How to beat a bigger opponent in basketball

How to Play Against Taller Basketball Players

Basketball can be a tall task to take on if you are a small player. The better the skill level you are playing, the taller the players you will face in competition.

How do you play against taller basketball players? There are a number of different strategies that you can use to gain an advantage against your taller opponent. Using your skill, ball handling, and basketball I.Q. will go a long way in competing against your bigger competitors. Being able to make the open shot consistently when you do get an open look at the basket is important as these opportunities become much more difficult for the amount of space a taller player can gain when compared to a smaller player.

Using a variety of the tips listed below will help you score more points and play better defense on the players you come across who have the height advantage. These tips will help you outsmart your taller opponent and help you realize what you need to work on to help you at the next level.

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How to score over bigger defenders?

You may have played against players that are much taller than you playing the same position. You realize while your playing you are finding you are having to adjust to the taller players and bigger talent. Basically the better you are, the better the competition you will face, the better competition is always taller in basketball. This means you are going to have to be an excellent ball-handler and shot-creator to be able to score on taller defenders.

Smaller players need to have an advantage and that is the ability to have the ball on their hand like a string. Now that doesn’t mean you absolutely need to be able to cross players up like Kyrie Irving, but it does mean your ball handling has to be polished. The times you do get an open shot, you need to be able to make the shot with high accuracy.

Players in the NBA who are 6 feet and under are not like their taller competition, they have to stand out in a way that makes them taller than their actual height. This means they have far superior strengths in their game that stand out among other players. Usually, this is speed, ball-handling, and a consistent jumper.

How to get past taller defenders in basketball?

The truth is the smaller you are when compared to your opponents the quicker and more skilled you need to be, period. A taller player guarding you can afford to be the slowest guy on the court if he is long in stature. The player can get to where he needs to be on defense using his length to his advantage.

Having a great jab step with some fakes is necessary to be able to blow by the taller defender. In some cases it may not be enough to just get past him if he is trailing behind you ready to block your shot from behind when you attempt a layup or shot.

Taller players love to jump and block shots especially when the player they are guarding are smaller than them. This is a great opportunity to pump fake when you are in a triple threat stance to get them off their feet. Anytime time you can get them of their feet you are going to be able to get an open shot off if you follow the pump fake with a dribble towards the basket.

Speed Kills

You need to use your speed to your advantage, and not just when you are setting up on offense. You have to get the taller defender to bite, or in a bad position so you can use your speed to not just go by him but blow by him.

This can be in transition, in which you are pushing the ball down the open court.
When you receive the ball on the outside and the defense is trying to recover.
Taking advantage of the speed vs size mismatch at the top of the 3 point-line.

These are just a number of examples of when you can find the opportunity to score. look for these opportunities on the court, they are the same every game. Find your advantage, don’t play the game aimlessly, but actually think.

Smaller players have had this happen to them often, they are one on one with a much taller player who is meeting them at the basket. They go up for a layup, only to get the ball blocked viciously at the rim. What did this player do wrong? They didn’t finish high off the backboard.

Finishing high off the backboard is necessary against taller opponents to not get your shot blocked. Not only will you not get your shot blocked but your shot will not be altered either. When you shoot the basketball high off the backboard your giving yourself more space between you and your defender to shoot this type of shot. When shooting the basketball high with your right hand you will need to shoot it over the right corner of the layup square, this height can be between the top of the backboard and the top of the square. Somewhere in this middle is where you can aim for.

The top of the backboard is thirteen feet and the op of the white layup square on the back board is 12 and a half feet, you want to shoo the ball high when you lay it up between those two heights or more specifically between 12 feet and 12 and a half feet.

You must be able to use your body well on offense, if you as a smaller player this will help create space while protecting the basketball at the same time. If you are not doing this, your at a disadvantage as the bigger players will naturally over power anyone who is weaker then them, based on instinct alone.

