Post Play + Drills to Reduce Turnovers

with Greg Gard,
University of Wisconsin Head Coach;
2x Big Ten Coach of the Year (2020, 2022);
2x Big Ten Regular Season Champions (2020, 2022);
Sweet Sixteen appearances in '16 and '17;
2016 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year;
from 1993 to 2015, was an assistant then associate head coach with legendary coach Bo Ryan;
University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach from 2008 to 2015;
University of Wisconsin Assistant Coach from 2001 to 2008;
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Assistant Coach from 1999 to 2001;
University of Wisconsin-Platteville Assistant Coach from 1993 to 1999

This video from Wisconsin's Greg Gard will teach you all about the fundamentals of post play - a lost art in today's evolving perimeter-oriented game. Gard passes on some of his favorite post drills that can be taught to introduce important concepts to your new players, or to your veterans to brush up on essential skills. Throughout the video, Gard gives pointers on how to cut down on turnovers to ensure your team gets more quality possessions on offense.

Eliminating Turnovers

Coach Gard puts his wealth of basketball knowledge on display as he explains how to help your players cut down on turnovers. He takes simple drills that practice fundamental facets of the game and makes them applicable to basketball in the modern era.

While the player who makes an imperfect pass is usually blamed for a turnover, Gard takes a closer look at the receiver, who is often just as guilty. He discusses, and then drills, nine different aspects of the turnover from the receiving end. He introduces a simple passing drill that progressively builds and works on multiple skills at once for both passers and receivers.

Post Play

Next, Coach Gard dives into post play, with several drills for your entire time to use that will develop their skills in a short amount of time. These drills don't just cover what to do when the ball gets into the post - they also touch on everything leading up to the post feed.

Gard also demonstrates two variations of one of his favorite drills: "Football." The variations will help you develop toughness in your post players by forcing them to compete against each other down low. These skills include sealing in the post and using one of the five signature post moves Gard and his staff teach at Wisconsin.

If implemented and drilled daily, the exercises in this video from Coach Gard will help your athletes cut down on turnovers and improve their post play. This is a great resource for any coach whose philosophy centers around nailing the details during every game!

46 minutes. 2019.