Players: What can YOU do on defense, as an individual, each possession, regardless of your team’s defensive system? Here are 16 pro-active things you can do on almost every defensive possession. Be the initiator and not the reactor: 1. Bother the shot pocket. 2. If the ball is...
The first thing to learn about defense in the game of basketball is how to guard the ball. There are four levels of defense and the first level is, How to Guard the Ball. If I mentioned the word spacing most will think about offensive spacing,...
On a recent Hardwood Hustle Podcast, PGC's Tyler Coston discussed three effective tips to defending ballscreens. These simple ideas can be very effective at any level, but especially at the high school level. 1. If ball handler using the ballscreen isn't a threatening force on the...
After watching the Dallas Mavericks' defensive performance in The Finals I thought it would be great time to share with you my philosophy on close outs and a few drills to go along with it. The #1 key to closing out is knowing who you are...
In my opinion one of the most difficult things to teach young players is where they should be standing on defense when they are not guarding the ball. I am going to give you a great tool that will give your players a visual aide...
One of the toughest things to teach young players is effectively trapping the basketball without committing a foul. Trapping not only takes athleticism and skill, but it also requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline. While there are several reasons why you may decide to trap, I...
Ask any basketball coach in the world what they think is one of the most important factors to having a GREAT defensive team, and I would bet they will mention “Communication” somewhere in their explanation. While knowing your rotations, knowing personnel, and playing solid fundamental...
Our friends at PGC do a phenomenal job at breaking down skills and providing efficient ways to improve your overall game. Recently during one of their Halftime Talks of the Hardwood Hustle Basketball Podcast, PGC's Tyler Coston listed out three tips to becoming a better...
After having the privilege to listen to VCU head coach Shaka Smart speak at the 2014 Coaching U Live in Indianapolis, I wanted to share some of the key components to their HAVOC Defense. The following bullets come from a handout that you can receive by reaching out...
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