball and stands a few feet in front of the basket, facing his offensive partners. The defensive player moves to a position just below the freethrow line, with his back to the player with the ball.

1. On your whistle, the player with the ball passes to one of the two offensive players on the perimeter.

2. As soon as the defender sees which direction the ball is going, he moves quickly toward that player to prevent him from getting an open shot. He must determine whether to attempt to block a shot, if he thinks the player will attempt one, or maintain good defensive position so the player can't dribble by him and toward the basket.

3. The ball handler attempts a shot.

Coaching pointers: Remind your defender that if he goes to block a shot, he should aim for where the shooter is releasing the ball, and not for the shooter himself. You never want your defenders to allow their momentum to carry them into shooters. Also, you can make modifications to this drill to best suit your team's needs. For example, after the initial pass is made, you can give the offensive player the option of shooting the ball, passing it over to his partner for an open shot (if the defender is closely guarding him), or driving to the basket (to shoot or pass to his partner for an open shot). This further challenges the defensive player.

• Monitoring the motion

The best way to prevent a player from scoring is to keep him from getting his hands on the ball. Of course, that's much more difficult than it sounds! You can use the monitoring the motion drill to help your players practice guarding closely and forcing opponents to work extra hard to receive the ball.

What you need: Three players. One ball.

How it works: Position one offensive player with the ball at the top of the key. The other offensive player and one defender begin inside the baseline and underneath the basket. The offensive player stands in front of the defensive player, and both are facing the passer.

1. On your whistle, the offensive player without the ball begins moving around the court, trying to get free of the defender to receive a pass.

2. The player with the ball can't dribble; he must wait for an opening to deliver the pass.

Coaching pointers: Good defensive play originates with good footwork. Make sure the defender keeps his feet shuffling and his hands up so he's always in position to create chaos — by making a steal, cutting down on the passing angles, or deflecting an attempt. Also, keep a close eye on his hands so that he doesn't use them to grab at the player who's making cuts.

You can play a series of five possessions and then rotate the kids so that each player gets to be a shooter, passer, and defender. You also can turn the drill into a game by awarding the defender two points if he steals the ball and one point if he prevents a basket; you can give one point to both the passer and shooter if they score a basket.