Featured courses
- Three Effective Early-Season Defensive Basketball Drills by Grant Young
- Four Essential Tips For Basketball’s 1-3-1 Zone Defense by Grant Young
- Four Zone Defense Drills to Strengthen Your Team by Grant Young
- How to Beat the Three Most Common Pick and Roll Coverages by Grant Young
- Two Drills to Improve Shooting at the Start of the Basketball Season by Grant Young
- These Three Offensive Sets Will Help You Beat Any Zone Defense by Grant Young
- Three Transition Basketball Drills To Play With More Pace by Grant Young
- Three 5 Out Offense Drills Any Basketball Coach Can Use by Grant Young
- Four Vital Techniques for a Motion Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Three Baseline Inbounds Plays To Win Your Basketball Team Games by Grant Young
- Four Drills For Sharpening the European Ball Screen Offense by Grant Young
- Three Positioning Tricks For a Basketball Zone Offense by Grant Young
- Three Rules to Perfecting Basketball's Lock Left Defensive System by Grant Young
- Three Ways To Turn Transition Offense in Basketball Into Points by Grant Young
- Three Drills to Master Basketball's Pack Line Defense by Grant Young
- Three Dribble Drive Motion Drills to Teach Your Basketball Team by Grant Young
- Three Dribbling Drills For Non-Primary Ball Handlers by Grant Young
- Four Advanced Ball Handling Drills For Basketball Guards by Grant Young
- Three Tips to Sharpen Your Post Player’s Footwork in Basketball by Grant Young
- Three Closeout Drills to Improve Basketball Shooting Defense by Grant Young
- Three Tips to Perfect the Packline Defense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Four Keys to Executing the Read and React Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Three Tips to Develop Elite Basketball Shooters by Grant Young
- Three Crucial Keys to Executing the 5 Out Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Core Basketball Principles That Dallas Mavericks Coach Sean Sweeney Teaches by Grant Young
- Three Competitive Shooting Drills For Your Basketball Team by Grant Young
- How To Teach The ‘I’ Generation of Basketball Players by Grant Young
- Three Elite Drills to Begin a Basketball Practice With by Grant Young
- How to Build a Championship-Winning Basketball Team Culture by Grant Young
- 4 Defensive Technique Drills from Boston Celtics Assistant Coach Brandon Bailey by Marek Hulva
- 5 Drills to Improve Ball Handling by Tyler Linderman
- 13 FUNNY BASKETBALL GIFS by Alex
- BASKETBALL SPEED AND AGILITY: 8 QUESTIONS FOR COACHTUBE EXPERT RICH STONER by Jaycob Ammerman
- Defensive Strategies for Basketball by Ryan Brennan
- 4 Keys To Turning Your Program Into Championship Contender By Dallas Mavericks Coach Sean Sweeney by Marek Hulva
- 5 Components to Creating a Winning Basketball Program by Justin Tran
- Guide to Becoming a Lethal Scorer in Basketball by Justin Tran
- Zone Defense In the NBA Eastern Conference Finals by James Locke
- Mastering Court Mobility: Tips for Effective Movement in Basketball by Justin Tran
- 5 Basketball Shooting Drills: How to Develop a Sharpshooter by James Locke
- 6 Points of Emphasis for a Successful 5 Out Offense by Jaycob Ammerman
- Effective and Efficient Methods to Practice During the Basketball Season by Justin Tran
- Three Great Passing Drills From a Basketball Coaching Legend by Grant Young
- 7 Principles For Perfecting the Princeton Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- How to Replicate A Modern NBA Offense by Grant Young
- Three Great Two-Ball Dribbling Drills For Basketball Development by Grant Young
- Two Rebounding Drills to Win Your Basketball Team Championships by Grant Young
- How to Improve Your Basketball Team’s Defense With the Shell Drill by Grant Young
- How Baylor Basketball’s Scott Drew Develops Elite Guard Play by Grant Young
- Off-Ball Movement Tips and Strategies: Lessons From the NBA Finals by James Locke
- Player Development: Scott Drew’s Tips for Producing NBA Guards by James Locke
