Only The Defense Scores In Cut Throat Drill

Defenders work on closing out, cutting down passing angles, staying low and stopping dribble penetration during the early stages of the drill

WHY USE IT
Every team runs some version of the normal defensive shell drill. Place a unique spin on yours but upping the intensity and forcing players to rely upon each other rather than looking to you for guidance.

SET UP
There are three teams of four players (if you have enough players then add a fourth team). The teams not in the game align along the baseline. You are situated with a ball, whistle and a lot of percolating passion near the top. The defense is in a box. The offense spreads out any way it wants [1].

HOW TO PLAY
Indicate to the offense what the rules are for this round (i.e. only allowed one dribble, ball must be passed four times, ball must go to the post at least once, etc.). This allows the defense to work against different attacks.

Start with a pass to the point guard. The point passes to a wing and gets the defense moving [2]. If defenders overplay the perimeter, the offense knows to send a player backdoor for an easy layup [3].

TECHNIQUE
The only team that can score is the defense. Get a stop, get a point. Get three points (doesn’t have to be consecutive), win the drill.