Turn Drill

The turn drill is a staple of any man-to-man defense.  This drill works on the ball defense that must be won by the defensive player for man defense to be effective.  A good defensive team must win the 1 on 1 battles during a game.  The turn drill isolates this aspect of defense.  This aspect of defense is the fundamental key for man defense to work.

The turn drill is normally done in the full court but it can be done using the half-court or even the width of the court.  The amount of space the offensive player has to work in can be reduced into a tighter space or expanded making it harder on the defense.  A restricted area will also force the offensive player to work on ball handling with more change of direction dribbles.  A wider area will make it harder on the defense because more of the court must be covered. 

The turn drill is a drill where the defensive player tries to turn the offensive player as many times as possible during the length of the drill.  The defense wants the offense to change the direction they are travelling in.  The offense is working on getting by the defense as quickly as possible.  The different objectives by the offense and defense gives the drill a competitive aspect.

The turn drill is really simple.  I like to use the sideline and closest lane line as the perimeters.  The offensive player can not go outside of these two lines.  This restricts the amount of space the offensive player can use making it easier on the defense. 

The defensive player will guard the offensive player.  The offensive player will start dribbling in one direction.  The defensive player will follow cutting off the offensive player as they get to the outside line.  The offensive player will then change directions and start dribbling towards the other side.  Again, the defensive player will stay in front until they reach the other side restriction. Once the pair reach the restriction, the offensive player changes direction with the defensive player staying in front.  This continues until they reach the other side of the floor.

At the start of learning defense and at the younger ages, the offense can be restricted from beating the defensive player off the dribble.  This makes sure the defense has to work the entire length of the floor.  If the offense is able to beat the defense, then the drill can turn into a sprint and chase drill.  When that happens, the defense is not getting any work. 

At the older ages, the offensive player should attempt to beat the defense as quickly as possible.  The defense will work on staying in front to prevent the offense from beating them.  This brings the competition of the drill to the forefront. 

Another competitive aspect that can be brought to the drill is having the defensive player try and turn the offensive player as many times as possible.  In order to turn the offensive player as many times as possible, the defensive player will try cutting the offensive dribble quickly before they get to the side restrictions.  This is a game within the drill I like to do to get players to focus even more on their defense.

Another little tweak I like to add to the drill is to have the drill go the length of the court within the side boundaries of the lane line and sideline.  Once the pair cover ¾ of the court and get to the other 3-point line, they will then play 1 on 1 with the offense trying to score and the defense trying to stop them.  The pair stay on the side and then will turn at the last ¼ of the court and start going to the basket.  This little tweak now has the defense working on full court defense as well as half-court defense.  This is also giving the offense a chance to work on their skills in this last ¼ court possession.  So, now we are working on both offense and defense at the same time.

Conclusion

The turn drill is a great drill to learn and work on man-to-man defense.  It teaches how to defend on the ball defense.  Every defensive player needs to be able to guard the ball.  Little tweaks can be done to the drill to make it easier or harder for the age and skill level of the players.  As the drill starts, the coach should assess whether the drill is working or not.  If it is not working, then the coach can make it easier.  If the drill is too easy, then the coach can make it more difficult. 

The turn drill should be used by every team at every level.  3^rd and 4^th graders will have a little bit different of a turn drill then high school players.  The turn drill can be modified so both groups of players are getting better using the drill.  This should be one of the 1^st defensive drills if not the 1^st defensive drill players learn.  And it should be used regularly.