My favorite way to teach all facets of dodging is through a drill called Area 1v1's!
Unlike regular 1-on-1's, we're not dodging to a goal. Instead, imagine an invisible line through your defender's feet—your challenge is to dodge around your defender and get back to the line. This drill emphasizes the crucial skill of turning the corner or initiating contact simulating gaining or maintaining angle to the net in a game.
To run this drill effectively we utilize multiple constraints for both sides of the ball.
First, the defender has to not only be tough to beat, but must pressure to an arm’s length from the dodger (cannot back off), which allows the dodger to learn to bait and beat pressure.
The Dodger starts in a post up position and can execute many different moves:
-Dodge from the post up
-Step back and bait the approach
-Control the approach with posture and use jabs and “Punch Moves”
The Dodger’s task is to get a step on their defender and “Get back to the line” essentially, cutting them off or putting them “On their back” like a Hostage Dribble. Many times the dodger must use a hesitation move or rocker to get back to the line against a good defender. Sometimes, the defender is so good the dodger has to “Bounce” out and create a new angle to get back to the line.
Finally, we like to do three continuous reps in a row, where the dodger gets back to the line, doesn’t run away from the defender but rather cuts them off putting the defender on their back. The end of the first rep transitions into the beginning of the second rep where the dodger initiates a new dodge and tries to get back to a new line. After the second round, we transition to the third round and the rep is over after about 20 seconds.
The reason we like to do three reps in a row is as the defender gets tired, they will give different looks to the dodger.
If you implement this drill in your practice, please share it with us, we’d love to see it in action!
