(Rental)-Transition Defense & Defending The Ball Screen

Transition Defense Drills & Defending the Ball Screen

To play defense at a high level, teams must be great in two areas – transition and defending ball screens. St. Louis University head coach Travis Ford discusses both in this video. You will see the same drills Coach Ford uses in practice on a daily basis to manage transition defense. Plus, Coach Ford shows you two techniques – hard hedge and icing – for defending ball screens.

Ford has carved out a niche for himself as a defensive-minded coach. As the former head coach at Oklahoma State, Ford took the Cowboys to five NCAA tournaments in eight seasons. At UMass, Ford’s 2007-08 team was the NIT runner-up. His teams have always been known for their defense.

Transition Defense Drills & Roles

One of the common problems Coach Ford sees with transition defense is players that either stick to their positional counterpart or those that run back and defend an area. Coach Ford alleviates those problems by assigning three different roles to ensure the primary ball handler is unable to establish his or her game, that position mismatches are used to your advantage, and the all defenders sprint back to stop any basket.

• Stoppers: this is your best full-court, on-ball defender
• Protectors: a slower player who is least likely to get a defensive rebound
• Sprinters: three players that crash the boards then sprint back to stop specific shots

Coach Ford takes you through a few drills to help players better understand the concepts and skills they need to get back on defense. Each drill creates an attacking, aggressive mindset that must stop ball handlers from advancing the ball up the floor.

Ball Screen Defense

Coach Ford also spends some time discussing his strategies for defending the ball screen. With the hard hedge, Ford teaches a scare-and-screamer technique. The screener’s defender maintains contact with him and screams and yells. Ford teaches the off-ball defense to help in slowing down the ball handler.

Using the icing mentality, players must force the ball handler baseline and be ready to corral away from the basket. Coach Ford shows you how to position guards for an effective trap out of the ball screen as well as where to put your off-ball defenders to stop easy baskets.

Coach Ford’s transition defense eliminates confusion and doesn’t permit excuses. The assigned roles and responsibilities make it easy to learn and understand. Coach Ford’s transition defense plus his tips on defending ball screens are a great way to help your team prepare for the upcoming season. Add it to your collection today! Rent this Transition Defense Drills DVD today.