- How to Execute a Spread Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Four Quality Quotes From Four Final Four Coaches by Grant Young
- A Guide to the Pack Line Defense by Alex Martinez
- 3 Defensive Build Up Drills to Improve Team Basketball Defense by Grant Young
- Battle of Two Great Coaches: Best Plays from the NBA Finals Contenders by Justin Tran
- 10 Creative Ways Athletic Programs Can Use a Video Board to Raise Money by Coach Williams
- How to Use 3 on 3 to Improve Your Basketball Team by Grant Young
- How to Defend the Pick and Roll by Grant Young
- Mastering Basketball Defense: Techniques, Drills, and Strategies for Success by Justin Tran
- Three Tips From The Coach Who Developed Giannis Antetokoumnpo by Grant Young
- 2023 NBA Draft: Skills and Technique from Top Prospects by Justin Tran
- From College to the Pros: Transitioning the Dribble Drive Offense by Justin Tran
- Positionless Basketball: Redefining Roles on the Court by Justin Tran
- Revolutionize Your Offense: Proven Concepts to Elevate Your Basketball Game by Justin Tran
- 5 Essential Fastbreak Drills Every Basketball Coach Should Know by James Locke
- How to Run a Circle Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Game-Changing Strategies: ATO Plays in the EuroLeague and Olympics by Justin Tran
- How to Stand Out at Basketball Tryouts by Grant Young
- How to Improve Your Basketball Team’s Transition Defense by Grant Young
- Indiana Fever GM Lin Dunn’s Two Keys For Women’s Basketball Coaches by Grant Young
- Strength Training Strategies Every Basketball Player Should Have by Grant Young
- A WNBA Basketball Coach’s Four Priorities In Transition Defense by Grant Young
- Three Adjustments to Make When Your Basketball Offense Isn’t Working by Grant Young
- Three Pillars to Applying Defensive Pressure on the Basketball Court by Grant Young
- Teaching Elite Point of Attack Finishing in Basketball by Grant Young
- Clever Basketball Coaching Tactics to Steal Your Team Wins by Grant Young
- University of South California Basketball Coach Eric Musselman’s Offensive Philosophy by Grant Young
- Pat Summitt’s Top Tips on Coaching Women’s Basketball by Grant Young
- What You Need to Know About the 2 Side Break by Lason Perkins
- 5 Out of Bound Plays vs. the 2-3 Zone by Marc Hart
- Repeat after me: Shooting is about practice, practice, practice by Brandon Lawrence
- 3 Keys To Shooting Better Off The Pass by Tyler Linderman
- 10 Shooting Tips That Will Increase Your Shooting Percentage by Brandon Ogle
- The Best Ways to Practice Dribbling by Brandon Lawrence
- How Coaches Can Help Build Team Chemistry by Criag Haley
- 2021 Men's NCAA Tournament Teams Courses & Playbooks to Study by Jaycob Ammerman
- 3 Actions from Southern Utah's Highly Ranked System by Jaycob Ammerman
- Coaching Analysis of Thursday NCAA Men’s Tournament Games by Jaycob Ammerman
- How the point guard is basketball's quarterback by Craig Haley
- Full Court Press Drills by Emily Reich
- 3 Transition Offensive Drills to Play Fast by Jaycob Ammerman
- Running Inbounds Plays in Youth Basketball by Craig Haley
- New Favorite Actions from Around the World by Lason Perkins
- How to Create a Pick-and-Roll Offense by Brandon Ogle
- Improving Your Three-Point Shot by Ryan Brennen
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches….And People, Too by Lason Perkins
- 5 Spain PNR Plays for Your Playbook by Lason Perkins
- Three Skills Every Guard Needs by Derek Brown
- Top 4 Pre-Season Basketball Drills by Derek Brown
Four Zone Defense Drills to Strengthen Your Team
- By Grant Young
Zone defenses can be a game-changer in basketball, providing teams with strategic advantages that can significantly impact the outcome.
By effectively covering key areas, a zone can force offenses into taking lower-percentage shots and making precarious passes, leading to turnovers and contested attempts. This is especially valuable against teams that favor isolation plays, making them less comfortable and more prone to errors when faced with a well-organized zone.
