W Drill
Setup
Setup 5 cones in a W pattern. The bottom two cones should be on the blocks. The top three cones should be on each wing and on the center of the free throw line.
Purpose
The W Drill is a defensive agility drill where your players are trained how to repeatedly change directions in direct backwards and forwards angles.
Drill Description
Players begin the drill by backpedaling to the near back cone, then sprinting forward to the middle cone. They make this pattern again for the next two cones backpedaling to the back cone and then sprinting forward through the last cone.
Each change of direction should be as rapid as possible. The hips shouldn’t be turning but should instead remain parallel to the court as the player stays in a good athletic defensive stance low to the ground and facing up towards the imagined offensive player.
This defensive agility drill should be down on the defensive side of the court with the player’s backs to the to hoop so that they can imagine defending a player that is charging the hoop, and then following him back out as he retreats back to the arc.
Once all the players have filed through the course, the players can then go through the drill the other direction so that they get work from both diagonal angles.
