(Rental)-Gap Man to Man Defense in Basketball

Gap Defense Basketball

Nate Oats has been successful everywhere he has been. Most recently, Oats won back-to-back MAC championships and Coach of the Year Awards in taking the University of Buffalo to the NCAA tournament’s Round of 32. Now the head coach at Alabama, Oats looks to continue his success as one of the game’s best at getting his programs to compete at a high level year after year.

Oats’ belief in his gap man-to-man defense forces opponents to take rushed and contested shots. What you will see in this video are a number of drills designed to help players understand “being in the gap” and how to produce lockdown defenses season after season.

Build Up Drills for Gap Defense

Oats starts practice with a 1-on-1 open court defensive drill where players learn to “guard their yard.” This simple idea is a key to Oats gap defense. Players work to get stops and earn points for their teams. Defenders are dropped into the lane line and must work to keep their opponent in front of them. This helps set the tone for practice.

Eventually, more players are added to the drill creating a full-court 3-on-3 situation. Players defend the ball when they’re on it and others are help defenders that must maintain their gaps and take away easy passes and deny transition 3-point attempts.

Ball Screen Defense

Defending the ball screen offense is paramount in today’s modern game. Oats presents a series of drills that build the foundation for his teams in defending ball screens. In 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 half-court situations, players learn proper rotations and how to defend ball handlers who are trying to get to the paint.

You will also see a super competitive 2-on-2 drill where players break out and compete at different baskets around the gym. Players try to get stops on defense and earn points. At the end, the teams with the most points on offense and defense are the winners.

Scramble and Full Court Defense

The 5-on-4 Scramble Drill starts in the half court where the defense must deny the offense an easy basket within 10 seconds. The defense then transitions to offense making for a great two-way drill where you can teach on both defense and offense. Defenders must continually try to keep their opponents in front of them and get back into help position.

The video concludes with a 5-on-5 segment. It is live game action playing to a certain point total. Players must focus on getting stops on defense and pushing the ball in transition. This is just one of many ways that Coach Oats creates competition in practice. Each drill has a purpose, a focus, and an emphasis on being in gaps to prevent easy scores. If you are looking to change the way you play defense, this 73-minute video is for you. Rent this gap defense for basketball DVD today.