Equipment Needed
- Sticks
- Balls
- Cones to mark zones
Make the slide easy to read
A set of pinnies makes it instantly clear which defender is sliding during a fast-moving zone package rep.
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- Set up 3–4 defenders in their normal defensive positions; an attacker with the ball beats their defender in a scripted way.
- Mark each defender's general zone of responsibility.
Instructions
- The primary defender allows the attacker to get by them (in a controlled, scripted way for this drill).
- The nearest teammate recognizes the breakdown and slides over to pick up the ball carrier.
- The beaten defender recovers to cover the open player the sliding teammate left behind.
- Reset and repeat with the scripted breakdown happening from different spots.
Coaching Points
- The slide has to happen immediately when the breakdown occurs, not a beat late.
- Communication ("slide! I've got ball!") is what makes this concept actually work under real game speed.
- The recovering defender's job (covering the open player) is just as important as the slide itself — don't let this part get skipped.
- Start scripted and slow; only add live, unscripted dodging once the concept and communication are understood.
Variation
Make the initial dodge fully live and competitive once the slide concept is understood, or add a second slide (slide the slide) for advanced groups.