How to be better at defense in basketball

47 Basketball Defense Tips (Become a Great Defender)

How important is basketball defense to you?

If you go to the park or the gym, most of the time all you’ll see is players working on their offensive game. Rarely do you see players down in defensive stance entire possessions anticipating passes and offensive movement.

You see, basketball offense is fun. It’s ‘cool’.

It’s the crossovers and dunks that make spectators stand up from their seats and cheer and get players excited.

But it’s defense that will have a bigger impact on the amount of success you have individually and as a team.

I challenge all coaches and players to place more importance on the defensive end of the floor in games and practices.

Below I’m going to provide you with 47 basketball defense tips that all players must know.

Let’s get started…

The most important thing for a player to remember about defense is that the goal is to force the opposition to attempt a difficult shot.

Whether the shot they attempt is made or missed is irrelevant.

There will be times when you play fantastic basketball defense for an entire possession and your opponent hits a tough fadeaway jump shot.

There will be other times when you play terrible defense for an entire possession and your opponent misses a shot or turns the basketball over.

For those reasons, it’s important to focus on the process of playing great defense and forcing the opposition team into a low-percentage shot instead of judging your defense on whether the shot they attempted was successful or not.

You’ll never become a great defender without consciously deciding that becoming a great defender is important to you.

It takes a tremendous amount of toughness and heart to commit to the defensive end of the floor.

Most players would prefer to take the easiest matchup possible so that they don’t have to work hard on the defensive end of the floor. The fans want to see the ankle-breaking crossovers and the thunderous dunks.

It’s only the hardcore basketball fans who appreciate and understand how important the defensive end of the floor is.

Becoming a great defender starts with embracing and loving the challenge.

So, before anything else, you must start with a change in mindset.

Make the decision that from this day forward you’re committed to becoming a great defensive player.

By far the best way to become a great basketball defender is to play against highly skilled offensive players.

This goes for practice, pick-up games, regular games, 1-on-1 games, everything.

Constantly seek out the best offensive players and challenge yourself to play great defense against them.

If you keep competing against players who are bigger, stronger, and more skilled than you are, I promise that you’ll walk away from the game a better defender every single time.

Balance is one of those areas that coaches constantly emphasize the importance of but players often consider unimportant.

Let me make this perfectly clear…

Balance is everything on defense.

Staying on balance allows defenders to quickly react to movements and actions from the offensive team.

When you’re not on balance, it’s impossible to be a great defender.

For example: Think about all the fakes that players use on offense… Shot fakes, pass fakes, jab steps, etc.

Some players might not realize it, but these are all weapons used to get the defensive player off-balance making it easier to attack and score.

Once you lose your balance, it’s game-over for the defense.

A smart offensive player will instantly attack an off-balance defender and either create a shot for themselves or a teammate.

Most players are in the bad habit of only being in defensive stance when they’re playing on-ball basketball defense. When they’re playing off-ball defense, they’re out of stance and ‘resting’.

Great defenders don’t do this.

Great defenders stay in defensive stance for the entire defensive possession.

Staying in defensive stance allows players to react quickly when needed.

This could be to rotate across to play help defense on an opponent driving to the rim or to intercept a skip pass.

You must understand that basketball is a game of inches and if you’re not in defensive stance, the extra split-seconds of time that it takes to react can be the difference between blocking a shot or allowing a layup.

Tip – If you’re having trouble staying down in stance for a long period of time, try doing ‘wall sits’ (video) multiple times per week. This involves resting your back against a wall and sliding down until your knees form a 90-degree angle. Aim to stay in this position for as long as possible and gradually build up the length of time.

6. Prepare Physically and Mentally to Play Great Defense

Your preparation refers to your pre-game routine, keeping your body in top physical condition, what kind of food you’re eating, the amount of sleep you’re getting each night, studying your opponents and the teams you’re competing against, your water intake levels, etc.

If you’re not focusing on these things before the game even starts, then you’ll never live up to your defensive potential when you take the court.

Players must start taking preparation more seriously.

Do you think a player joking around before the game when they should be mentally preparing and warming up can step on the court and be a great defender?

Nope.

Do you think a player who takes no time to think about their upcoming opponent (their tendencies, strengths, weaknesses) and the team their playing against can step on the court and be a great defender?

Nope.

Preparation is crucial to your success on the basketball court. Take it seriously.

Unless your role is to crash the offensive boards after a teammate shoots the basketball, you must sprint back on defense immediately after the shot is taken.

By doing so, you’ll be in position to stop the opponent’s fast break and to then pick up your player as they make their way down the court.

The worst possible thing a player can do is neither transition back on defense or sprint in for the offensive rebound.

Instead, they wait for the shot to be rebounded by either team and then react.

This allows the opposition to pass forward and score uncontested layups which will often be the difference between winning and losing games.

Every great defender is willing to give multiple efforts on defense.

I see too many players who will get beat off the dribble and will then consider themselves out of the play so they jog back to pick up their player crossing their fingers that they don’t score.

This can’t happen.

You must give 100% effort on defense until your team has secured possession of the basketball.

These multiple effort situations can occur when the basketball is being juggled on a rebound and you have to jump 3 – 4 times to secure the basketball or when a player gets beat playing full-court on-ball defense and instead of giving up they turn and sprint back into the play and attempt to get a back tip steal to one of their teammates.

“I put players in and take them out based on effort and defense, not making or missing shots” – Doc Rivers

Great defenders never give up.

You can never be a great defender if you’re not communicating with your teammates when play basketball defense.

“There has never been a great ‘silent’ defense” – Del Harris

Throughout the entire defensive possession, you should be letting your teammates know where you are and what’s happening on the floor that they might not be able to see.

If all 5 players on the court are doing this everyone stays on the same page and it will prevent many defensive breakdowns.

Here are 5 of the most common phrases players should communicate on basketball defense:

1. “Ball, ball ball” – Used by the defender guarding the basketball.

2. “Deny, deny, deny” – Use by the defender one-pass away denying their opponent.

3. “Help, help, help” – Used by a player two passes away to let others know that they’re in position to help on a drive.

4. “Screen right” or “Screen left” – To let your teammate know there’s a screen coming and which side it will be set on.

5. “Cutters coming through” – If an opposition player is cutting through the lane.

If you’re one of the leaders on the team, it’s even more important that you’re talking to the less experienced players on your team about where they should be on the floor.

