(Rental)-Bo Ryan: Transition Defense

Transition Defense with Bo Ryan

Throughout his Hall of Fame coaching career, Bo Ryan put consistently tough defensive teams on the floor. Ryan won four NCAA Division III championships at UW-Platteville and took Wisconsin to back-to-back Final Fours (2014 & ’15). His teams were always very good on the defensive end and it all started with eliminating easy baskets in transition.

In this tranistion defense video, Ryan shares his insights into creating solid transition defense. You will see seven practice drills that emphasize communication and playing defense in transition at a disadvantage. The whole idea, of course, is to minimize the number of fast break opportunities for the offense.

Transition Defense Starts on the Offensive End

Eliminating transition points starts with taking care of the ball on offense. Eliminating turnovers is critical to preventing fast break opportunities. Coach Ryan demonstrates a Partner Passing drill to reinforce the concept of communicating through body language. Players should be able to read each other and understand hand targets and positioning. This way, players know where and when to make a pass. Coach Ryan shows you six variations of the Partner Passing Drill covering all sorts of situations.

Practice Drills for Transition Defense

Seven easy drills break down Ryan’s system for transition defense. It all starts with committing to hustling back on defense all the time. The Pursuit Drill reinforces this concept. The drill teaches players to never give up on a breakaway layup and it teaches how the first players down the floor must protect the rim.

Coach Ryan defines the responsibilities and techniques for the first player back, the second player back, and the trailers. He shows players how to act as a goalie at the rim and how to take away outside shots without giving up rim protection.

A series of four weave drills is used to practice how to stop 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 advantage situations. Coach Ryan breaks down each player’s responsibilities in a disadvantage situation. The 6-Man Drill is a great way to simulate how to defend the 3-on-2. Search & Destroy is another great drill that challenges the defense with an extra offensive player to cover.

All of Coach Ryan’s drills show you how to slow down your opponents so that your trailing defenders can get back and recover to full strength. Each drill is explained and Coach Ryan also adds the “why” and the “how” for these drills as well as his beliefs on stopping opponents in transition. In 61 minutes, Coach Ryan gives you what you need to help your team improve in transition defense. Rent this thansition defense DVD today.