(Rental)-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.