For example…

“Mike come low.”

“Mike get up and deny the pass.”

“Mike force him to the left.”

All talking must be loud and clear to be effective communication.

This kind of communication can go a long way to improving the team’s defense and also giving each player added confidence.

Just as you must constantly talk to your teammates, you must always listen to them too.

Having teammates who are great at communicating will instantly make you a better defensive player because you’ll be more aware of what’s going on around you.

This is why you must be constantly emphasizing to the other players on your team the importance of communication.

It will by most evident when you’re playing on-ball defense. Listen out for teammates calling screens and then adjust your positioning so that you’re able to evade the screen and establish defensive position back in front of your opponent.

This is an odd defensive tip, isn’t it?

But it’s an important view of tough defense that you must understand.

The players who never get crossed up are the players that are hanging back off their player and not giving the best for their team when they’re playing defense.

The players that never get dunked on are the players who don’t rotate to help or who would rather not contest a shot that they’re unlikely to block.

If you’re going to be a great defender, you need to accept that these things can (and probably will) happen to you.

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself by putting pressure on the basketball and playing tight defense. When you get caught out once or twice, brush it off and continue to work hard.

Being able to consistently stay out of foul trouble is one of the keys to being a great defender.

After all, you can’t be a great defender if you’re on the bench, right?

Staying out of foul trouble comes down to two things…

a. Your defensive knowledge

As you improve more and more as a defender, you’ll learn when the best opportunities are to attempt a steal or get a deflection.

b. Your discipline

Once players know what opportunities they should and shouldn’t be taking on defense, they must have the discipline to play the percentages and stick to only the plays that are low risk and high reward.

This involves staying down on shot fakes, not lunging for a basketball that you’re unlikely to steal or deflect, and staying straight up when you’re defending inside the key.

Also, if you’re one of the better players on the team, it’s often a better option to allow your opponent to score than it is to draw a foul that’s going to sit you for the rest of the game.

“If one of our players gets his second foul in the first half, then he must come out of the game and not re-enter until the second half. To play defense and not foul is an art that must be mastered if you are going to be successful” – Chuck Daly

When you do get subbed out of the game, don’t waste the opportunity you have to study the opposition team while you recover.

I’ll elaborate on the specific questions to think about later in the article…

But for now, here’s a brief summary…

• What are the tendencies of the player you’ll be defending?
• What are their strengths?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What offense is the opponent running?
• Who are the best shooters on the team?
• How do their set plays work?
• etc.

What coaches often refer to as 50/50 balls are when the basketball has been knocked away or deflected and both teams have an even chance of taking possession.

A player’s job is to turn the basketball from a 50/50 ball to an 80/20 ball. Meaning that when there’s a basketball loose on the floor, you’ll be the one who secures it 8 times out of 10.

In order to do this, players must be down in defensive stance ready to react at any moment and must also be willing to put their body on the line for the benefit of the team by diving on the basketball if the opportunity to do so arises.

Every single possession counts and these are the plays that will determine which team has had more scoring opportunities at the end of the game.

Fact: Basketball is a contact sport.

If you want to excel as a defender, you need to learn how to use your body to your advantage.

By allowing the offensive player to get anywhere they want on the court, you’re not doing a good job on defense.

Use your arm bar and lower body to move players away from where they want to catch the basketball. This goes for the low post and on the perimeter.

Cut off an opponent’s cutting lane by stepping in front and bumping them while making sure to keep your hands out to show you’re not pushing.

Players will learn to use legal physicality as they gain more experience and gradually face smarter and stronger competition.

The other unselfish act a player can make on defense is being willing to put their body on the line and draw a charge.

Taking a charge is often a huge momentum changer and will make the opposition hesitate next time they’re around you.

If a player is dribbling or running in your direction, hold your position and when they make contact allow your body to fall straight backward while simultaneously forcefully blowing out air.

Is this flopping? Maybe.

Will they call the charge if you hold your ground and don’t allow your body to fall over? In 99% of the cases, no they won’t.

Whether we like it or not, being able to exaggerate a charge has turned into a skill in today’s basketball.

It will get your team extra possessions every game!

While a lot of it is innate, you can definitely improve your athletic ability if you’re working on the right things.

Remember how I talked about basketball being a game of inches earlier in the article?

Then it should be obvious that improving your athletic ability even slightly can often help you make up these inches and more.

I highly recommend players complete a vertical jump program during their basketball off-season.

Here is a link to an equipment-free 12-week vertical jump program that I created that can help any player gain a few extra inches on their vertical leap.

The other exercises I recommend are the use of ladders to improve foot quickness and even cone drills to improve explosiveness and acceleration.

18. Be a Student of the Game

All players who aspire to be great defenders need to be constantly improving their knowledge on the subject.

The best way to do this is by talking to great defenders about their thoughts on defense and also by watching great defenders.

In this day and age, one of the best ways to do that is by watching YouTube video breakdowns.

Here are a couple of my favorites…

https://youtu.be/3hnZ_knty6s

https://youtu.be/qnlq0oWNbwg

Never stop improving your defensive knowledge.

One of the most detrimental decisions a player can make for their individual defense and also for the team’s defense is to complain about missed calls.

Instead of sprinting back on defense, a player stops and complains to the referee about a call they believe should have been made but wasn’t.

When a player does this, it often leads to a 5 on 4 fast break resulting in an easy score for the opposition if they spaced the floor correctly.

A player who has ambitions to be a great defensive player can’t ever allow this to happen.

More than anything, a player must understand that referees are going to miss calls from time to time.

You must get back on defense immediately and if the lack of foul call does need to be brought up with the official, leave it for a stoppage in play or for the coach to do the talking.

One of the keys to great post defense is not allowing the opposition to establish early position.

Players competing in the post must beat their man down the court and then make contact early to keep them as far out as possible.

By doing so, there’s less chance that they’ll receive the basketball and have the opportunity to score from close range.

This isn’t specific to the initial sprint down the floor either.

Post defenders should be legally physical with their opponent the entire possession to keep them as far away from the rim as possible.

Too many players will play hard defense and force a contested shot, but once the shot has left the opponents hands, they act like their job is finished.

A defensive possession isn’t over until your team has rebounded and secured the basketball.

I hesitate to write the traditional ‘box out on every shot’ because I feel too many players get so focused on boxing out their opponent that they forget to rebound the basketball.

If you’re close to the basket, box out.

