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Buying In to Defense: Eight Drills to Guard the Basketball Better

By Matt Monroe, Fast Model Sports, 10/12/18, 12:00PM PDT

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Whether you are a program that utilizes man-to-man or zone defense, this is obviously the first step in preventing your opponent from getting an easy basket.

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 act of toughness, determination and will. After all, defense is a choice and anyone who commits to it can be a good defender. 

While I do believe that it takes a lot less skill to make an impact on the defensive end of the floor, I challenge the notion that being a great defender is simply a choice.