Steve Alford: Eight Essential Progression Drills for Man-to-Man Defense

with Steve Alford,
University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach;
and former NCAA All-American, NBA guard, and Olympian

Coach Alford believes that winning teams must have a defensive bottom because a good defensive effort can overcome average offensive ability. Alford uses players in a clinic setting to build his defensive philosophy. Defensively, the emphasis begins with one-on-one play. Defending the catch and pivot is mandatory for good defensive play. "Opening the gate" is a concept that allows the offense to attack the defender. Alford stresses that defenders must stay square to the ball. The "one dribble" and "two dribble" drills focus in on the details of sound defensive play. Drills are initiated from the top of the key and from the wing. Next, the "shell drill" is introduced as Alford discusses in detail the features of this all-purpose defensive drill. An emphasis is to drive the ball off the middle of the floor where the offense can be dangerous. Players learn on-ball and help side defense, vision, rotation, defending screens and help and recover. Alford uses the 3-point line as a landmark, keeping the ball outside this line. The "Shell/Game Prep" mixes the shell drill with your game preparation. Defensive drills such as 5-on-5 Switch, 5-on-5 Change challenge players to execute defensive principles in the half and full court situations. To stress the importance of defensive toughness, the "D Stops" drill focuses on getting three consecutive stops. Putting the defense at a disadvantage is the purpose of the 4-on-4, 5-on 4 and 5-on 5 drills. Another excellent drill is "Perfect Possession" where the defense must play without mistakes for 35 seconds. The drills in this DVD are applicable to all coaches and contain the ingredients of toughness and teamwork needed to be successful.

67 minutes. 2006.

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