If you’re away from the basket, make contact with your opponent and then pursue the basketball.

An obvious but important question.

A lot of times a youth basketball coach will install a defense by explaining how it works, but never directly telling the players what it is.

Make sure you find out what the coach is running so that you can go home and learn more about the defense you’re going to be playing.

Study it until you understand it completely. You never want to get lost when you’re playing defense.

Once you’ve gained deep knowledge of what to do on the defensive end of the floor, the coach will be able to trust you to make the right decisions and that will usually lead to an increase in court time.

The pick and roll is arguably the most effective action in basketball.

In order to be a great defender, you must know how your team’s defense is designed to defend it.

Depending on the age and skill level of your opponents, some coaches will choose to hedge the screen, use drop coverage, or even switch the screen.

Some teams will have different defensive actions depending on where the basketball is on the court or even depending on which offensive players are involved in the screen.

Failure to defend the pick and roll correctly will almost always lead to an open shot from the offensive team.

If this is something you need to ask and clarify with your coach, do it.

“Defense is all about helping. No one can guard a good dribbler, you have to walk kids through how to help and then how to help the helper” – Bob Knight

Being able to rotate correctly and immediately on defense is by far the hardest part of defense for most players.

Players get stuck in the ‘this is my man and I have to stop them from scoring’ mentality and forget that basketball isn’t played individually. It’s played as a team.

There are going to be breakdowns in the defense from time to time and players must be ready and willing to rotate off their player and help out their teammates.

Therefore, having complete understanding of the defensive rotations is incredibly important for a great defender.

The most common rotations that are when there’s a baseline drive.

The help defender on split-line needs to rotate across to prevent the layup and then the high defender needs to rotate down to stop the pass to the helper’s defender.

Every single player on the team must understand the rules on defending players in the post.

This includes the guards on the team.

Whenever I help out coaches with tall and strong guards on their team, I always recommend they use them in the post. The opposition guards never know what to do because they’ve never been taught post defense!

Specifically, all players must understand how to front the post, 1/2 front from either side, and how to play behind.

How your team uses these tactics in games is up to the coach and the defensive system used by the team.

Ensure that all players know exactly what to do if they get stuck in a post defense situation.

The number one factor that determines how you should play against your opponent on defense is whether they can shoot the basketball from the outside at a high percentage.

If you’re guarding a poor shooter, then you can assist your teammates with more help off the basketball and you know that when playing on-ball defense you can take an extra step back to defend the drive without fear that they’ll make the shot.

If you’re guarding a great shooter, you won’t be able to help as much and you must be more mindful of your rotations on defense.

Instead, you should close the space between you and the defender and force them to dribble inside and take a lower percentage shot.

This is why smart basketball coaches put great off-ball defenders on poor shooters.

Whether they’re a great outside shooter or not, most players will have certain areas of the floor or certain ways that they score the majority of their points.

To be a great basketball defender, you must work out where and how your opponent does most of their scoring.

Do they get most of their points running off screens and getting midrange shots?

Do they score most of their points driving to the rim and finishing with their right hand?

Do they have a deadly midrange pull-up game?

Are they a low-post specialist?

These are questions you must figure out the answer to for every offensive player that you play against.

Figuring out whether to influence your opponent’s dribbling to the right or left is one of the most important and easiest things you can do to improve your defense.

How you’ll implement this knowledge during the game might vary due to team defensive rules, but understanding their preference is crucial.

More often than not, the player you’re competing against will prefer to drive to their right hand.

To force them to their opposite hand, position yourself so that you’re slightly overplaying their preferred side and then establish a higher lead foot on this side too.

From this stance, the only way they can drive on their preferred side is to dribble through your chest and receive an offensive foul or to retreat dribble around you which will provide enough time to establish position again.

If they were to drive on their opposite hand, you’re still in position so that you can contain them and cut off the driving lane.

As well as figuring out their strengths, it’s important to know what an opponent’s weaknesses are.

This knowledge will assist you to put them in uncomfortable situations by forcing them into performing what they’re not good at.

This will require watching tape of your opponent, watching them play live, or simply working it out as the game progresses.

Every single player on the planet has weaknesses. It’s your job to find out what they are and exploit them.

One of the most surprising differences between great offensive players is their ability to handle pressure being put on them.

I’ve seen many players who regularly average 25 points per game but when you put a high amount of pressure on them, their point totals automatically take a significant drop.

These are often the player who can’t mentally handle pressure from great defense. They get frustrated, start yelling at their teammates, and throw up shots from all over the court trying to reach their regular scoring numbers.

Conversely, there are many great offensive players who stay calm and will have the same impact as usual regardless of the defensive pressure.

For that reason, it’s important to know which category your opponent falls under and then use that knowledge to improve your defense against them.

31. Do They Crash the Offensive Glass?

There are many players who do a fantastic job of sprinting in for offensive rebounds and then either scoring or passing out to a teammate for an open shot.

Shots after offensive rebounds always seem to be great shots.

As a defender, you must be aware whether the player that you’re guarding has a tendency to sprint in for offensive rebounds or to run back on defense after each shot.

If they are a great offensive rebounder, you must ensure to make contact with them after every shot and put a high importance on keeping them off the glass.

One of the first questions that smart defenders will ask themselves when determining how to defend their opponent is “What offense does the opposition run?”

Once you figure this out, the next step is to determine the best way to defend against it.

Here are a few of the question you should think about…

How do they initiate the offense?

What’s the regular passing sequence of their offense?

Where do they take most of their shots from?

For example: If an opponent’s offense always starts with a pass from the top to one of the players on the wing, you then know that if you completely deny this pass then you’ve effectively taken them out of their offense.

Often you’ll come across teams that don’t have an offense at all and will rely solely on set plays to score the basketball.

Since most youth and high school teams only have 2 – 3 set plays that they run a majority of the time, it can be relatively simple to figure out the name of the set play and what their actions are.

Just like the previous tip, your goal is to figure out what the opposition are trying to do and then take those options away from them.

The best time to do this is before the game. Watch video of the opposition’s offense or to watch them in-person and focus on figuring out what they do offensively.

If you don’t have that opportunity, with focus you can figure it out throughout the game as you’re competing against them.

While the main goal is containment, we don’t want players to do this by standing 2 meters off their opponent and giving them wide open shots.

Players must learn how to contain their player while also putting constant pressure on them when they have the basketball.

