Closing Out Drills

Closing Out Drills

By: Lee Rose

Originally Published in: Winning Basketball Fundamentals - Human Kinetics

Guard, No Ball-Side Cut

To defend against a guard cutting to the middle, the player must slide, or jump to the ball, two steps on the cut to prevent the opponent from getting inside (between the defender and the ball). The defender should have his arms up to discourage a pass and should focus on the opponent's eyes, anticipating a pass as they clear through the free-throw lane area. In most cases when the defender slides to the ball and the opponent makes the cut, incidental contact will occur as the defender denies the opponent the easy route inside.

The following drill provides practice at the defensive guard's position as 01 makes a basket cut on the strong side of the court.

Focus
Footwork execution and jump-to-the-ball techniques.

Procedure
Split the team into equal groups. Players begin two on two on the half court. Follow these steps:

1. X1 begins the drill in a normal defensive position on O1, who has the ball at the top of the key.
2. O1 passes the ball to O2 on the wing and makes a cut to the basket. X1 slides to the ball with two steps as O1 makes the cut, relocating inside O1 while defending the cut to the basket.
3. X1 should have his arms up to dis-courage a pass as O1 clears through the free-throw lane (figure 7.16).
4. After O1 clears the rim, X1 turns and finds the ball. Offense then moves to defense, and defense rotates off.

Post, No Ball-Side Cut

A quick post flash from the weak side is one of the most difficult moves to defend in basketball. Even fundamentally solid defensive teams have difficulty guarding this move because, besides defending the flash, they have two other key weak-side responsibilities - protecting the basket and boxing out. To execute all three coverages simultaneously requires total concentration; thus, working on this defensive move is mentally demanding. If the offensive player gets his head and shoulders in front of the defender, the defender is beaten. Ideally, the defender should be a step off the offensive player and shading two steps to the middle in a normal weak-side defensive position. The player is bent in a crouching position, with arms at shoulder height, focusing on the ball-you-man theory and anticipat¬ing a cut to the basket.

Forward, No Ball-Side Cut

Focus
Technique to defend the weak-side flash

Procedure
Players begin on the half court. Split the team equally and follow these steps:

1. O1 passes to O2 and cuts behind O2 to the corner.
2. O3 makes a ball-side cut from the weak side to the strong side.
3. To defend, X3 must be positioned to the middle and able to see O3 making the ball-side cut.
4. X3 steps in front of O3, makes contact at the elbow, and reroutes O3 down the middle of the free-throw lane (figure 7.17). X3 has his hands up and watches O3's eyes for a possible pass from the strong side.

Low Post, No Ball-Side Cut

Focus
Denying the ball-side cut in the low-post position.

Procedure
Divide the squad equally for this three-on-three drill. Players begin on the half court. Follow these steps:

1. O1 begins the drill by passing to O2.
2. O5 makes a ball-side cut from the weak side to the strong side.
3. To defend, X5 is off O5, shading two steps to the ball.
4. As O5 moves across the lane, X5's job is to deny the cut, the position, and the ball (figure 7.18).
5. X5 steps in and makes hip contact with his lower body, holding his arms up to discourage a pass.
6. The offense moves to defense, and the defense rotates off.
This drill teaches low-post footwork and positioning to prevent the low post from getting strong-side position.