Newsletter #328

Today's Theme... Switching Man Defense

Switching man-to-man defense has been around for many years, but has enjoyed a resurgence lately, with new refinements. Your man defense must have a strategy in defending screens, and this switching defense is one way to do it.

A pure switching "positionless" defense has defenders switch everything (but there are variations as we will discuss below).

Advantages of Switching

1. Switching disrupts the timing and flow of plays, motion offenses, continuity offenses, and any offense that uses a lot of screening.
2. Switching helps to contain the ball.
3. There is less reliance on your helpside and help and recover defense.
4. It's adaptable. You can switch everything (positionless teams), or switch "1-4", or use situational switching (see below). You can adjust your switching strategies based on your opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Disadvantages of Switching

1. Mis-matches can occur with a guard stuck on a post player, or vice versa. But you can help mitigate this using a "1-4" or situational strategy. When a mis-match does occur, your helpside has to be active, you must deny the pass to the post, and the guard and post defenders should switch back ASAP.
2. You need smart, high basketball IQ players.
3. Players MUST communicate everything.
4. Defenders may become lackadaisical after a switch.
5. Rebounding mis-matches may occur when guards get stuck inside.

Switching Strategies

1. "Positionless" switching - used by elite teams with five comparable athletes. All screens are switched automatically.
2. "1-4" switching - this strategy has your X5 center stay inside and he/she does not switch. The other four players switch everything between them. Fewer mis-matches occur.
3. Situational switching - this strategy uses switching only in certain situations, as a surprise tactic. Examples are after a time-out where switching can disrupt a play that was called in the huddle. Another example is to switch only on side (wing) ball-screens. And another is to switch in the last 5-10 seconds of a shot clock (switching here can create confusion and delay the offense).

Switching Fundamentals

1. Defenders must communicate - "talk". The talk must be loud and early (before the screen occurs). Words to use are: "switch", "stay" (no switch), "ball" (I've got the ball), "switch left/right" (indicate switch coming and direction), "help" (call for helpside defenders).
2. Switch tight, maintaining contact and avoid spacing between the offensive and defensive players... no lazy switches.
3. Stay in your defensive stance after the switch. Focus, don't relax.
4. After switching, the defender treats this as a new match-up.
5. Bump and recover - switch or hedge briefly to contain the ball, and then quickly recover back to your man.
6. Scram switch - occasionally used at the pro level, occurs when a guard is defending big post player (mis-match). As the post entry pass is in the air, the adjacent defensive post "scram" switches over to take the ball, and the guard defender moves out.

Techniques for Switching Types of Screens

See Basketball Switching Defense details on how to switch these screens:

• On-ball screens (Pick and Roll)
• Perimeter Lateral and Flare Screens
• Down-screens
• Back-screens
• Inside Post screens
• Multiple Double screens

Teaching the Switching Defense

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