The purpose of putting pressure on the basketball is to make the offensive player uncomfortable which will often lead to deflections and turnovers.

When a player is uncomfortable from on-ball pressure, they don’t want to dribble the basketball, they’re scared that one of their passes will get deflected, and they don’t even think about shooting.

As long as your teammates are playing great help defense, you shouldn’t hesitate to apply on-ball pressure because if the offensive player does happen to beat you off the dribble, your teammates are ready to rotate and stop the basketball.

“My philosophy of defense is to keep the pressure on an opponent until you get to his emotions” – John Wooden

When you’re playing on-ball defense, you should always be lower than your opponent.

If you’re roughly the same height, your eye level should be at approximately their shoulder level.

Being lower gives you better balance and allows you to react quickly once the offensive player makes their move.

As always, the quicker you can react, the better.

This tip goes back to the importance of balance that I talked about in the first section of this article on basketball defense.

When you lunge for the basketball, you’re often putting yourself off-balance and out of correct defensive position.

If the basketball comes within your reach, by all means, attempt to tip it and secure the steal, but never lunge out of position unless you’re over 75% sure you’re going to steal the basketball.

Always remember that containing your opponent is your number one priority when playing on-ball defense.

One of the most common questions I get asked by players is how close they should be to their opponent when playing defense.

On average, a player should be approximately one arm’s length away from their opponent. This means that if you stick your hand out straight, you should just be able to touch the offensive player with your fingertips.

As players improve to higher and more skilled levels of basketball, the distance will start to vary depending on the tendencies and abilities of the player they’re guarding against. But for the youth and high school level, this is often the most appropriate distance.

Being an arm’s length apart is the perfect length because it’s close enough that the defender can get a hand on the basketball for a steal and also prevent the shot, but far enough away that if the player attempts to drive there’s enough to react and adjust defensive position.

This tactic will make an immediate impact on your defensive ability.

When players are still learning the game, the natural tendency is to look at the basketball or the eyes when playing on-ball defense.

The problem with doing this, however, is that it’s easy for the offensive player to fake with their eyes or the basketball and get the defense off-balance.

So, what should players be looking at while playing on-ball defense?

The mid-section of their opponent. This being anywhere from their chest to their waist.

Unlike the other parts of their body, it’s incredibly difficult for the offensive player to fake with their mid-section which is why that’s where I recommend players focus on.

While you’re playing on-ball defense, you should be tracing the basketball with one of your hands at all times.

Doing so will allow you to deflect the basketball if the offensive player makes a quick pass inside and also simply discourages passes as your opponent knows you may get a hand to it.

Your other hand should be below the basketball looking to tap the basketball out of their hands or to poke it loose if the decide to dribble.

By leaving your hands down at your sides (which a lot of players do), you’re not achieving anything defensively.

Keep your hands active.

Most players have formed a bad habit of swatting down on the basketball when attempting to reach in for a steal.

The problem with doing this is that the referee will often call the defender for a foul. It looks aggressive and there will often be contact made with the arm.

The better way to steal while playing on-ball defense is to swipe up at the basketball. This means keeping one of your hand’s lower than the basketball with your palm facing up.

Since the defender should be playing lower than the offensive player, this is a far more successful method and will result in fewer foul calls.

A cardinal on-ball defensive sin is jumping up and swatting at the basketball attempting to block an opposition player’s shot.

Although this can sometimes work, there are two main reasons why this isn’t always a terrific idea…

1. You might foul the shooter

It’s incredibly difficult to block an outside shot without fouling. The shooting motion of most players will often bring their arms directly into yours on the shot resulting in a foul.

2. They might fake the shot

If you jump on a shot fake, it’s game over. They’re going to have an open drive to the rim and if they don’t score themselves, they’ll often be able to pass to an open player for the shot or layup.

Instead, the best option you have when defending an outside shooter is to get your hand up to their face and take away their vision of the rim.

A missed shot is just as good as a blocked shot. Often better since most blocks are out of bounds or straight back to the opposition team.

This tactic allows you to stay on the ground and react quickly to whatever happens next.

One of the primary rules of defense is to never allow your opponent to cut ball-side of you after making a pass.

This most commonly occurs on a pass-and-cut when the opposition is swinging the basketball around the perimeter.

After making the pass, they will immediately look to cut ball-side for the for the give-and-go pass leading to an open layup.

Great defenders never allow this to happen.

Any time you’re guarding a player and they pass to a teammate, you must immediately jump towards the basketball on the flight of the pass.

This removes your opponent’s opportunity to cut ball-side and forces them to cut behind which is a much more difficult pass to make and puts you in prime position to intercept the pass if it’s attempted.

Even if they choose not to cut, you’re immediately denying the return pass to the player you’re guarding.

One of the most important principles of your team’s defensive system you must understand is whether to deny when one-pass away or whether to be in help position.

This is the main difference between the two most popular defensive systems: The man-to-man defense (deny) and the Pack Line defense (help).

If you’re denying the pass, you should always have one arm and one foot in the passing lane, your chest should be facing your opponent, and you should see the basketball by looking over your ball-side shoulder.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the defensive system may not have a universal rule on this. The rule may change depending on where the basketball is on the court.

For example, some coaches prefer to allow the initial pass to the wing and then deny after that pass has been made.

Others might allow passes to the corner by playing in help position but deny any reversal pass back to the top of the key.

Make sure you understand your team’s defensive strategy when defending one-pass away from the basketball.

Close outs are one of the most difficult skills to master on defense.

In fact, there any many offenses and set plays designed specifically to create defensive closeouts as that’s often where a lot of defenses break down.

There’s no avoiding them. If your team is in help position (which they should be), then there will be close outs no matter what.

So how do you perform them effectively?

The key to closing out is to sprint approximately two-thirds of the way to the defender and then use short, choppy steps to finish the close out.

As a player gets close, they should be low with their weight back to absorb the drive and also have one hand up to deter or contest the shot.

The corner three-point shot is arguably the most efficient shot in the game of basketball. You should never leave this shot open.

A player will most commonly make this mistake when an opponent drives to the rim from the wing and they’re defending a player in the corner one-pass away.

Instead of staying on their opponent, this corner defender will drop down to help stop the drive to the rim leaving their player open for the simple pass and wide open jump shot.

Every player must understand that help comes from the middle. That’s why you must always have a defender on the split-line.

Help never comes from ball-side corner.

