Practice plan
European Method: Italian Defense, Shell in Five Phases
- Length
- 120 min
- Age group
- Teen (13 to 18)
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- Preseason
- Contents
- 20 drills and 1 play
About this practice
Team defense built the Italian way: the individual prerequisites first, then the shell in five phases, then games that pay for stops. Tracing the ball with tennis balls, positioning between two attackers, the ten-minute footwork review, the close-out from help, and only then the shell, phase by phase, with look, talk, listen on every pass and the help-and-recover before the help-and-switch. Where the help stands matters more here than in the American game. With no defensive three seconds, a helper can live in the paint for a whole possession, so he had better know the spot. It ends with two stops and a break to fifteen, because a stop followed by a rushed shot gives the stop straight back. The shell in five phases and the tennis-ball work are Massimo Dima's, from the Italian federation's coaching papers; the footwork review, shrink and spread, and two stops and a break are Ettore Messina's FIBA clinic drills. Both will take you deeper.
- Competitiveness
- Defense
- Passing
- Shooting
The plan, step by step
- Outline Practice2 min
- Three-Man Chest Pass Lines5 min
- Walking Lunges2 min
- Knee Hugs1 min
- Defensive Slides2 min
- Jog and Backpedal2 min
- Trace the Ball8 min
- Two Attackers, One Defender8 min
- Slide, Recover, Crossover Defense10 min
- Closeout Drill6 min
- Scheduled Water Break2 min
- Free Throw Shooting3 min
- Shell in Five Phases20 min
- Line of Ball, Line of Pass8 min
- Help and Recover Drill7 min
- Shrink and Spread8 min
- Scheduled Water Break2 min
- Two Stops and a Break12 min
- Drill: Star Closeout5 min
- Free Throw Shooting3 min
- Practice Summary4 min
20 drills and 1 play120 min of drills
