5 Keys to Better Close Outs

Here are 5 tips mentioned in the video above.

1. Be in your defensive stance.

If you are in an athletic stance with hips back and knees bent, this saves time because you
are ready to sprint to the shooter.

"Be like a sprinter."

2. Sprint to the ball.

Sprinting to the shooter as quickly as possible is VERY important.

1 - If the offense is going to shoot, they will have a contested shot which dramatically
lowers their shooting percentage.

2 - A properly timed closeout will make it more difficult to drive past you. If you delayed
your closeout and are still sprinting to the shooter who already has the ball, they can
easily use your momentum against you and drive past you.

3. Chop your steps.

You want to chop your steps or use a quick stop to slow your momentum so you can
defend the dribble drive.

4. Hands Up

By having your hands up, this leads to a contested shot, prevents direct post passes, and
results in more deflections for your team.

5. Mirror Offense and Force East-West

"Feet to feet."

"Belly button to belly button."

The purpose of mirroring the offense is to force the offense east-west and away from the
basket. You don't want any easy straight line driving lanes to the basket because this
typically breaks down the defense and gives more efficient scoring opportunities to the
offense.