These tips serve as a summary of tactics you can use to stop (or slow down) a fast-breaking opponent. Incorporating these concepts into your game plan will help to considerably detract their ability to fast break. If your team is not built to fast-break, how do you play against teams that do like to push the ball and speed up the tempo of the game? From the outset, I think there are 2 very important points to consider. First, I think the easiest concept is to have your team control the … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Defending Great Shooters
You will often find your team going up against another team who has a deadly accurate shooter. He may not only be accurate, but he may understand how to move without the basketball, how to read the defense, and how to catch in a position to shoot quickly. A good shooter can be difficult to defend because the shooter knows when he is going to shoot ... the defensive player does not. The defender must also be to jump as the shooter jumps and go up as high as the shooter. Throw in a few head and … [Read more...]
The Rogue Defense
rogue (rg) adj.: Operating outside normal or desirable controls The Rogue Defense is just as defined above. It goes against the rules of a "normal" man-to-man or zone defense. It is more strategy than a specific defensive set. The Rogue Defense can be any number of defensive tactics and strategies. When discussing the Rogue Defense, it is important to realize that it is set up based on your scouting reports. If you haven't done a good job scouting, you will not be able to install a rogue … [Read more...]
Red Auerbach’s Zone Defense Pro’s and Con’s
Coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach was the head coach of the Boston Celtics from 1950-1966 where he won over 900 games and 9 NBA titles. Upon retiring from coaching, he worked until his death in 2006 as the Celtics general manager, president, and vice chairman ... winning another 7 NBA titles! In 1953, Coach Auerbach wrote Basketball: For the Player, the Fan, and The Coach. This book was highly influential and was translated into seven languages and reprinted many times throughout the '60s and … [Read more...]
10 Defensive Tactics When Guarding the Basketball
Individual defensive techniques are very important in your overall defensive scheme. These ideas and tactics should be emphasized with your players as you teach one-on-one skills within your overall team defense. We know the importance of helpside defense and how a good team defense can utterly disrupt an opponent, however, each individual defender must also understand his responsibility for controlling his own man. The following tactics should be emphasized, taught, and discussed with your … [Read more...]
When to Apply Pressure Defense
If your basketball game strategy doesn't involve pressing the entire game, when should you press? Should you press at all? How long or how often should you apply pressure? Should you press in the halfcourt or in the fullcourt? Should you run a zone press or man-to-man press? We'll try to answer these questions and more in this article. In discussing 'When to Press', we're going under the assumption that you don't normally press during a basketball game. If you are a pressing team and like to … [Read more...]
The Combination Switch Defense
The Combination Switch Defense can be quite advantageous against disciplined and deliberate offensive teams. These are the teams that run a patterned offense such as the flex, shuffle, etc. It also works against teams that run a motion or passing game and like to take time off the clock. Basically, in The Combination Switch Defense, the defenders will play man-to-man defense for the first 3 or 4 passes. (The number of passes needs to be understood so all players switch at the same time). Once … [Read more...]
8 Team Defense Techniques and Points of Emphasis
Utilize the 8 team defense techniques and concepts below to help your team work together as a cohesive defensive unit. Defense does win and getting 5 defenders to play together can make your team dominant on the defensive end of the basketball court. Follow these concepts, but also emphasize them to your players. Get Better Playing defense is not a sometime thing. Effort and execution is required by everyone ... one mistake and the team defense can fall apart, allowing the offense to score. … [Read more...]
10 Principles of Defensive Team Play
Coach Jack Ramsay was a proponent of playing pressure defense. He believed that applying pressure would force offensive teams into difficult situations. What follows are his set of 10 Principles of Defensive Team Play developed and adopted to best incorporate pressure defense into game strategy. Maintain a defensive stance, knees flexed, head up; foot nearer vertical court division forward; hands in close while moving; forward hand up on man with ball; eyes on mid-section of opponent with … [Read more...]
Scramble Defense Basic Fundamentals
The Scramble defense is, in essence, a rotating man-to-man defense that will allow many opportunities for steals and will also put intense pressure on your opponents shot attempts. The Scramble is a man-to-man defense but after the first 'scramble', any defender may be guarding any offensive player. The purpose of the Scramble Defense is: to show the offense a different look to force a team out of its rhythm to force a team to switch out of its offense to force a quick and hurried shot to … [Read more...]