SKLZ DMBK-000-02 D-Man A Trainer Defensive Mannequin, Orange, One Size

I coach girls' middle school basketball, and so many of the drills I find in books or online suggest using chairs, garbage cans, or cones with something sticking up as an obstacle on the court. I just couldn't see putting something either so bulky, dirty, or possibly dangerous in the way of my athletes. I signed my son up for a basketball skils lesson by a former college/NBA player, and he used these for several shooting and dribbling drills and I just KNEW I had to get these for my team. They do stand up without additional weight added to the base, however one bump by an athlete and it will topple over, so it does need weights on the bottom to keep it up during use. I personally didn't want the hassle of adding sand to the bases, so I used a 10lb weight (with xtra-large or olympic-sized holes) on top of the plastic base.

This is an essential basketball training tool, especially for training shooting. First time using it, players will be really affected by the Dummy Defender and will tend to step back and shoot further away. After some practice, they learn to ignore the Dummy Defender and are able to shoot with the Dummy Defender set up closer and closer to them. This transfers fantastically into real game play as players learn to ignore a defender charging at them and focus only on the rim. This translates to much higher game shot percentage as well as more shooting opportunities (players willing to shoot and shoot confidently where before training with the Dummy Defender, they would have concluded the (real / human) defender is too close for them to get a shot off).

This appears to be a quality pop-up defender. It is adjustable in height and nicely balanced. Having kids shoot and pass around this defender helps them position and visualize game situations better.

A little flimsy but it’s ok

I bought this for my little brother for Christmas. It came on time and was pretty easy to set up. It comes exactly as advertised and he’s been enjoying it so far. Good buy!

In the wind it can tip over even with full tank of water. Also a little crooked when standing up but still love it.

Would have given it 1 star, but it's a great concept, definitely will help skills, but poor execution in the product. I had this outside in my backyard, kinda easy to assemble, ran a few shooting drills, really good practice for shorter players. Problem is poles will bend and fall right over with even slight wind. I put water in the base, the base doesnt move at all. But the poles are so thin its almost like theyre going to break when it gets just a little windy. I ended up making my own with PVC pipes for $20 bucks, took me like an hour, and mine is way more sturdy.

So far we really enjoy our D Man! We order two and have them on both ends of court during shooting drills. Good for kids to shoot over as well as dribble around. We will probably order some more.