Week of Jan 22-28 Player Tip of the Week

Foot quickness and speed are important defensive skills. Players can increase and improve their foot speed and especially their lateral movement by sliding side to side.

Warmup first make sure you are good and ready to go.

Here are some drills that a player can do by themselves.

1. Lateral Slides..Stand on a foul line with back to basket. Get into a defensive position pretending you are guarding a player dribbling the ball. Slide side to side from one side of the foul line to the other. Slide left to the end of the foul line and then slide to the right to the other side of the foul line. Practice 5 or 6 slides before you start. Count the number of times you get to the right side of the foul line as l slide. Time yourself with a stop watch  for 30 seconds.

This is the best drill to develop lateral movement when guarding a player with the ball. Make sure you keep your left hand up, guarding a right handed offensive player, legs bent as you slide side to side.

2. Jump The Line..Stand beside the foul line. Jump over the line with both feet without touching it and jump back side to side over the foul line as fast as you can. Each time you jump over the line it counts as l. Time for 30 seconds and count the number of 2 foot jumps 

You can do both of these drills anywgere where you have a flat 12 line on a floor at home or in the driveway. Just put a 12 foot line down with tape or chalk..