Defending drills help?

Lee-annes NetballCoach, Australia

start by anything that is about shadowing. so start with face to face with one person being the follower and the other the leader. have them between 2 cones and have the leader moving between 2 cones using slow side to side steps and the follower copies. make sure their body posiiton and footwork is correct. increase speed and change of direction as they improve. once they can do this with ease, then move onto having them one in front of the other with the leader facing the back of the follower. (classic front on defence) have the defender )follower) slightly off to one side to give them a better chance to see them with their perifferal vision. again use the side to side technique drill from previous exercise to get them to keep up with the attaker (leader). you can add a ball in when they are keeping up and have the defender to keep an eye on attacker and the ball to ensure the intercept.

this is just one drill. a great defender has excellent footwork, watches the ball coming down the court to predict what their attacker is going to do, can watch the ball and their attacker at once, has quick reflexes, and excellent spring in their legs to jump for intercepts. they also never stop trying to get that ball, so even after one failed attempt they go straight back to defending.

hope that helps.