Make the opposition player turn their back away from the play, put the ball on the floor in a dribble and make them have to make a pass under pressure.
Shadow the player with one hand up shadowing the ball. The other hand is down and slightly outwards.
Knees should be bent and your feet are wide apart.
Good spacing is only the start. The best modern offences teach players to attack the defence's rotations and play in a permanent 4-on-3 - here is how to coach that read.
The ball screen produces almost half of all professional offensive possessions, yet most teams still teach it as a memorised play. The modern approach trains the read - giving players a framework to decide based on what the defence does, not what the coach called.
The closeout is the most repeated defensive action in modern basketball. With fouls per game climbing in the 2025-26 season, coaches must teach defenders to contest the three without surrendering the drive or putting shooters on the line.
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