They can quickly plug and recover to their player, but they should never completely commit to helping on the baseline wing drive and leave open their opponent in the corner.

Whenever you’re on defense and you’re not defending the basketball or one-pass away, you should be in a ‘defensive triangle’.

The defensive triangle (or ball-you-man) refers to positioning yourself between the basketball and your opponent so that you can see both with your peripheral vision.

You should have one hand pointing towards the basketball, one hand pointing towards your opponent, and your vision should be in-between the two.

If a direct chest pass was made between the player with the basketball and your opponent, the help defender should be able to intercept it.

A defender should be as close to the basketball as possible but still close enough to their player that if a skip pass to them was made, the defender would have time to close out and establish defensive position without allowing an open shot.

The reason for this is that the closer a help defender is to the basketball, the quicker they can be to play help defense.

A great basketball defender never stands still while they’re on defense. They’re constantly adjusting their positioning the entire possession.

Whenever the basketball or your opponent moves, you should be moving as well to make sure you’re always in the best defensive position.

This requires players to understand the defense to know where they should be, stay in a defensive stance to react quickly, and use the defensive triangle to keep vision of the player they’re guarding and the basketball.

If you’re not constantly adjusting your position, it won’t be long before you get caught out and your opponent gets a quick backdoor layup or a wide open jump shot.

Even if being caught out of position doesn’t lead to a direct score by your opponent, it will lead to a breakdown in the defense and the need for your teammates to rotate and help. This puts them out of position and usually leads to an high-quality shot from one of the opponents.

Your teammates need to trust that you’ll be in the correct position to help them just as they need to be in the correct position to help you.

Don’t let each other down with lazy defense.

Becoming a great basketball defender is one of the most important areas a player can focus on.

Since few players put a focus on defense, doing so is one of the best opportunities a player has of separating themselves from the crowd and advancing from a mediocre player to a great player.

If you implement the above tips into your game, very quickly you’ll see the impact that they can have on your game.

8 Keys to Playing Defense in Basketball

This article was written by basketballhq.com co-founder Kyle Ohman.

Playing Defense in Basketball: Focusing on Technique and Mindset

Playing defense in basketball is an interesting skill. It is interesting because it requires technical skills and a passion and desire to compete at a high level. Basketball players that want to be great on the defensive end must buy into the mindset of being a great defender.

This basketball article for players will provide keys for playing defense in basketball and will focus on what it takes to be an elite-level defender. So whether you are a player on your own looking to improve your defense, or a coach looking to develop a player, these defensive keys will give you the template that you need to work on your defense in basketball.

8 Keys to Playing Defense in Basketball:

1. Defensive Communication

Communication is a skill that any player can be good at because it only takes deciding to do it. The best defensive teams in basketball are filled with players that are all working together to get the job done. This only happens, though, if each player communicates their responsibility and their teammates can trust them to be where they need to be. On defense, there are many moving parts, so the better you can communicate what you are doing, the easier it will be for your teammates. Your communication will let your teammates know what they need to be doing in any given defensive situation.

• Always be Communicating
  • Be in constant communication with teammates to help prevent defensive breakdowns.
  • Communicate on and off the ball regardless of being in the direct action or not.
• Relevant Communication
  • Communicate things that will help teammates out. Don’t just talk to talk because the coach says something about talking on defense.
  • You should be talking about: Being on the ball, being in the help/gap, cutters, screens (which direction and what type of screen), what defense you are in, and anything else your team emphasizes.
• Communicate Loudly!
  • Communicate loudly and clearly so that your teammates don’t have any confusion about what you are saying.
  • Loud and effective communication also demoralizes the other team’s offense.

2. Defensive Positioning

A big part of defense is positioning. The better you can position yourself before the offense executes an action, the better you will guard it. Whether it is being in the help, gap, etc., you need to know where you are supposed to be at all times and then make sure that you are there. This may change depending on your team defense and what type of defensive scheme your coach runs. So make sure that you know exactly what defense the team is in and what you should be doing in every situation.

• Be in the Right Place
  • Don’t let yourself get caught out of position and playing catch up to the offense.
  • As the ball moves, you move. There are different types of defensive strategies, but this is a good rule of thumb that you should follow.
  • Correct positioning allows you to take charges, block shots, close gaps, etc.
• Teammate Trust
  • Being in the right position allows your teammates to trust the help and do their job on the ball.
• Discourage the Offense
  • Having five players that are in the correct defensive position forces the offense to take a tough shot and will eventually cause them to be discouraged on the offensive end.

As a basketball player in general, you want to do your best to always be in an athletic stance. If you are standing straight up and down, before you make any athletic move, you will have to load and then go. This makes you that much slower.

If you are already in an athletic stance, it will allow you to be explosive and go right away. As a defender, you must be holding yourself accountable to be in an athletic stance on the ball and off the ball.

• Stay Low
  • There is no reason to stand up off the ball. When you do, you lose your ability to be quick and explosive.
  • An athletic stance allows you to quickly move to where you need to be as the ball moves.
• Wall Up
  • There is an exception to staying low, and that is when you are guarding in the post, and the offensive player is trying to finish over you. In this situation, you will want to keep a wide base with your feet, but make sure that you are walling up the offensive player and making them finish over high hands.

4. Defensive Anticipation

This defensive key is going to be essential to anyone that wants to be an excellent defender. The more you can read the offense and then anticipate what they will do, the easier it will be for you to be in the right positioning to play defense. This doesn’t mean gambling and getting out of control, but it does mean recognizing what the offense is about to do and then getting prepared and set for it.

This goes back to being in the right position. The sooner you can recognize what the offense is trying to do, the easier it will be for you to get in the right positioning.

• Anticipating Vs. Reacting
  • Being in the right position and staying in an athletic stance allows you to anticipate where the ball will go.
  • Keep your head on a swivel, and be aware of what is going on around you.
  • If you are always reacting to the ball, you will find yourself getting beat.
• Read the Offense
  • Be a student of the game and recognize that different offensive actions open up certain types of shots and passes.
  • Read what the offense is trying to do, and then be in a position to take it away.

5. Defensive Scouting Report

Different players have different skill sets. So you must know what a player likes to do best and also what they struggle with. If you know this, you can take away what they like to do best and force them into something they aren’t comfortable with.

For example, if you guard a great shooter, you would want to close them out tight and make them dribble the basketball. If you are defending a driver, you would want to close them out short and force them to shoot a contested shot. You can only do this, though, if you know the player you are guarding and what they like to do.

