Players stand in one spot and work through a series of ball-handling moves: crossovers, between the legs, behind the back, and in-and-out dribbles. Focus on keeping the head up and controlling the ball.

Players slide laterally in a defensive stance from one side of the court to the other. This helps improve foot speed and gets the legs warm for defensive movements.

Players jog to a certain point and then backpedal to the start. This helps with forward-backward movement transitions and gets the legs warm for the practice.

Players compete to see who can hold the defensive stance the longest while moving laterally. Focus on maintaining proper technique.

Reaction and lateral footwork before there is a ball to worry about, which is why Jr. NBA uses the mirror as a first defensive drill and why I warm up with it at every level. Setup: pairs of similar speed facing each other four or five feet apart on a line, the sideline or a lane line, with cones marking a lane about ten feet wide for each pair. No balls in the base version; the leader is drawn holding one here only because the dribbling version is the progression. The leader moves laterally, plants and reverses, fakes, stutters, and changes speed; the defender slides to stay nose to nose without crossing his feet. Thirty seconds, switch roles, three or four rounds starting slow and speeding up. Common mistakes: hopping instead of sliding, popping up out of the stance, and watching the leader's feet instead of his hips. Progressions: the leader adds forward and back so the defender closes and backpedals, then the leader dribbles, then cones squeeze the width. Youth especially, six to twelve. I picked it up from Basketball Manitoba's defend-the-mirror page and the Jr. NBA defensive mirror drill video; give them a look for the thirty-second round structure.

Allow players to hydrate and rest at predetermined times during practice to prevent fatigue and dehydration.

Players practice closing out on a shooter by sprinting halfway and then chopping their steps to control speed, with one hand contesting the shot.

Players compete to stop their opponent from scoring in a 1-on-1 setting. Points are awarded for defensive stops such as steals or blocks.

Small-sided games with three players on each team. This format encourages teamwork, communication, and competitive play in a controlled setting.

Check, celebrate and commit. Bring up each one of those with your team.

End practice with a team chant or cheer to build camaraderie and end on a positive note.