Here at Nike/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps we focus on preparing the players for actual games. One aspect of this preparation is pressure. We have three on three, five on five, and Living By Number competitions to pressure the players to become the best versions of themselves. At camp, and at practices the players need to feel the pressure that their are going to feel on the court in order to perform at their best level. If a player goes half speed in practice, then he will go half speed in the game. If the players put pressure on themselves at all times then the habits that they adopt in the time off the court will soon become habits on the court.
In our Team Defense Station, we have players learn three key defensive positions, known as, "Ball, Deny and Help." Players must call "ball" when covering the ball, "deny" when they are one pass away from getting the ball, with their hand in the passing lane, facing out and the thumb pointed down, then, finally, "help" when they are two or more passes away. When in the help position they must have their butt to the baseline, in a good stance, and have their eyes on both their ball and their man. Coaches are strict on calling the appropriate positions and make the players start over whenever they cannot hear the calls by the players. By having the players learn these under such pressured and strict positions, we are enabling them to develop these skills as habits.