Also, your scouting report may need adjusting midgame. You may see something that your man/woman is doing, and you may need to adjust. A scouting report shouldn’t be written in stone.

• Individual Scouting Report
  • What type of offensive player are you guarding? What are their strengths and weaknesses? These are questions you need to ask as a defender.
  • Once you figure out these answers, you can start forcing the offensive player into shots and positions where they are not comfortable, which leads to low percentage shots, turnovers, etc.
• Team Scouting Report
  • Learn the other team’s set basketball plays and tendencies from film and throughout the course of a game.
  • As you recognize what they are running, call it out to the rest of your team.

6. Defensive Effort and Energy

Something that you are always in control of, no matter how skilled you are or how well you are playing, is your energy and effort. This means that there is never a good excuse for why you shouldn’t be giving your best effort and bringing energy on the defensive end. Regardless of how well you are playing on offense or how the game is going, you should be giving your best effort on defense.

This doesn’t mean, though, that you are out of control and running around like a chicken with no head. Be disciplined in what you are doing, but also give your best effort.

• Maximum Defensive Effort
  • Great defenders are willing to give max effort all the time.
  • Don’t be afraid to do the dirty work.
• Ways You Can Give Defensive Effort
  • Sprint back.
  • Dive on the floor.
  • Take a charge.
  • Battle on the boards.
  • Whatever you can do to help your team win.

7. Defensive Discipline and Details

This was mentioned in the previous point, but it is worth a point all on its own. As a defensive player, you must stay disciplined in the way you are guarding. And, you must not only be disciplined in the way that you are guarding your man/woman, but also within the team’s defensive scheme.

It may be tempting to reach, gamble, etc., but if that is not your team’s defensive strategy, you must be disciplined enough to hold back. If you stay committed to the details of playing high-level defense, you will be able to get deflections, steals, and force the offense into bad shots, and all without having to gamble and put your team in a difficult situation.

• Stay Disciplined on Defense
  • Don’t gamble outside of team strategy and get caught out of position.
  • Don’t commit silly fouls that hurt yourself and put the other team in the bonus.
• Commitment to the Details
  • High hands on every closeout.
  • Have active hands both on and off the ball.
  • Take great angles both on and off the ball.
  • Bump cutters.
  • Come together and touch on screens.
  • Do all the little things that your team emphasizes on the defensive end.

8. Finish the Defensive Play

One of the toughest things for a defense to do is play solid defense for a whole possession only to give up an offensive rebound for a putback or then have to guard again for another possession. This means that as a defender, you need to do your best to help finish defensive possessions. You must be willing to box out and finish the play on the boards, get on the floor for a loose ball, take a charge, etc. The better you can close out possessions on the defensive end, the more value you will add to your team.

• Rebound the Ball
  • Forcing the offense to take a bad shot is great, but you have to finish the play on the boards.
  • Box out on EVERY shot, and then pursue the ball.
• Get on the Floor
  • Any loose ball in your area needs to be yours.
  • Sacrifice your body for the team.

Defensive Basketball Drills

If you want to become a better defender or work with a player on becoming a better defender, you must be willing to put in the time. These basketball drills are all going to focus on different defensive areas. So along with taking advantage of all of the defensive teaching points, make sure that you take advantage of these defensive basketball drills.

Cone Drop Defensive Slide Drill

This defensive drill is going to work on the technique of the defensive slide and is a basketball fundamental that every player should master. It will allow a player to work on staying low, not crossing their feet over, etc. The more a player can master this basic defensive movement, the easier it will be to guard the ball and make other explosive movements.

Similar Drills: Lane Slide to Close Out Defensive Drill, Lane Slides Defensive Drill

Drill Goal: Work on staying low in a defensive stance and changing directions laterally, both quickly and efficiently.

Equipment Needed: 4-5 cones.

Drill Tips:

1. When doing this drill, really lock in on the correct footwork and make sure that you stay low in an athletic stance the whole time.
2. Focus on not clicking your heels together, crossing your feet over, or letting your weight be unbalanced.
3. Work on being able to drive off of each leg and change directions as quickly as you can each time.
4. This is a great drill to track how long it takes you to complete and then try to beat it the next time. Must practice good footwork, etc.

Drill Directions:

• Start by placing a row of cones on one side of the lane line and then have the player line up inside the cones.
• The player will begin in a defensive/athletic stance.
• To complete the drill, the player must take each cone, one at a time, across the lane line using a defensive slide. Once all of the cones have been set down in a line on the opposite lane line, the drill is complete.
• As soon as the last cone is placed down, the drill is over.

Closeout Slide Rebounding Drill

This basketball drill will work on being able to close out under control, a defensive slide, and then also being able to finish the play by going to track down the rebound. These skills are all essential in playing defense and being able to get a stop. In the video, this basketball drill has the player treating the rebound like an offensive board to also work on finishing, but you can also set it up like a defensive board and have the player secure the ball and then outlet it. Being able to close out well takes many quality repetitions, and this drill will allow for that.

Drill Goal: Work on closing out the ball, defensive sliding, and then tracking down the rebound.

Equipment Needed: Two cones, a basketball, and a partner.

Drill Tips:

1. Make sure that you are practicing good habits with your footwork and are being as efficient as you can be. This drill will end up hurting you more than helping you if you allow yourself to practice bad habits.
2. Once you have the footwork down, push yourself to go as fast as possible, and get out of your comfort zone.
3. Stay low and athletic in all of the different movements during the drill.
4. Make sure that you are practicing the drill on both sides of the floor to get an equal amount of repetitions sliding each direction.

Drill Directions:

• Start by placing one cone on the wing and one at the top of the key.
• The player will start on the block of the side that has the cone on it.
• The partner will start with the basketball.
• When the drill starts, the player will begin by closing out the cone on the wing. They will then immediately slide to the cone at the top of the key and then turn to box out.
• As the player is boxing out, the partner will toss the basketball up off the rim, and the player must release from the box out and go track down the rebound.
• They can either treat it as an offensive board to work on finishing and look to tip it back in or rebound and finish. Or, the drill can be set up so that it is a defensive rebound, and the player must secure the board and then outlet it to the partner.

