10-Practice Plan: Complete Man-to-Man Defense

 

Practice 1: Stance, Footwork, and Closeouts

Goal: Build a foundation of defensive movement.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min (high knees, shuffles, lunges)

  • Mirror Drill: 10 min

  • Defensive Slide Lines: 10 min

  • Closeout & Contest Drill: 15 min

  • 1-on-1 Full Court (Ball Pressure): 20 min

  • Cool Down & Review: 5 min

Practice 2: On-Ball Defense

Goal: Teach proper positioning and forcing weak-hand drives.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Closeout-to-1-on-1 Drill: 15 min

  • 1-on-1 Full Court (Pressure Focus): 20 min

  • Defensive Stance & Slide Review: 15 min

  • Competitive 1-on-1: 20 min (winner stays on)

  • Cool Down & Key Takeaways: 10 min

Practice 3: Off-Ball Awareness & Lane Cutters

Goal: Defend cutters and off-ball movement.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Lane Touch Drill (All Defenders Engage Cutters): 25 min

  • Deny & Recover Drill: 20 min

  • Shell Drill with Cuts: 25 min

  • Cool Down & Review: 10 min

Practice 4: Help-Side Defense

Goal: Teach proper help positioning and rotations.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • 2-on-2 Closeout & Help Drill: 20 min

  • Shell Drill (Help-Side Focus): 30 min

  • Closeout + Rotate Drill: 20 min

  • Cool Down: 10 min

Practice 5: Communication & Rotations

Goal: Build teamwork and anticipation.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Shell Drill with Rotations: 30 min

  • Closeout + Rotate Drill: 20 min

  • Competitive 4-on-4 Rotation Game: 25 min

  • Cool Down & Team Debrief: 5 min

Practice 6: Introduction to Traps

Goal: Teach angles, timing, and weak-side rotations.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • 2-on-1 Trap Drill: 15 min

  • Sideline Trap Drill: 20 min

  • Lane Touch Drill with Trap Reads: 20 min

  • Small-Sided Trap Game (4-on-4): 20 min

  • Cool Down: 5 min

Practice 7: Handling Zone-Like Cuts & Traps

Goal: React to movement, cuts, and screens under pressure.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Lane Touch Drill (Add Defensive Screens): 25 min

  • Shell Drill with Cuts & Trap Reads: 25 min

  • Competitive 3-on-3 Trap & Recover Game: 25 min

  • Cool Down: 5 min

Practice 8: Full-Team Integration

Goal: Combine stance, on-ball, off-ball, help, cutters, and traps.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • 5-on-5 Controlled Scrimmage (Coach Stops for Correction): 30 min

  • Shell + Trap Competition: 30 min

  • Lane Touch Drill Review: 15 min

  • Cool Down & Review: 5 min

Practice 9: Game-Like Pressure

Goal: Teach players to execute under pace and intensity.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Competitive 4-on-4 / 5-on-5 Scrimmage: 40 min

  • Trap + Rotation Challenge: 30 min

  • Quick Lane Cut Drill: 10 min

  • Cool Down & Discussion: 10 min

Practice 10: Mastery & Evaluation

Goal: Solidify all phases and assess progress.

  • Dynamic Warm-Up: 10 min

  • Full-Team 5-on-5 Scrimmage (Emphasize Defense): 40 min

  • Trap & Rotation Drill with Lane Touch: 20 min

  • Small-Sided Competitive Games: 15 min

  • Team Review & Takeaways: 5 min

✅ Key Notes for Coaches

  • Progression is critical: Start with fundamentals → add cutters → rotations → traps → full integration.

  • Communication is non-negotiable: Encourage loud, clear, constant talking.

  • Lane Touch Drill is essential: Every defender must engage cutters to build awareness and accountability.

  • Small-sided games make learning fun and competitive: They simulate pressure and decision-making.

With this 10-practice progression, your team will learn every facet of man-to-man defense, including how to handle cutters through the lane, rotate effectively, communicate, and trap. By the end, your squad will be a lockdown defensive unit that pressures, rotates, and dominates on every possession.

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