Dear Coaches, Players, Friends,

Today's Quote:

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.  They have to have the skill, and the will.  But the will must be stronger than the skill." - Muhammad Ali

"Hating people because of their color is wrong.  And it doesn't matter which color does the hating.  It's just plain wrong." - Muhammad Ali

Today's Theme - "Special" Zone Defenses

Before presenting those defenses, I would like you to note the addition of "Slice Offense Quick Hitters and BLOB Plays", which nicely complements the recent article by coach Andrew Dodd on The Slice Motion Offense.

The SWARM Defense
From coach Wayne Walters, this defense is interesting and unique and attempts to control dribble penetration, while still pressuring the perimeter.  The defensive rotations are fairly easy to grasp and there are a several defensive options including "Fist", "Sniper", "Twist", "Scorpion", Box-and-1, Triangle-and-2, and Tandem-and-3-Chasers.

Point Zone Defense
This defense was devised by coaching legend Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina.  Coach Smith always maintained that it not only is an effective zone defense, but is also very easy to teach, requiring little practice time for your players to learn it.  

The point-zone defense has the advantages of getting pressure on the ball while still protecting the paint, and it is confusing for the opposing players and coaches. It looks like a 2-3 zone defense initially, and at other times it has the appearance of a 1-3-1 zone. The point-zone defense can be used against both one-guard and two-guard zone offenses.

The Amoeba Defense
The Amoeba defense was developed and used by late coach Jerry Tarkanian (990-228 career coaching record) at UNLV some years ago.  This is a gambling zone defense that, if run well, will help you get some steals and fast breaks.  It probably would not be wise to structure your team's entire half-court defense based on the Amoeba.  Rather, use it as something disruptive, that you can throw in at various times in a game to confuse the opponent, and force some turnovers.


Helpful DVDs: