Will Wade (2)

Will Wade: 1-on-1 Exercises to Improve Individual Skills The best coaches help their players develop the necessary skills to be a playmaker on the basketball floor. That is exactly what LSU head coach Will Wade does in this video. He shares 10 different 1-on-1 practice drills that work on skill development on both sides of the ball. The drills help individual players develop as a complete basketball player. Coach Wade knows a thing or two about competing. He is a former VCU assistant and head coach where he led the Rams to the 2011 Final Four and to the 2016 Atlantic 10 championship. Wade uses 1-on-1 drills as much as possible to create a competitive atmosphere in practice, force players to work on their overall game, and to expose weaknesses and build confidence in his players. Competitive 1-on-1 Drills Coach Wade’s 1-on-1 drills cover a number of different teaching points. They can be used on a daily basis and can be customized to emphasize offense or defense or to fit to a certain team. Wade likes to give the offense a slight advantage in some of the drills to teach players how to finish at the rim. The drills also force defenders to hustle to stop a would-be driver. Coach Wade also includes a couple drills that focus on post play. The entire team is involved in learning how to maximize scoring chances. Posts learn to keep good position and seal defenders on ball reversals. Perimeter players learn how to quickly and easily feed the post. All of the 1-on-1 drills work both sides of the ball, but Coach Wade does have a few that give special emphasis to defense. Those drills include: Alley Ball Drill – helps develop full-court pressure defense. Players work to pressure the ball and turn it as many times as possible before playing live 1-on-1 at the other end of the floor. The Gauntlet – players learn to fight through a series of screens before having to play live 1-on-1 defense. The Turf Wars Drill – motivates players by rewarding them on the offensive end for their defensive effort. Philosophical Building Blocks Wade’s philosophy and team culture is built upon the idea of toughness. Players must buy in to the program philosophy and Wade discusses how he goes about getting players to commit. He will share a number of statistics that he emphasizes and how he demands effort on those numbers in practice. You will also see four different techniques designed to improve your offensive rebounding. Like defense, getting rebounds is about being aggressive and attacking an opponent. These are the types of things that Coach Wade emphasizes in his program. They are exactly the kinds of things you can emphasize in your program in an effort to become successful.

Will Wade: Practice Drills for Half Court Pressure Defense LSU head coach Will Wade has earned a reputation as a well-versed defensive coach despite his youth. Just 35 years of age, Wade has been a head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga and Virginia Commonwealth before landing at LSU. He was part of Shaka Smart’s staff on the VCU team that went to the Final Four in 2011. Coach Wade takes you through his whole philosophy of defense as well as the drills necessary in building a top-notch defensive ball club. This clinic video will help your team stop easy transition baskets as well as show you how to close out properly and prevent 3-point opportunities. Ball Pressure Coach Wade uses two drills to help defenders learn the art of ball pressure. The drills utilize a scoring system making them very competitive. Both drills emphasize an individual’s ability to apply pressure on the ball as well as rotate and position when off the ball. Your players will develop the skills necessary to disrupt ball handlers and force deflections and turnovers. Winning in Transition Defenses cannot give up easy baskets in transition. Learn how Coach Wade balances an aggressive style of offensive rebounding with limiting fast-break opportunities. Two drills – the Rat Race and 4-on-2 Continuous – serve the dual purpose of teaching transition defense and working as a conditioner. Players learn how to communicate and disrupt an opponent’s fast-break in game-like situations. Closeouts Two specific drills aim at taking away your opponent’s best shooters. Learn the technique that Wade used while at VCU to cover open shooters. The Raiders and Heart Check drills will help your defenders anticipate and learn to be aggressive in covering ground and stopping long-range shots. Post Defense Coach Wade wants his entire team to be able to defend in the post to take away the possibility of a mismatch. Defenses with all players capable of defending in the low post are able to switch on screens more easily. In this segment, Coach Wade presents two very intense, physical drills designed to prevent easy entry passes into the post with an emphasis on full-front denial. Rebounding Defense and rebounding go hand-in-hand and Wade has an aggressive philosophy for both. Rebounding is instinctive and Wade will show you how you can drill to bring out that instinct. Combined with all of the defensive drills, Coach Wade’s 79-minute clinic video is a must for those searching for a way to create pressure and force turnovers on defense.