Shield Tag

How to run the drill

1. 1Setup: mark a square about 5 metres across. Three players take the roles of ballhandler, shield and defender. Only the ballhandler has a ball in the base game. Start with at least an arm's length between players.
2. 2Start: play for 15 seconds. The ballhandler keeps a live dribble inside the square and uses changes of direction to keep the defender away from the ball.
3. 3Rules: the shield may move to a useful empty space, then must become stationary before the defender approaches. Give a moving defender room to stop or change direction. The shield cannot push, hold, walk into or follow the defender to block them. Illegal contact ends the round.
4. 4Scoring and reset: the ballhandler and shield each earn 1 point if possession survives 15 seconds. A clean steal, lost dribble, boundary violation or illegal shield gives the defender 1 point and ends the round. No reaching across a player's body.
5. 5Rotation: ballhandler becomes shield, shield becomes defender, defender becomes ballhandler. Reset the spacing after every round. Play two full rotations, then change groups.
6. 6Progression: give the shield a ball to dribble as well, keeping the same stationary-screen rule. Change the square size rather than increasing contact.

Coaching points

• Ballhandler: keep your body between defender and ball
• Shield: arrive early and stay still
• Defender: move around the shield rather than through it