Eliminate the bob and gallop for your beginner with a good defensive drill like the Wall Ball and Slide Defensive Drill. Gearing the drill down to a beginner level is easy. The main concentration for beginners is staying in the stance with a forceful drive and recover pattern.

Concentrate on a few key elements:

• Stay down in the defensive stance – keep the head level and butt down to prevent bobbing and galloping.
• Drive and recover – keep the underhand toss of the ball not too high and with enough force to prevent it from bouncing on the ground.
• Stay on the balls of the feet – let the foot work do the work (keeping stance level).

Driving from right to left and then left to right going down the wall and returning provides a nice even practice, preparing the player for transferring the skill to play on the basketball court.

There are a couple of aspects of the drill for beginners to watch for and adjust:

• The distance from the wall should be close enough to toss the ball underhand at about neck or head level with enough force so that it rebounds all the way back to the player and does not bounce on the ground. Tossing the ball too high means it could take too long to return and throws the rhythm off.
• Feet should start about shoulder width apart and player should stay on the balls of the feet for quick drive and recover steps. This is especially good for building leg and core strength to keep the head level and allow the player to toss and move in a smooth rhythm.

After a few passes in the Wall Ball Defensive Drill, you can move onto the home court and practice shooting some free throws at the Goalrilla Goal Basketball goal. That adds the muscle building for the arms, chest and shoulders to the legs and core resulting in a full-body practice.

Building skills and muscle and endurance – just what every beginner needs!

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team