Defense / 8 MINUTES

Help, then recover

Develop awareness of seeing both ball and man, sliding to help off the pass, and recovering in balance.

ON THE FLOOR

Half court · attack ↑

One example at a teaching pace.

The defender begins in help position, plugs 1’s drive, then recovers toward 2 after the kick-out pass, stopping with space.

1PlayerXDefenderBallMovePass / shotDribble

Motion is off with your reduced-motion preference. The setup and action paths show the rep.

Players

Groups of 3 (3 to 12 players)

Equipment

1 basketball per group of 3, 2 cones

Space

Half court with a regulation hoop

Set it up

Place 2 cones along the three-point arc 15 feet apart. Two offensive players stand at the cones. One defender guards the player without the ball, sinking into a help position midway toward the key.

Run the activity

The offensive player with the ball stands at the top of the key; the second offensive player spots up on the wing.
The defender starts balanced between their assigned wing player and the basket, where they can see both the wing player and the ball at the top.
When the top player drives 1 dribble toward the rim, the defender slides two steps to plug the lane without leaving their feet.
The top player kicks the pass to the wing; the defender immediately pushes off and closes out with choppy feet to the shooter.

ONE CUE TO SAY OUT LOUD

“See ball, see player, slide and recover.”

Watch for this

Turning the head to watch the ball completely, losing sight of the shooter and reacting late to the pass.

Make it easier

Run the drill in slow motion with the coach calling out 'Drive' and 'Pass' so the defender can feel the proper floor position.

Add a challenge

Allow the wing player who receives the kick-out pass to take 1 live drive toward the baseline to test the defender's recovery angle.