Essential Drills to Improve Defense & Rebounding

with Vic Schaefer,
University of Texas Head Women's Coach;
2023 Big XII Coach of the Year;
2x Big XII Tournament Champions (2022, 2024);
Mississippi State University Head Women's Coach from 2012 to 2020;
2x SEC Regular Season Champions (2018, 2019);
2019 SEC Tournament Champions;
2018 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year;
2018 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) National Coach of the Year;
2018 & 2017 NCAA Championship Runners-Up;
2017 ESPY Award - 'Best Upset' (ended UConn's record 111 game winning streak to go to the National Championship game);
3x SEC Coach of the Year (2015, 2018, 2019);
2018 SEC Regular Season Champions - 16-0 record;
2016 NCAA Sweet Sixteen;
Texas A & M Associate Head Coach from 2003 to 2012;
2011 NCAA National Champions

If you examine basketball programs who have maintained sustained success over an extended period of time, you’ll most likely find that these programs were measurably strong in two key areas year-over-year:
Defense and Rebounding. In this on-the-court instructional coaching video, Vic Schaefer runs through a variety of proven practice drills that he uses daily in warmups and throughout his practices that not only have improved his teams’ rebounding and defense, but they also have contributed to building consistent, winning habits. Coach Schaefer provides valuable information on how he communicates with his players on the things he is looking for in each drill and what purpose a drill serves during his practice.

Building a Foundation of Success – With Drills
Coach Schaefer opens the on-the-court segment of the video talking about how he has built his program, including the philosophies and foundations that he preaches to both the players and his staff of assistant coaches in his program on a daily-basis. Schaefer touches on the following points that consistently echo throughout his program, including:

• ‘It is not what we do, it’s how we do it.’
• ‘Get uncomfortable to reach your full potential.’
• ‘Maintaining a competitive spirit.’
• ‘Finding the positive.’
• ‘If they don’t like you, they won’t play hard for you.’
• ‘You’re either coaching it or you’re allowing it.’
• ‘Be a Servant-Leader.’
• ‘Build a program on consistency.’

When combined with all the drills that Coach Schaefer loads into this presentation, you’ll find that this part is especially important in setting the foundation for everything else he presents – all of the daily practice drills, what he does to motivate his players and his program’s competitive environment. 

Defensive Drills 

Next, Coach Schaefer discusses the benefits of the well-rounded, focused approach to the skills and drills that he plans for every day in practice – mentioning that he dedicates 40 minutes of every practice to skill work such as running, passing and shooting. 

Coach Schafer follows up this skills component of practice with multiple defensive drills that he has his players perform every day. Schaefer mentions the pride his program has in their ability to play pressure defense; working on these things every day in practice helps to promote competitiveness, toughness and ultimately a winning brand of basketball.

Coach Schaefer then dives into showcasing examples of his three favorite Defensive Drills, the ‘Turn-and-Run Drill’ (run for 3-minute intervals), the ‘Mirror Drill’ (sideline, performed in 2-minute intervals) and an extensive look at his version of the ‘Shell Drill’ (performed for 10 minutes).

The defensive drill segment of the video will help coaches at all levels with, not only, overall skill development, but the benefits of forging a defensive identity that a team can ‘hang its hat on’ – as Coach Schaefer calls it. He has different variations on these drills, as well, but stresses that defensive intensity is the thing to continuously preach, regardless. 

Rebounding Drills

Coach Schaefer then transitions his on-court demonstration to a segment on the importance of rebounding, being strong in transition and why utilizing a swarming, aggressive full-court pressure defense is so important.

Highlighting his favorite Rebounding Drills, Schaefer covers some terrific 3-on-3 rebounding drills that are run in the half-court and include medicine ball/block-outs, and other versions that utilize a blocking pad and towel.

Coach Schafer then covers a ‘3-on-3 Rebounding With Denial/Help Drill,’ the ‘4-on-4 Rebounding In-a-Box Drill’ and multiple drills that also incorporate defense (2 on 2/3 on 3/4 on 4 Run and Jump), the ‘Ball-line/Mid-line Drill,’ the ‘Trap-On-Spin/Reverse Drill’ and ‘Fly-Switching.’ 

Each of these rebounding and defensive orientated drills are important because within each one of them, you’ll begin to see the type of drills that Schaefer values in his program, and by the end of this video, you’ll feel an instant understanding of how these drills help to form the foundation of the identity of his program. Coach Schaefer does a great job teaching each drill, breaking the drill down and explaining the value of doing each drill every day!

82 minutes. 2023.