One-on-One Defense, One Pass Away Drill

This basketball drill focuses on defending the man one pass away from the basketball. This is a one-on-one drill where the defender is trying to get in the passing lane between the basketball and the offensive player. The defender always wants to stay between the ball and the basket, and between the basket and his man. This is known as the defensive triangle. The offensive player is trying to get open while the defender tries to force the man further outside the basket than he is comfortable.

Transcription: 

In this segment, we're going to talk about defending the man one pass away from the ball. Right now, the ball plays down the foul line and let's imagine that's an offensive player who's trying to pass it to his teammate, Sean, who's in the orange. Ian is the defender and he'll be covering Sean and denying Sean the ball. Ian's basic position, again, is a good stance, feet shoulders width, maybe a little bit wider, his back hand, we make a fist and we kind of bring it in by our shirt. 

We don't want to hold Sean as he starts to move. Ian's hand is out in the passing lane. The passing lane, is the ball to Sean, the line between the two. So, Ian's trying to get up in that passing lane, so our imaginary passer couldn't snap Sean a pass. So, right now, what we're going to do is, Sean, just walk down like you're trying to get open. Ian slide with him. Ian's going to slide, and what Ian's going to do is keep a "ball-you-man" relationship, which means he's going to stay between his man and the basket and he's going to stay between the ball and his man. 

So, if you were drawing and connecting the dots, from the ball to Ian, to Sean, to the ball, you would have a triangle. And when we talk about defensive triangle, that's what we're talking about. 

So, now, Sean, let's start back out the wing. Ian's going to slide, not crossing his feet, short steps, trying to stay up in the passing lane. So, a drill we do to introduce this is a slide from the block to the three point line. So, Sean, you step out of bounds, Ian start at the block, and now we imagine an offensive player trying to get up and going from the baseline out to the three point line and back. So, Ian, you're going to go twice. So slide out, and slide back, and slide out, and slide back. 

All right. Sean, you jump in, same thing, get in to your defensive stance and go. Slide out to the three point line, and slide back, and slide out, and slide back. And let's stop. Let's put Ian back on defense. Sean you jump in on offense. 

Now, a drill we can use to start to teach this is the coach can take the ball at the foul line, and once you catch it, let's just freeze at that point. But right now Sean, you're trying to work from the foul line extended, to the sideline, to the baseline, to the edge of the lane. So, you're working right in this box to try to get open. Ian you're always trying to stay between your man and the basket, keep the "ball-you-man" relationship, and defend the pass. 

Go ahead, let's slide. So, good, and back down, keep moving, good and stop, let him catch it, right now, and when he catches it, it goes back to one-on-one defense. The goal is to force your man out and further away from the basket then he's comfortable on catching it, disrupt the offensive pattern but always staying between your man and the basket, so he doesn't beat you for a layup. And that's the introduction to one-on-one defense, one pass away.