Defensive Drills to Develop the Individual & Team

with Casey Brodersen,
Bryant University Associate Head Coach;
has helped lead the Bulldogs to 5 Northeast Conference titles, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, and the 2014 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals;
2009 team captain and MVP as a player at Keene State College

This video featuring Bryant University associate head coach Casey Brodersen includes 11 drills to improve individual and team defensive skills. Coach Brodersen's drills focus on improving footwork, on-ball defensive technique, communication and anticipation to breakout for faster transitions.

Once you've taken in all of the drills that Brodersen has to offer, he includes a segment at the end that breaks down game film. In this section, you'll see how the practice drills translate directly to game situations - which can be extremely helpful, especially for coaches who don't have much experience making adjustments and training areas of weakness in-season.

Defensive Drills

Coach Brodersen presents multiple drills that will help your team build into transition after a shot. You'll get five drills that work on situation play to read transition breakout opportunities. Additionally, Brodersen shows how to get defenders into position to make a quick outlet pass in order to create odd man rush opportunities.

The "Tennis Ball Over the Top" drill is especially valuable because it teaches how to get your players used to the concept of a breakout after a shot is delivered. Brodersen prefers to use tennis balls in this drill because it reduces the risk of injury to goalies and allows the focus of the drill to be on the breakout as opposed to the save. In all, the drill gives your team:

• Multiple reps for goalies clearing the ball
• Work on all aspects of actions after a shot, including the run out by defenders low and the breakout from the defender covering the shooter
• Great conditioning work

Film Review

Finally, listen to Coach Brodersen break down actual game film on how each of his drills relate directly to transition breakouts in games. This is an excellent teaching technique you can use with your own players during film sessions to help them better understand the "what" and "why" behind each drill.

This is a quality video covering the defensive portion of the game. Coach Brodersen lays out all his drills in a clear, concise manner that's easy to understand so you can immediately take his drills and incorporate them into your practice plans.

112 minutes. 2019.