Defense
Individual and team defensive principles and habits.
19 items
Decision-making is usually treated as an offensive skill, yet much of good defense is finding a workable solution in a very short time. The on-ball defender is reading a drive, the helper is deciding when to leave, and the next defender is judging a closeout, all within the same possession.
That is why defensive practice needs an offense the defense cannot predict. Once defenders know what is coming, they stop needing to read anything. Give players shared defensive principles, then let them apply them against offensive players who are genuinely trying to score.
Articles
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3-on-3 Closeouts and Rotations - Small-Sided Game Ideas
Neil Houghton is one of our most active Transforming members based in Melbourne, Australia. As part of one of our membership challenges, Neil shared some great ideas for coaches to use 3-on-3 in their practices.
Small-Sided Games for On-Ball Defense
A lot of coaches talk about their base defense; principles such as no middle, trap the box rotations, etc. One of the golden principles of defense in youth basketball is “staying in neutral.
Learning from Tuomas Iisalo’s Defense Techniques
This blog provides a brief overview of Tuomas Iisalo's clinic for the Serbian Association of Basketball Coaches.
Improving Team Defense with Goal-Setting
How can goal-setting be used to set tangible actions for improving your team’s defense? Utilizing stats and KPIs (key performance indicators) helps evaluate overall individual and team performance, as well as identifying areas for improvement and tracking progress (or regression!)
How to Improve Basketball Transition Defense
If you’re wondering how to improve transition defense, it starts with what you do on offense.
The Complete Guide for Coaching Force Weak Defense
On-ball defense is one of the most debated aspects of basketball coaching. Should players force the ball to the sideline, middle, or weak hand?
The Medieval Siege and Transition Defense: A Youth Basketball Defense
As John Kessel and Mike MacKay have frequently said, we don’t coach basketball. Rather, we coach people who happen to play basketball. This is where coaching deliver should be aligned with how people learn best.
Podcast
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EP181: Inside Roseto 2026 - João Pacheco on His Summer Camp Experience
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EP178: Why Perfect form Does Not Exist with Gabriel Millian
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EP175: Former France National Team Head Coach Vincent Collet on the Evolution of Principles of Play
40 min
EP173: Functional Perception Action Coupling with Adam Omiecinski
10 min
EP149: From the G League to Global with Antoine Broxsie
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EP137: Q&A with Alex Sarama (Part 1)
33 min
EP133: The Evolution of Basketball Coaching with Coach Nick at BBallBreakdown
38 min
EP92: Sean Keating 4v3 3v2
15 min
EP76: Coaching the Italian Youth National Team with Alessandro Nocera
27 min
EP34: How To Use The CLA in a Professional Basketball Team with Ghady Abou Jaoude
22 min
EP30: What are Principles of Play & Why Are They SO Important For All Coaches?
19 min
EP26: How to Use the CLA with Beginners
17 min