(Rental)-Teaching the Lost Art of Low Post Play

Low post play is a lost art and Rochester University head basketball coach Dr. Klint Pleasant is doing something about it. He has been for years as he has developed numerous low post players at the NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA levels. Coach Pleasant is a two-time USCAA national championship coach who covers the fundamentals needed to excel at post play in this video. You’ll see lecture, advanced teaching points, and a number of drills as you watch.

Philosophy and Foundation

The session starts with Coach Pleasant’s philosophy of post play and how, even today in position-less basketball, there are advantages to having strong low post players. Pleasant breaks down everything from the stance to proper movements and initial post position. He goes in depth on things like gaining position with the feet and the importance of a wide base.

Sealing & Scoring

Coach Pleasant offers a deep analysis of how to seal off defenders and maintain a position to score. He talks about multiple sealing angles, using leverage, movements to get open, and tips on body positioning.

Pleasant also touches on how to receive a post feed and the fundamentals of feeding the post for a perimeter player. He also explains the value of a post player taking up space in the post and how it creates space for perimeter players. Finally, he touches on some drills that help to improve post play.

At heart, Coach Pleasant is an educator and his dynamic speaking ability really stands out in this video. He engages viewers and breaks down post play to its smallest detail giving coaches the opportunity to gain something they can take back to their programs. Coach Pleasant helps to re-imagine post play as an essential skill that any team at any level can use to be successful.

Smothering Man-to-Man Switching Defense

Switching man-to-man defenses continue to take offenses out of their element and create problems. LaSalle head basketball coach Ashley Howard has been a proponent of aggressive man defense since his time as an assistant coach at LaSalle, Drexel, Xavier, and Villanova. Howard was with Villanova is 2016 and 2018 when they won the national championship. Switching on screens is a big part of what made the Wildcats so good defensively. In this video, Howard shares five drills he uses to teach his switching man-to-man.

1-on-1 Drill

Defenders must be effective at guarding a man in the open court. Coach Howard walks you through a number of concepts including how and why smaller players can win their individual battles by having a “pitbull” mentality. Howard also shows you how players can defend without fouling and how to teach players to defend against opponents who are quicker.

Team Drills

In the next segment, Howard gets into four breakdown drills to teach the switching man-to-man defense. You will see the proper footwork to use when switching, how to signal load your defense when you have a mismatch, how to take advantage of defensive mismatches, and how to communicate when switching so defenders maintain a “ball-you-man” scenario.

Transition Defense (Bonus)

There is also a bonus section in this video where Coach Howard breaks down his transition defense. He includes a progression of drills that put the defense at a disadvantage. This teaches players how to react and defend when they don’t have the support of their teammates.

All in all, this is an outstanding presentation on how to become an elite switching man-to-man team. Coach Howard gives you everything you need to force opponents into difficult shots and just become a more versatile defense.