Why Turn-and-Run Defense Beats Step-Slide (Players Actually Love It)

Coach Larry and I get into something I think is way overlooked: turn-and-run defense versus the traditional step-slide.⁣
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The whole point is staying between the ball and the basket, chest square, riding the ball handler toward the baseline and using your help. You're never guarding someone one on one in a vacuum, so coaching it that way never made sense to me.⁣
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Here's the part that really gets me though. Every time we've installed this with a team, players start begging to keep playing defense. Not because they suddenly love hustle drills, but because we stopped chaining them to slide, slide, slide and then getting yelled at for getting beat while doing exactly what was asked.⁣
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Turn and run unlocks actual athleticism. I think that's been the missing piece in how defense gets taught for years. #shorts