Most of our teams spend the first three or four weeks of practice only on defense, and most of that time is spent in one drill.
Five man shell is not one drill among several here. It is the foundation, and a practice stays in it as long as it takes.
Coach Mason on why it is worth that much of the calendar.
Every player in the drill is in one of three relationships to the ball.
Force baseline. Five second count, active hands, feet placed to take the middle away.
Deny. The pass does not come easily and it does not come on time.
Help, on the white line.
The white line is the center of the court running the long way, baseline to baseline. Cut a court in half the long way and it is the line down the middle. The name comes from the white tape that ran down Coach Mason's practice court.
A help-side defender straddles it with his chest facing his own goal, so he can see his man and the ball at the same time without turning his head away from either.
It is not the middle of the paint, and it is not a line painted on any floor. It is a position every player on the weak side should be able to find without looking for it.
Four things, over and over, until they stop needing to be said. Man and ball. Chop your feet on closeouts. Be low in a stance. Get to help side.
Asked which two matter most, Coach Mason named seeing man and ball, and help side.
Rebounding is not optional here.
Face to face first, so the defender sees his man before he goes looking for the ball. Forearm to that man's chest. Make contact, and keep the contact. Then turn and find the ball.
What we coach out of a player is the common habit. Watch the shot, turn your back, guess where your man went.
The stakes are bigger than one possession. A team can guard the ball well, stay in front of everybody, and force a bad shot every time down. If it does not rebound, it is still the worst defensive team on the floor.
Shell drill assumes every player can already guard somebody one on one. That part is on guarding the ball. Why a habit built at this age is so hard to replace later is on why habits are hard to unlearn.
Tryout dates and registration are on tryouts.