Coaches are fond of saying that defense is mostly a mindset. Translation: "Go for it!"
In this video, Tod Mattox shares a very simple warmup drill designed to reinforce the idea of "defending hard" and pursuing every ball.
How the drill works
With a full ball cart, a coach or player stands at the net and tosses balls all over the backcourt while defensive players dive to make digs. A point is awarded every time a player gets the ball up in the air and one of their teammates catches it. In this video, the game is played to seven points.
One of the keys to good defense is knowing how to explode from your ready position and dive under the ball. Here's a defense drill that reinforces the proper technique for diving and sliding.
To add an extra element to defensive training, try this dual purpose digging drill from USA Youth National Team coach Jim Stone.
