Basketball Fundamentals - Basic Defensive Tips

By Dr. James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net

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There are two basic types of defense: "man-to-man" defense, and zone defense.

I believe all good players must learn how to play good man-to-man defense. Yet there are many times that a good zone defense can really shut down a team. It often depends on what the other team's strengths and weaknesses are. So you must learn both.

Man-to-Man Defense

With this defense, each player is assigned to guarding a particular player on the other team. Each player must try hard to stop the opponent. Although it sounds individual, man-to-man is really a team defense. Every one must do his/her part. If 1 or 2 players don't play good defense, the defense will fail. Although you are assigned to guard one player, you must learn to "help" your teammates, and learn to "slide through" and "switch" the player you are guarding with a teammate, if one of you gets picked. We used to call this a "switching" man-to-man defense.

You must learn what "help-side" means. Simply, when the ball is on the opposite side of the floor from you (and the person you are guarding), you can drop off your man a little into the lane and "sag" toward the middle to help cut off the passing lanes. Once the ball comes around to your side, you get back up tight on your man.

When I was younger, I was taught to deny the baseline, as baseline penetration often allows an easy basket or an easy dish to another player for a lay-up. Now coaches are advised to force the offensive player to the baseline. How do you reconcile the differences in teaching? Forcing to the baseline allows you to trap the defender there and helps establish your helpside defense. When the ball is in the corner, you only have to defend one side of the court and you can put all five defenders on that side. So we force the ball-handler to the baseline, but once there, you trap, and prevent any further penetration along the baseline. If you allow the offensive player to go uncontested along the baseline, it's usually 2 points.

"Move your feet!" You'll hear coaches yell this all the time...because it is one of the most important aspects of playing good defense. You must have the desire and the quickness to move your feet in order to stay with your man, to get into proper position to take a charge, to move quickly to box out for a rebound, etc. You must not just "reach-in" and take a swipe at the ball as the player dribbles by you (usually a foul)...instead you must move your feet, hustle and stay with your man, and prevent him/her from getting to the basket by getting yourself into proper position. Also, when you "reach-in", you lose your defensive stance and balance and are now easy for the offensive player to get around.

Zone Defense

There are a variety of zone defenses (2-3, 3-2, 1-2-2, 1-3-1 defenses, etc). In a zone defense, you defend a particular "zone", or area on the court. You don't stay with a particular person (like in the man-to-man). Any time the ball comes into your area, you guard that person with the ball. The defenders have to learn the rules of each zone and how to "shift", or move, with the ball.

Man-to-Man Defense Tips

1. Most of the time, you should keep between your man and basket (but sometimes post players, will have to "front" a strong post-up player).

2. Guards get into a low position with your weight evenly balanced, on the balls of your feet, nearer your toes. Don't be flat-footed. Keep your weight off your heels. The key to good defense is you must move your feet and stay between the player and the hoop. Do not reach in a take a quick swipe with your hand. You will either get a foul, or the offensive player will go right around you.

3. Guards out front can play back off your man a couple steps if the offensive player is very quick, and outside his/her normal shooting range. This space will give you time to react, so that the offensive player will not get around you. If your opponent is a good outside shooter, then you must play tighter.

4. This brings us to the next point...know your opponent! Know his/her strengths and weaknesses. If he/she is a good shooter, stay close. If he/she can't dribble very well, stay up close and keep the pressure on. If he/she is quick and a good dribbler then stay back a couple steps. If he/she is right-handed and always goes to the right, over-guard the right side and force him/her to the left.

5. Watch the offensive player’s eyes when passing... this will often tell you where the pass is going.

6. Watch the offensive player’s belly-button, especially if he/she is quick and hard to stay with. The offensive player can fake you with a head fake, eye fake, arm or shoulder fake, or a jab-step, but the belly-button will always go only in the direction that he/she is going.

7. When the shot goes up, yell "shot!" and all defenders should box-out their men, and go for the rebound, and get the fast-break going.

8. Hustle! Hustle! Hustle! You gotta love playing tough, hard defense. Your good defense will win many games for you, especially those games when your offense is "off". It's not so bad if your shots aren't falling, if the other team can't score either. Your defense will keep you in the game until your offense finally gets going. When you are behind, the best way to catch up is by playing great defense and getting those rebounds. Who said, "Good offense wins games, but good defense wins championships"? Believe it. Much of good defense is inspiration and perspiration.

Helpful DVDs:

	Seth Greenberg: Building Great Defense Through Your Stance with Seth Greenberg, Virginia Tech Head Coach; 2005 ACC Coach of the Year. Coach Greenberg pulls no punches in this invigorating defense-oriented DVD. Getting in a stance and staying in a stance separates the average teams from the great ones. Greenberg is so committed to stance he designed an intense "stance workout." This workout develops six great qualities in his teams that include toughness, discipline, togetherness, team bonding, peer pressure and an understanding of on and off the ball stance. Using an entire team, Greenberg teaches the details of defensive stance. Items like foot alignment, elbow position, chest out, head up and outside hand are all important. A stickler for details, he carefully makes corrections to each player's stance. Instead of the standard "step-slide" technique, Greenberg teaches quick and short choppy steps. The goal is to influence to the sideline, but make the offensive player drive through your chest. Other key areas that Greenberg covers are the "slide-run-slide," half-court slides, mirror/trace, off ball stance, slipping screens, deny support, close out technique, "low man wins" and the all-in-one drill... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Jay Wright: Defensive Progression Drills & Techniques with Jay Wright, Villanova University Head Men's Basketball Coach, NCAA "Sweet 16" (2005), Philadelphia Big Five Eastern College Coach of the Year. Aggressive, no-nonsense defense is a trademark of Jay Wright's teams. Because of the great talent Villanova faces every game, Wright focuses on drills that will help contain quick, skilled ball handlers. This excellent teaching tool progresses from individual defensive stance, to one-on-one, two-on-two, and three-on-three in the half- and full-court. Wright stresses pressure on the ball, stance and vision away from the ball. The 2-on-2 "Whack Out" drill will show how to close out on shooters and still contain the ball handler. The term "line of the ball and level of the ball" are illustrated. The versatile 2-on-2 in the Post drill focuses on perimeter defense as well as defending the post. Helping on the post is a concept introduced once the offensive post has the ball inside. The cornerstones of the DVD are defending on the ball, jumping to the ball, playing cutters, playing off the ball and reading help. This has great application to high school and junior high basketball... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Five-Star Basketball: Building Team Man-to-Man Defense with Danny Walck, Five-Star Basketball Coach/Instructor and Warwick (PA) HS Head Coach. From the 'whole-part-whole' teaching model, Coach Walck breaks down his system for man-to-man defense. Balance, stance and bent knees are required to play this intense system of defense. Defensive slides create space in the direction of the pointed toe. This step/slide/slide concept is well known among successful coaches. Also covered is the retreat step, close out and the trace drill. The defensive four-slide drill incorporates all slides into a half court drill. To teach the ball-man relationship, Walck sets up the shell drill to show defenders how to move relative to the ball and their man. Deny & open is a drill that works on wing denial, defending the back cut and maintaining vision on the ball. The four- and five-man shell drill emphasizes and demonstrates all techniques taught by Walck. The advantage of the shell drill is that each player can be exposed to all different defensive situations. On this DVD, Coach Walck shows how to build a foundation for successful man-to-man defense... (more info) Price: $39.99