Basketball Drills: Tips For Training Defence In Basketball
Do you want to become a better basketball player? If so, then you must know how to defend properly. You may be wondering what basketball defensive drills are and how they can help your game.
This blog will answer all of those questions and more! We’ll talk about different basketball defense drills, as well as tips for training defense in basketball. By the end of this article, you will know everything there is to know about defending in basketball!
What is Defending in Basketball?
Defending in basketball is defending your opponent while he is trying to dribble down the court and shoot a basket. This defending should be done in such a way that you prevent him from scoring points, while not committing any fouls or violations (like double-dribbling).
Defense is very important in the basketball game because it helps your team win the game. A good defense will stop the other team from scoring, allowing you to score more points and win! So why not study basketball drills from a defensive point of view?

Training Defense in Basketball Drills | Tips & Drills
Practicing defense can be a pretty tedious task, but it’s definitely worth your time. There are many basketball defending drills that you can use to train defending in basketball, which will prepare you for the game.
Closeout Drill
The first drill is one of my personal favorites: closeouts! To perform this drill, stand with both feet on either side of the imaginary line that runs down the center of the court (the division line). If there is no division line present on your gym floor, then simply imagine one and start at half court.
Take a few steps backward so that you’re far away from the player who starts dribbling towards you. When he gets within shooting range or near enough to be considered dangerous, sprint forwards as fast as possible while yelling “ball out!” If the player dribbles past you, then turn and sprint back to your starting point.

Post Drill
Another drill that is great for defending in basketball is called the post drill. This involves defending an offensive player (usually a big man) who’s standing inside of the painted area near either side of the basket. To start this defending drill, stand behind the key with both feet on either side of it (or just imagine where it would be).
The offensive player will now try as hard as he can to score against you by shooting layups, hook shots, or other types of close-range shots like fadeaways. Defend him as best you can! There are many more drills that will help train defense – see what works best for you!
Defending from the Blindside
This drill involves defending an offensive player from the blindside. To do this defending drill, you’ll need at least one other person to play with (it’s usually a guard defending against a big man). The offensive player will assume that he has space and start dribbling towards your side of the court or past you.
When he does this, quickly sprint around him so that now you’re on his opposite side. This defending maneuver is called going behind-the-back because it goes “behind” your opponent’s back as opposed to defending in front of them like most basketball drills require!
Defending in Transition Defense
This drill will require multiple players defending in basketball. The first one is defending in transition defense after you make a shot at the other end of the court (the offensive end). To practice this drill, choose two teammates to act as defenders while everyone else stands on offense behind them.
One person will start dribbling towards your defensive team with their head down and eyes focused only on where they’re going – this means that they can’t see what’s ahead of them!
When he gets within shooting range or near enough to be considered dangerous, sprint outwards into a help-defense position so that both feet are facing him. Do not move backwards during this defending drill because it could result in an open layup for your opponent(s)!
Defending on Isolation Moves
This defending drill requires multiple people as well, but this defending drill is called defending on an isolation move. This defending maneuver involves defending a player who’s trying to score against you all by himself.
The way that it works is the offensive player will receive the ball and start dribbling towards your side of the court or past you so that they can try and get off a shot. When he does this, sprint out into help-defense position!
If their head isn’t facing where they’re going during this basketball defending drill then there’s no chance of them scoring if you do it right!

Improve your Agility
If you want to be a good defense in basketball, then improving your agility is crucial. You can do this by running through tires, jumping over cones, and even doing the famous tire flips (although these are very physically demanding).
If you’re looking for some of the best defending drills that will also help improve your agility, see our article on defending drills. There’s bound to be at least one there that works well with what you need.
Defending in basketball isn’t an easy task; it takes time and effort to get better at defending. By practicing certain defensive skills like closeouts, post defense, or even footwork like backpedaling, however, it is easier every day!
More Tips on How to Improve your Defensive Game in Basketball
Some other tips on improving your defense game in basketball are:
– defending like your life depends on it (because when you’re playing defense in basketball, it does depend on it)
– know the other team’s plays and tendencies; this will give you an advantage over them
– practice defending at least three times a week
By following these tips, defending in basketball can be easier every day. Soon enough, you’ll become one of the best defenders that you can be! Basketball is all about teamwork – so always remember to work together with your teammates.
It doesn’t matter which positions they play or who starts – what matters most is how well everyone works together as a unit by communicating and helping each other out during games. By doing so, there’s no doubt that defending in basketball will be a little bit easier for you!
Some of the Best Defensive Basketball Players
Being a defensive player may not get you in the headlines. Well, not in the case of the iconic Dennis Rodman. Some other great basketball defensive players that are worthy of a mention:
Bruce Bowen – he is an NBA Champion and known for his defending skills, especially on LeBron James. He’s also won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times in a row!
Ben Wallace – another great player who was always underrated due to playing alongside superstars like Rasheed Wallace or Kobe Bryant. Nonetheless, this four-time NBA champion has incredible defensive skills that are worth seeing when you get the chance!
Malcolm Brogdon – this young man is currently one of the best defending guards in NCAA basketball with impressive stats over his first two seasons.
Yogi Ferrell – this student at Indiana University is averaging 14 points and five assists per game (he was named to the First Team All-Big Ten last year!). Watch out for him as he tries to make it into the NBA after college basketball finishes up!
Nigel Hayes – The other young man from Wisconsin, Nigel has dropped his weight down by 15 pounds and improved his defending so much that he now averages almost three steals per game. With such an impressive stat sheet already, watch out for what Hayes will do next season with another year of experience under his belt!
None of these amazing defensive players got many headlines because they were defending guards and forwards, but they are not underrated by their teammates or coaches! Every basketball team needs at least a couple of good defending players on the roster.
Conclusion
Defense is the ugly part of basketball, but it’s also an important aspect of winning games and championships. As they say, attack wins you games and defense wins you championships.
This article should have given you everything you need to know about how to train your defense game in basketball and we hope that this information helps improve your skills on the court or field of play! If any other tips helped make your defensive skills better please let us know – our team would love to hear from more people who want help with their practice sessions.
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