Stall counting is an underestimated part of a defensive strategy. It’s the primary element that is in your control, yet very few players are great at counting to 10 on time. Many of us count too fast. Many of us count too slow. But if you can develop the ability to count to 10 consistently, I think that your team will have more stall downs against opposing teams.

It might seem like a trivial thing but a few years ago, I was reading a post by a player who was at a college tournament in the USA. They were talking about how there was a stall count competition on the Saturday evening (before the beer came out I presume) and that the numbers ranged from 6.5 to 13.5 seconds (the amount of time it actually took someone to count to 10).

If you count too fast, you’ll have the thrower call fast count. If you count too slow, you are giving the thrower an advantage.

Using the timer below, check out how your stall count to 10 compares to an actual 10 seconds. Try it again after you’ve gone for a run. Work on your timing both when you’re tired and when you’re not. A lot of players count slower when tired because they count in between catching their breath.

I tried it a few times and consistently was 2 seconds ahead. I know that when I’m playing and a bit out of breath, I slow my count down a bit but I try to keep it going at a consistent cadence. Let me know how you did!