However, for this strategy to truly shine, zone defense drills must be implemented that emphasize communication, positioning, and rotation.
Drills are essential for zone defenses as they help players develop the necessary skills and understanding for success. Repetition builds muscle memory, enabling players to confidently execute these actions under pressure. Simulating game-like scenarios through drills prepares players for real-world challenges, helping them recognize offensive patterns and adapt quickly.
All of this is to say that by honing skills and fostering unity among players, a zone defense can become an unstoppable force on the basketball court. This is why we’ve pulled four fantastic zone defense drills from three great basketball coaches that you can use to great effect, depending on which zone defense you’d like to use.
Guy Shavers - Five Trips Drill
Guy Shavers spent 17 seasons as a high school basketball coach. He had the #1 ranked team in North Carolina in 2019 and finished #76 in the country, but #2 in the state of NC in 2017 finishing with a record of 28-3.
Guy’s accomplishments read as follows: Conference Coach of the Year 5 times, District 7 Coach of the Year 5 times, All-Northwest Coach of the Year 3 times, 7 Conference Championships in his last 9 seasons including 5 outright titles, 2 Western North Carolina Region Championships, 2 North Carolina State Championships (4A 2016-2017 season, 3A 2018-19 season) going undefeated with a 32-0 record in 2019.
In Coach Shavers’ ‘Modified Amoeba Defense’ Course, he discusses a key drill for his Amoeba zone defense that’s called the Five Trips drill.
This drill starts with a free throw shooter taking a shot with two players on the defensive blocks. After the shot, the players on the blocks will initiate a 2 on 1 full court transition with the free throw shooter on offense.
After that possession, two more players will join the original free throw shooter and conduct a 3 on 2. This eventually continues until it becomes a 5 on 5 for both sides.
This is an effective zone defense drill because it provides players an understanding of where they must position themselves in a fastbreak depending on how many attackers there are and how many defenders.
Frank Fogg - Cut Throat Drill
Coach Frank Fogg, with 10-plus years of coaching experience, loves to share his championship-winning knowledge. Working as a high school coach at the highest level in Texas, Coach Fogg is a go-to resource for coaches across the nation.
Coach Fogg’s ‘The 1-3-1 Defensive System’ course discloses a ‘Cut Throat’ drill that starts with three teams of five on one half court and two balls.
One team will be on offense, one on defense, and another at half court. If the team on offense scores then the defense goes off and if the defense gets a stop then the offense goes off.
Coaches should be aware of switching players often forcing the defense to adapt and get used to communicating and working with teammates.
Frank Fogg - Scramble Drill
Another 1-3-1 zone defensive drill Coach Fogg is fond of is the Scramble drill, which begins with a Shell 5 formation that emphasizes moving the ball.
A coach will then call a player’s name, and that player has to sprint and touch the opposite side’s free throw line. The play then becomes live, with the offense trying to execute a play and score before that vacating defender returns.
Coach Fogg notes that it’s important to coach the vacating defender communicating where he’s going upon his return by yelling to his teammates. The coach also wants to ensure that his defense isn’t fouling in order to give them an extra advantage on top of the one given to them by the defender leaving.
Donnie Jones - 7 on 5 Drill
Donnie Jones is currently the men's head basketball coach at Stetson University. Prior to Stetson, Jones served as the head coach of the UCF Knights men's basketball team from 2010 to 2016 and at Marshall from 2007–2010.
Coach Jones led Stetson to their first ASUN Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in Stetson’s 53rd season at the Division 1 level.
In his ‘Zone Defensive Strategies’ course, Coach Jones explains that he likes to do a 7 vs. 5 drill with 7 players on offense and 5 in his zone defense.
Overloading the offense (especially adding players on the wings) and sending them to crash the boards will demand the defenders get a body on their man and box out (which is a common problem with zone defenses) because it’s the only they’ll be able to secure a rebound while being at such a disadvantage.
The same thing can be done by adding an eighth offensive player in the post to get repetitions of crashing down on that player when they get the ball and then closing out when they kick it out to the perimeter.