Don Showalter: Practice Drills to Build a Defensive Mindset

This 75-minute on-court demonstration offers basketball drills and insights every high school coach should keep in his coaching library.

Legendary USA Youth Basketball Coach Don Showalter breaks down the steps to building a half-court and full-court pressure defense. Using a progression of drills that have made his high school and USA basketball teams successful on defense, he explains just how complex simplicity can be.

Within this DVD, Coach Showalter also shares valuable drills and advice to help any coach at any level begin the process of becoming successful. Coach Showalter, who has guided USA Basketball to a historic winning percentage of .861% and a 31-5 record achieving four gold medals for team USA, sets the bar when it comes to winning.

Coach Showalter begins this on-court presentation with the "Top Ten Mistakes That Coaches Make." He moves on to his "Keys to Success," which are designed to create better coaches. He then presents fundamental drills that he has used through the years to help his teams become more successful. These drills force players to do things right throughout the entire practice session, which usually leads to them doing things right in games. Each drill begins with basic forms so that the coach can teach the players the correct way to execute essential skills.

Coach Showalter details the three most important aspects of any defensive system: position, awareness, and alertness. He guides viewers through the defensive progressions he uses to build a fundamentally sound full- and half-court defense. In addition, he uses on-court demonstrations to show warm-up drills that emphasize communication and position.

Once the foundation has been set, Coach Showalter explains the next level in pressure defense as he teaches on-ball pressure, communication, and trapping situations that can be implemented into a pressure defensive system. Showalter demonstrates how to effectively teach position and footwork as players work to smother their opponents. He provides competitive cone drills and cutthroat competitions that will engage players and push them out of their comfort zones.

Coach Showalter's experience and knowledge of the game will help mold and shape coaching philosophies and program expectations. One of the game's best defensive-minded coaches, his pressure defense DVD is great for any coach looking to improve their defensive philosophy.

Produced at the Spring 2012 Verona (NY) clinic.

77 minutes. 2013. See more products by: Don Showalter

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