Four Cones Defensive Drill

When it comes to playing defense in basketball, a player will have to be ready to move in any direction with only a split-seconds notice. This defensive drill is going to work on moving forward, backward, and laterally. Along with teaching the player to stay low in an athletic stance the whole time, it will also allow for working on moving in every direction.

Drill Goal: Work on being able to move forward, backward, and laterally on defense.

Equipment Needed: 4 cones and a partner (optional).

Drill Tips:

1. As you are changing directions, really focus on staying balanced and under control. Also, make sure to be efficient with your footwork and movements. The goal should be no wasted movements.
2. The goal is to go as fast as you can while also ensuring that you maintain the correct footwork.
3. Don’t hunch your back, cross your feet, hop, etc.
4. This drill can be done with one player or a group of players. With a group, have the players go one after the other.

Drill Directions:

• Start by setting up cones on each elbow and block.
• A player will start at either cone on the block and with their back to the free-throw line.
• When the drill starts, the player will begin to chop their feet while staying in an athletic stance.
• While this is happening, the coach will call out “turn,” or if a player is by themselves, they can do it at their own discretion. When the coach calls “turn,” though, the player must rotate their inside foot backward like they are about to turn and sprint before quickly returning to athletic stance and foot chops.
• This will happen twice more. On the third time that it is called, the player will open all the way up and begin moving forward towards the cone at the elbow, where they must breakdown and closeout.
• Immediately after the closeout, they will slide across the free-throw line to the opposite elbow cone.
• At this elbow cone, they will immediately backpedal down to the cone on the block.
• For the final stretch of cones from block to block, the player will slide again.
• This concludes one time through the drill.

Superman Rebounding Drill

As mentioned earlier, a big part of playing defense is being able to rebound so that you can finish out the defensive possession. And, while it would be nice to have every rebound come right to you, the ball must be pursued and tracked down a lot of times. This rebounding basketball drill is going to work precisely on that. It will allow for working on rebounding out of area and being able to pursue the ball. It will also work on going and getting the ball at its highest point and securing it with two hands.

Similar Drills: Superman Reverse Finish Rebounding Drill, Superman Pivot Finish Rebounding Drill, Superman Shot Fake Crab Dribble Rebounding Drill

Drill Goal: Work on rebounding out of area and being aggressive to the boards.

Equipment Needed: A basketball and a hoop.

Drill Tips:

1. Get up off of the ground and be explosive on every rebound.
2. Don’t wait for the ball to come down to you; go up and get it with both hands at its highest point.
3. Challenge yourself and work on getting as wide as you can on each board.

Drill Directions:

• The player will start with the basketball outside of the block on either side of the basket.
• When the drill starts, they will toss the ball up off the backboard at an angle so that the basketball bounces over to the other side of the paint.
• As the ball is up in the air, they will run over to the opposite of the paint, track down the ball, jump as high as possible, and secure the ball with both hands.
• The player must land in an athletic stance and chin the basketball as they land.
• They will then immediately toss the ball up off of the backboard and repeat moving back the other way.
• Continue this pattern for the desired amount of repetitions.

Playing Defense in Basketball Conclusion

Playing defense in basketball starts with a choice. You have to decide that you will put in the effort, energy, and commitment to playing defense at a high level. After that, it becomes the ability to learn how to play defense the right way. It takes time to learn the correct angles, how to anticipate, commitment to details, etc. To be a great defender, you have to be willing to put in the time and the work.

Playing defense does not always bring the recognition that it deserves, either. The average fan doesn’t understand how important it is to have a player communicating on every play, having active hands, and being in the right position. However, I guarantee you that your coaches and teammates do! If you want to help your team win games and even championships, playing defense is one of the best ways to do it.

Use these eight keys to playing defense in basketball as a blueprint to what a great defender looks like, and get in the gym to make yourself an elite defender.

Playing defense in basketball

Hello, dear visitors of the website basketball-training.org.ua ! Today I want to share with you my observations and conclusions, which I received as a result of 's desire to improve his game in 's defense.

It so happened that the first few years of playing basketball (mostly on street courts) my defense game consisted of constant attempts to cover the opponent's shot. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t work very well (I ended up either on the opponent’s back or on his head). It's a hell of a defense. A couple of years ago, I reconsidered my vision of playing defense, which I want to share with you.

Basketball Players The first video that gave any hint of developing a basketball player's defensive skills was 's three-minute performance by Bruce Bowen on the TNT Fundamentals series. Then there was a short article on how to play defense against A. Gomelsky. Well, the last, but probably the most important training video was the company's products Better Basketball - Better 1 on 1 Defense . Even after skipping over half of what was said (some because of the language barrier, something because of banal restlessness) and putting even less into practice, I became much better at defending myself.

By the way, in this article everything will be exclusively about personal defense (and not a word about zone defense, although it is also worth writing about). So, I highlight the following stages of defense in basketball:

Stage 1: Defense against a player without the ball.

The essence of defense is to prevent the opponent from getting the ball . This is probably one of the most difficult stages, but also one of the most effective. Agree, it is difficult to attack without having the ball. So, this stage of defense is incredibly difficult, because you have to give a lot of strength, not to be fooled by movements of the body, head and legs. A good result of such a defense is that the player does not receive the ball throughout the attack. Also a good result if the ball is received, but: in an awkward position (far from the ring; in the corner of the court) or in the last seconds of the attack. Shitty result - the ball is received quickly and conveniently.

Stage 2: Defense against the player who received the ball.

When a player receives the ball, he is in the classic "triple threat position". This means that he can shoot the ring, pass or start the dribble. This means that we will have to confront all three threats at the same time. So, the best option is to take a position that will minimize the range of movement of the enemy. First of all, close its strong side from the passage by sitting a little to the side of it. As an option - from the side of his supporting leg; those. You will know the direction of his movement (he will not step with his supporting foot).

Let's conditionally divide the opponent's body into 2 levels: the first zone - to the waist; the second zone is above the belt. So, in order to start dribbling, the ball must be in the first zone. Both zones are suitable for a pass, and for a throw, the ball must go from the first zone to the second. I hope it's clear for now. So, one hand plays with the bottom zone (preventing dribbling and low passing), the second is defending against a shot and a pass from the upper zone. Remember about the legs: with bent legs it is much easier and faster to make a jerk. If the legs are straight, then for a jerk they must first be bent.

And one more piece of advice: pull the player all the time with your movements. Let the probability that these "ritual dances" help to knock out the ball will be small, but you will be able to knock the opponent out of his usual rhythm. And it's worth a lot!

