High Energy Practice Drills

with Chris Jans,
Mississippi State Head Men's Coach;
New Mexico State University Head Coach from 2017 to 2022;
4x WAC Regular Season Champions;
3x WAC Tournament Champions;
3x Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year (2018-2020);
Bowling Green Head Coach from 2014 to 2015;
Wichita State Assistant from 2015 to 2017;
Illinois State Assistant from 2004 to 2007;
Chipola College Head Coach from 2003 to 2004;
2004 Panhandle Regular Season Champions;
Howard College Head Coach from 2001 to 2003;
Idaho Assistant Coach from 1999 to 2001;
Independence Community College Head Coach from 1998 to 1999;
Kirkwood Community College from 1996 to 1998;
1998 NJCAA D-II National Champions;
1998 NJCAA D-II Coach of the Year;
2x ICCAC Regular Season Champions (1997, 1998);
Played college basketball for Loras College

Chris Jans presents seven different practice drills that you can easily implement into your practice routine. These are drills that Jans uses daily to improve his players' fundamentals, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Closeouts and Defense

Coach Jans introduces two simple, yet detailed closeout drills to begin practice. His unique take on closeouts can be implemented at any level. The skills covered in these drills must be mastered by any athlete who wants to become a quality defensive player. Each exercise has progressions that allow players to run through a high volume of quality closeouts in a variety of situations.

After a highly efficient passing drill, Jans teaches his "2v2 Skinny" drill, which is one of his favorite exercises for working on defensive skills. This drill will help players learn to communicate with each other on defense and teaches them a valuable technique in guarding down screens.

Advantage/Disadvantage

Coach Jans concludes with three different advantage/disadvantage drills in both full court and half court settings. All three drills are highly competitive and force players to talk a lot in order to get stops on defense, while also training how to score quickly and efficiently on offense.

If your practices have become mundane and routine, this is a great video to help show a different take on some popular drills, as well as some unique drills that can be used at intermediate levels and higher. Coach Jans' attention to detail is a great example for all coaches.

70 minutes. 2019.