defensive drills

April 23, 2010

Try this aggressive half-court defense

There aren’t a lot of secrets in basketball anymore. There’s too much exposure. The key is how hard are you willing to work to get your players to implement your game plan day-in and day-out in both practice and in games. If you have a team...


April 6, 2010

Brian Kelly’s big run & touchdown pass play

Editor’s Note: Coach & Athletic Director interviewed Brian Kelly weeks prior to him taking the Notre Dame head-coaching job. At the time, Kelly was leading the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats and discussed the importance of having a running atta...


October 2, 2009

Football: Drills to develop man coverage skills for defensive backs

Man-to-man coverage begins with the proper alignment of the defensive backs to the receivers at the line of scrimmage (LOS). This normally places the corner backs 5 to 7 yards off of the LOS, with an inside shade on the receivers. At the snap of the ...


October 2, 2009

Football: Training your linemen in the 43 defense

Click here to read part one of this article. There are four basic combination blocks that we cover in our daily practices. Depending on the type of offense we face each week, we determine which ones to put more emphasis on — double team, scoop-o...


October 2, 2009

Football: D-line techniques and drills from the 43 defense

Coaching is a world of give and take. I know that in my last years as a coach, I have certainly bent the ears of many great coaches in developing my philosophies and techniques of defensive line play. I have been fortunate in finding coaches who a...


October 2, 2009

‘5-on-4 Scramble:’ Taking the shell drill to another level

Several years ago, our varsity basketball team was struggling through the first half of its season, and it was beginning to affect the way it was practicing. By compromising our work ethic in practice, we had reached the point where one negative was ...