Excellent defense: the ball is knocked out. Good defense - loss on pass, inaccurate pass, throw from an uncomfortable position.

Stage 3: Defense against the dribbler.

Assume that previous attempts to get possession of the ball have failed and the opponent has started to dribble. How to defend yourself then?

Let's not consider those situations in which the opponent is obviously weaker than you. It's just not interesting. The opponent is stronger, faster and jumpier than you - that's a good situation. Like I said, close his strong side. But if you don't know its strengths and weaknesses; you don’t know how to hold: from a throw or from a pass - that is, a good solution. We are trying to make sure that you are the leader. One side is obviously closed - and the player is deliberately skipped to the other. So you can not lose in the starting jerk and not guess the direction of movement: it can only go in one direction. Try to push the opponent with the ball to the end line, from where he can no longer comfortably attack the basket. Clamp into a corner, press to the line.

Again: close one side tightly. Better - if it will be his forte; if you don’t know which one is strong, close your weak side and let defenses under your strong side. And a safety net: sometimes it's better not to let a player throw from an average distance. Allowing him to get under the ring. After all, there will be a safety net in the form of a “big”, which cannot be thrown so easily.

Stage 4: Maintenance completed.

It can be a double step and a throw, a simple throw after a stop, a jump, a pivot (reversal), a series of displays, etc. Let's take a closer look at this.

Double step. Remember: he has 2 steps to complete the attack, and you have 2 steps to hit the ball down, and then another full step to block. I recommend doing this:

• A series of small touches to the ball during a double step (as if you were playing a drum). Thus, you will not knock out the ball, but you will disorientate it accurately. Yes, and in order to keep the ball, you have to make more.
• Trying to hit the ball from below! When hitting from above, there is a very high chance that you will hit your fingers - this is a foul. But from below: few people expect such a blow, few people close the ball from below. And taking the ball up for a throw, he will receive an additional impulse, the push of the ball - throwing it as it was previously thought would not be so easy.

A little tip: after picking up the ball by the opponent, very often the ball goes down, and this is done strongly and abruptly. Just substitute okay from below at the level of the opponent's lower back: he himself will knock the ball against your hand. This is a very cool and often unexpected trick for the opponent.

• If it was a jump stop, or just a stop, then you need to get as close as possible and raise both hands vertically up. Now you can not be afraid of a foul.

Stage 5: Jump Shot.

It's good if you jump high and sharp - then try to block at the moment when the ball leaves the thrower's hand. You can just try to brush it off at the moment when the supporting hand is no longer involved in the throw, and the ball is on the wrist. I will not talk about how to block-shot, this is a topic for a separate article.

Remember that you can block the thrower's view with your hand: just don't poke it in the eyes, just bring it closer to the thrower's face. A good way (if you have not already jumped out for a block shot, and the throw is being made) is to simulate contact with various organs of the opponent (guys, you understand what I mean). Belly, solar plexus, groin - all this interferes with concentration at the time of the throw. Well, clapping often works on street playgrounds: they can give a foul at games, but on the street it can bring down that very concentration.

And finally, I suggest watching the old film , about the individual protection of basketball players, filmed in the USSR. There are some really useful things in there (the movie is old - so turn up the volume).

[youtube]9GMNCBu0Kes[/youtube]

Well, that's all, the main points that will help you defend better without any drastic changes in the game. I am sure that each of you found something useful in this article. If you have any questions or comments - write them in the comments, I will be glad to discuss.

And this article is over, I wish you successful training and see you soon on the pages of our site.

Basketball defense | Basketball coach

Defense in basketball is the second most important factor, along with offense, which allows you to fight for victory in the match. In modern basketball, the most attention is paid just to the attack, however, the correct game in defense is a much more important success factor. There is an unspoken rule in basketball: "good offense wins the game, good defense wins the title." Today we will focus on the basic concepts of defensive tactics in basketball.

There are two main defense tactics in basketball: zone and personal. In addition, there is a combined version of protective actions, called mixed protection. Personal defense in basketball involves the individual guarding of each opposing player. When playing "personally", the task of the defender is to constantly be close to one of the attackers (it should be noted that players are sorted out at the beginning of the match, as a rule, starting from the opponent's physical characteristics and playing style). In the figure below, you can see that each attacking player (white circle) is answered by a certain defender (black square).

During the game, substitutions and permutations are possible, and, consequently, the change of guarded players. However, even before the opponent's attack begins, the defender clearly knows who he should defend against. The main task in defense is to “complicate” the life of the attacker as much as possible. A correctly occupied position will allow you to cut off the player from the transfer or perform an interception. Good footwork and movement with the opponent will not allow him to get into a comfortable place to shoot towards the basketball post. And, of course, the creation of various obstacles during the throw (including block shots) will protect the ring from an accurate throw.

Zone defense in basketball is similarly aimed at taking the ball away and preventing the opponent from making an accurate shot around the ring. Nevertheless, such a system of play in defense provides for the guardianship of each of the defenders of a certain section of the site (zone). As you can see from the diagram below, regardless of the placement of the players in the attacking group, the defenders (black squares) are always placed in the same way and defend a certain area of ​​the court.

The zone is a single well-coordinated mechanism that has a certain construction scheme, moves smoothly, depending on the position of the ball on the court. With zone defense, it is possible to establish a more organized game in defense, adapt to the physical characteristics of the attacking players, increase the likelihood of intercepting the ball, and limit the opponent's combinations. The zone is most relevant in the game against screens, however, it is vulnerable against teams with snipers who have the ability to make naked shots from the perimeter, especially from the corner of the court. In addition, personal defense is more motivating and responsible for the players, since each player is responsible for the actions of a particular opponent. "Zone", on the contrary, makes it possible to rely on insurance from partners and getting rid of feelings of guilt and responsibility. Personal defense, among other things, is more exhausting for defenders, especially if the team preaches fast-paced basketball in attack, then there is little left for personal defense.

In order to minimize the shortcomings of one of the above systems of defense, there is a mixed type of defense in basketball . According to it, some players build a zone defense, and some personally take care of the attackers. As a rule, the coach decides to use a mixed defense in case of adaptation to the opponent's style of play or especially careful marking of certain players of the team. An example of a mixed defense is the construction of a zone defense according to the 2-2 scheme (4 people participate, who are arranged “in a square”) plus the team’s sniper’s personal guard.

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