The Goalrilla G Trainer can be used to increase your fundamental approach to defensive basketball using the pass and slide drill. Setting the G Trainer up near the free throw line and placing it at about a 45 degree angle will allow the ball to come back quickly as you move laterally back and forth under the Goalrilla basketball goal. Place two cones on either side of the paint so your peripheral vision will keep you in the box.

Using a quick chest high pass, throw the basketball at the Goalrilla G Trainer and slide your body laterally to the other side of the free throw box to receive the rebounded ball. Once you have safely retrieved the ball, pass it once again to the G Trainer and quickly move back to the other side to retrieve it. By keeping your eyes up and on the basketball, and your backside down, you will improve the basic fundamentals of good defense by allowing your legs to do the work while your eyes can stay focused on the opponent. Repeat the exercise for thirty to sixty seconds at a time and concentrate on your footwork.

Through constant repetition and increased intensity, your body will ‘remember’ and keep you in position to make a defensive play when it is called upon. This muscle memory allows you to use your other senses to gain an edge on the competition. Keep your head level as you pass the ball to the Goalrilla G Trainer and drive off your instep, sliding laterally as quickly as you can. At first you will want to focus solely on keeping good physical form, butt down, eyes up, and hands out and ready. Once you have your form down, you can increase the intensity to simulate live game defense.

Practicing the basketball drill in short thirty to sixty second bursts will give you a realistic feel of guarding an opposing offensive player as the shot clock ticks down. Keeping your repetitions within this time frame will also prevent your legs from fatiguing and causing your fundamentals to break down. Once you are comfortable with the basketball exercise, try increasing the distance between the cones giving yourself a longer stretch to cover as you pass the ball back and forth to the Goalrilla G Trainer. This will increase your lateral explosiveness in order to cover an offensive player.

The Goalrilla G Trainer gives you the ability to experience the effort it takes to slide, control, and contain an opposing player. Staying ahead and in front of the opposing player limits their options and increases your chances of making a defensive stop, intercepting a pass, or blocking a shot. Through fundamental footwork, you can beat a player to their spot during a pass and wreak havoc with an offensive game plan. The defensive pass and slide basketball drill using the Goalrilla G Trainer allows an individual player to experience a game-like workout without a coach or training partner. Through repetition of this drill, you will gain an edge on opposing players by increasing your defensive acumen.

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team