Step 1/5Sprint and close out to the cone
Orange = offense · blue = defense · solid line = cut · dashed = pass · zig-zag = dribble · T = screen · dotted arc = shot
Defense drill
Closeout Circuit
A short defensive footwork lap: sprint and close out, backpedal, slide across, close out again. One after another at full effort.
- Time
- 5 min
- Players
- 4+
- Ages
- 10+
- Level
- All levels
Equipment: 4 cones
How to run the drill
- 1Set four cones in a box around the key: two near the baseline, two around the three-point line.
- 2From the baseline corner of the box, sprint to the cone ahead and close out: short choppy steps, hands up, hold it for a second.
- 3Backpedal to the cone behind you, slide across the key to the next cone, then sprint and close out on the last one.
- 4The next player goes as soon as the one in front finishes their first closeout. Three or four laps each.
Coaching points
- Sprint the first half, chop the feet the second half
- Finish low with a hand up, don't fly past
- Slides: stay low, never cross your feet
More defense drills
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Defense · Intermediate
2v2 Call the Coverage
A live ball-screen game in which defenders must identify the screen, call its direction and communicate their agreed coverage before contact.
10 min4+ playersAges 12+
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