Franklin High School (WI) Head Boys Basketball Coach;
record of 62-20 in last 3 seasons(.756) at Franklin HS (WI);
achieved 200th career win at Franklin HS in January 2023;
named Southeast Conference (WI) Coach of the Year (2022-2023);
Wisconsin Swing Assistant Coach - HS Division (Competitive Youth Club Program);
Milwaukee Bay View HS (WI) Head Boys Basketball Coach from 2008 to 2015;
Messmer HS (WI) Head Boys Basketball Coach from 2007 to 2008;
former Milwaukee Swing Director (Competitive Youth Club Program);
Director of Basketball Operations for the London Towers (British Basketball League) from 2002 to 2003;Smothering, ferocious defense is the great differentiator in basketball. Playing great team defense transforms your team into a tough-to-deal-with opponent in every game and it helps keep your team in tightly contested matchups against more-talented squads. And on those nights when your shots aren’t falling, playing great team defense will keep you in the game!
Tyler Podoll, the head boy’s basketball coach of the Franklin High School (WI), has his entire program taking pride in the way they play individual and team defense. Each season, Coach Podoll’s squad sets the goal of being the best defensive team in the state.
In this on-the-court instructional coaching video featuring player demonstrations, Coach Podoll showcases his suffocating No-Middle Hybrid Gap Defense – a style of team defense that forges the tenets of great individual defense and blends it into a system that has held opponents under 50-points per game and has they put his squad in a position to win every night that Franklin takes to the court.
Coach Podoll unlocks the secrets of No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense and highlights the defensive rules and arsenal of drills that he uses to teach it.
Warm-Ups, Progressions To Shell
Coach Podoll shows how to get your players going right from the start of practice, while instilling a focus on possessing and maintaining an intense defensive mindset.
Podoll shares several highly effective defensive drills that utilize the skills and tactics necessary to facilitate No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense. Beginning with ‘Box Drill,’ which features players working on denying the offense the ball, while working hard to get deflections and maintaining tenacious ball pressure. This is an excellent drill to work on both offense and defense, as offensive players must stay sharp to prevent passes from being deflected.
In a drill he calls, ‘Triple Closeouts,’ Coach Podoll shows players working on the proper footwork they must use while executing defensive closeouts. Players go through a series of long and short closeouts before sprinting to the opposite end of the floor to play 1-on-1. This is an excellent, highly competitive drill that gets your players in the right frame of mind at the very beginning of practice!
With shell drill being the ultimate defensive breakdown drill, Podoll stresses why it’s important to prepare your players mentally and physically to participate in the shell drill. In this segment, Coach Podoll highlights a breakdown of the different component parts of shell and half-court defense so that your players know WHAT to do and WHY they are doing it during the competitive shell drill sessions.
Starting from a 1-on-1 setting, Coach Podoll shows how players must work to deflect wing entry passes. If they cannot get a deflection on the wing entry, defenders are instructed to force their opponent as far away from the basket as possible.
Podoll shows how to build up to both 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 drills in this setting – which are all highly effective in teaching your players proper defensive positioning and rotations out of each setting – all critical components of a No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense.
Shell Drills
Showcasing five different versions of shell drill, Coach Podoll shows off what separates their gap and no-middle defense from everyone else’s defense! By teaching ‘thumbs down, butt-to-ball’ and by being positioned in more of a denial stance, your players will possess the ability to cut down on the time it takes to get into the gap and closeout positions as the ball moves.
Coach Podoll also shares a drill he calls, ‘11 Drill,’ which features defensive players being challenged to prevent the offense from getting 11-paint touches.
In ‘Situation Drill,’ Coach Podoll showcases how defenders must work to get a ‘Turkey’ – otherwise known as getting three stops in a row to help simulate getting stops in a game. This is a great drill that teaches the technique and positioning necessary in No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense.
“Baseball Drill”
Rounding out this deep-dive defensive breakdown of how to teach and implement a No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense, is a drill Coach Podoll calls ‘Baseball.’ In this drill that features intense, competitive action, defensive players get three possessions on defense, and each successful stop counts as 1-point. Putting 30 seconds on the clock, defenders must lock-in and get as many defensive-stop points as they can on defense. This is a great game to play with your players and teaches them how to apply pressure on the ball.
Defense has helped build a consistently winning, championship-caliber program for Coach Podoll’s squads at Franklin High School. By holding opponents under 50-points per game, while holding them to under 40-percent from the field and under 30-percent from the 3-point line, his teams have become the premier defensive program in the state each season.
By utilizing No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense, they are able to apply pressure on the ball and close down passing lanes all while limiting the opponent's middle drives and paint touches.
This is a great defensive video to add to your collection and a must-see if you are looking to take your defense up to the next level!
Customer Review: 5 Out of 5 Stars. ‘Terrific video! Coach Podoll does a great job demonstrating each drill, showing the defensive technique that is needed for each drill and explaining the ‘whys’ behind each action as they relate to the No-Middle, Hybrid Gap Defense system.’
98 minutes. 2024.