Slide and stay in front
Ready when: Dribble with the head up (b2) done.
What you are learning
Defence: staying between the attacker and the basket in a low stance, moving with sideways slides where the feet never cross, and never reaching in to grab. In basketball, touching someone to stop them is a foul.
Words on this card Dribble, Foul, Defensive stance, Slide
- Dribble
- Bouncing the ball with one hand while moving or standing.
- Foul
- Illegal contact, such as pushing or holding.
- Defensive stance
- Low, knees bent, feet wide, back straight, arms ready.
- Slide
- Moving sideways in the defensive stance without the feet crossing or touching.
Set up
A cone as the "basket" and a start line 6 m away. A ball.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Defensive stance: low, knees bent, feet wider than the shoulders, back straight, arms out ready.
- Slide sideways: push off one foot and bring the other toward it, never letting them touch or cross.
- Stay about an arm's length from the attacker, always between them and the cone.
Your part while they practise
Be the attacker at walking pace; try to dribble to the cone. Then swap.
Step by step
- The attacker starts at the line with the ball.
- The defender takes the stance between the attacker and the cone.
- The attacker walks, dribbling, trying to reach the cone.
- The defender slides to stay in front without touching.
- 2 minutes, then swap.
How much: 2 minutes defending and 2 minutes attacking, 3 rounds 12 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Stay between
The defender scores a point for every 10 seconds kept between the attacker and the cone without touching.
Who plays: 2 players: attacker and defender, swapping after 2 minutes. The attacker counts the seconds aloud.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The attacker starts at the line, dribbling
- The defender keeps between the attacker and the cone
- Count every 10 seconds aloud
- If the attacker touches the cone with the ball, start again from the line
- Fair play
- A grown-up attacker walks and never jogs.
- Points
- The defender scores 1 point for every 10 seconds kept between; the attacker scores 2 points for each time they touch the cone with the ball.
- Fouls
- A point to the attacker
- The defender touches or pushes the attacker
- The defender reaches in for the ball
- The defender's feet cross while sliding
- Winning
- More points after both have defended.
- 4 points for 1 star
- 8 points for 2 stars
- 12 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
The attacker walks.
The attacker jogs.
What you will see, and what to say
- feet cross
Slide, feet never touch
Push and follow; the feet stay apart. - stands tall
Sit low, back straight
As if sitting on a low stool. - reaches in and fouls
Feet first, hands later
Move the feet to stay in front; the hands stay out of it.
Self-check
3 of 5 attacks kept from the cone in the 2 minutes, without touching the attacker.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains defensive stance, slide steps.
Basic is done when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b6.
awiseathlete.com/sports/basketball/basketball-b6