Doubling the Post, Protecting the Rim & Pressure Defense

Emporia State head coach Craig Doty has established a culture of pressure defense everywhere he has coached and, as a result, has experienced great success. Doty won three national championships at the JUCO and NAIA levels in a span of five years. In this video, he shares the drills he uses to build his team defense and how he defends against opposing post threats.

Basketball Defense Drills

Coach Doty, the 2018 NAIA Division I Coach of the Year after winning a national title at Graceland University (IA), begins with an explanation of some of his program’s everyday drills. The 1-on-1 closeout works on contesting an opponent’s best shooter and making him or her put the ball on the floor. Advancing from 1-on-1 closeouts, Coach Doty gets into denial defense and forcing opponents to go into the deep corner. Doty’s defense forces teams away from the basket, one of the keys to the defense.

Transition Defense Drills

Transition defense begins with a 1-on-1 drill in the full-court. Players learn to use their hands and how to stop the ball in transition. The drill then moves to 1-on-2 so players understand how the quality of defense improves when players hustle back in transition. Finally, in 3-on-3 Transition, players learn to sit in gaps and force the ball out of the middle of the floor. Players focus on forcing bad shots, getting deflections, and forcing turnovers.

Post to Post Drills

Coach Doty teaches post defense starting with a 2-on-2 Post-to-Post drill. Players work on proper footwork and positioning, fronting the post, and moving from help side defense to a double team. The doubling the post drill progresses to an eventual 5-on-5 where all players learn to rotate and defend the post.

The Verticality Drill teaches players to maintain their position and time their verticality in an effort to avoid fouls. Athletes learn when to jump and when to hold still and avoid a foul.

Building Culture

Coach Doty has experienced success at every stop during his career. He offers some insight as to how he builds the culture in his program. Teaching players about success in life and how to communicate are integral to Doty’s teams’ success as is allowing his assistant coaches to have a voice.

This is an outstanding video for coaches looking to take a program to the next level. It is packed full of drills that will help improve your defense, especially in the post. Rent this Doubling the Post Defense DVD today.