There will be times where you will be hip to hip with your much taller defender and the only way your going to get up a shot is to use your body to do so. The best way to do this when attempting a layup is to think of using your body to push your defender underneath the basket while your able to get the layup off. This will not only help with avoiding a block but also drawing a foul in the process. This may require hanging in the air for a brief moment or picking your dribble up deeper in the painted area.

Basketball is a physical game, and as a smaller player you need to work on being able to use your physicality to your advantage on offense while also not shying away from it on defense. Player will take one look at you and think they can power through you with ease, unless you stand your ground and play physical defense yourself.

The closer you get to the basket and shoot the softer the touch needs to be when you release the ball this is why players use floaters. Two foot floaters are much more controlled an much more accurate then one foot.

This is a skill anyone can develop especially smaller guards. This is crucial to add to your game in order to score when meeting taller players just before the rim. The ability to beat your defender to the spot in front of the rim and shooting a floater is a high percentage shot. Shooting a 5 to 10 foot floater will help you get 4 to 6 points a game if you can make this a go to move.

Taller players who leave their man to help when you attack the paint to shoot a floater, this will allow you to drop a pass to your big man down low. The floater is a very difficult shot to block as it is a quicker shot and is very hard to time your jump to block as a defender when the player is shooting the ball.

If you are already a pretty good shooter this will immediately work to your advantage. Tall basketball players in general love to block shots, especially against their smaller opposition. Being able to shoot and a make a shot, or if the player knows you can shoot will be a big advantage to you. Whenever you do get the basketball you want to pump fake him hoping that he bites just a little bit. If so you can one-dribble pull up or get to an open spot in front of you and shoot. The pump fake especially works just after a made shot as the player thinks you want to shoot again and you do want to but only when your open.

Starting in your athletic stance, using the jab step is simple, when you jab step forward as if to say you want to drive, if the player moves just a little bit backwards, this will be a signal that you may return back to your athletic stance to take a shoot as the player as transferred some of his energy back to is heels. Think of the jab step as using your foot to either push the player backwards, or if the player does not go backwards you can go by him. Timing is very important!

The step back is an advance move. I only recommend this if you have good basketball shooting mechanics. If you don’t know how to do a step back here is a video that can help.

How to guard a big man in basketball?

When we talk about big men were not just talking about height but a player that is playing in the post and you are guarding that player. This may happen due to a mismatch or switch. It is extremely important to make it difficult for the post to receive the entry pass from the wing. This can be done by going from protecting the basket to three-quarter fronting to fronting the player completely back to protecting the basket. I would do this quickly, so the entry passer has to guess where you will be. You must not allow the post to seal you, he can’t seal you if he isn’t touching you so you may need to take a step back and as he backs up with you you can front him.

When there is a mismatch let your teammates know and have the wings deny the entry pass, you can also front completely hoping weak side defense helps.

The advantage you have over a taller player would need to be quickness and speed in order for this to work. When playing defense you really need to be in the player’s bubble making it very difficult for this player to dribble and get a shot off over you. This will require you to be aggressive and being a pest in the process, frustrating your opponent so that he is unable to do what he would like on the court. This is called hard nosed in your face defense.

Form time to time take a charge this will also frustrate them. When you are able to shift the player from comfortable to uncomfortable they tend to do things that are not apart of their game. Such as shooting from further out, dribbling too much, and taking bad shots.

How to Guard Taller People in Basketball | Live Healthy

By Dan Howard

Matching up with a player who is taller than you has some pros when defending far from the basket, but presents a matchup problem in the low post. You can use your quickness to crowd and take away your opponent's perimeter shot and steal the ball away if they try to dribble at you. Dealing with a taller player close to the basket is a tougher proposition, so do your best to establish proper defending position and play passing lanes to keep your opponent from catching a clean entry pass.

Perimeter Defense

Beat your opponent down the court and be prepared to defend by the time he reaches the three-point line.

Stay as close as possible to a tall, skilled shooter when you guard him near the three-point line. Actively slide your feet from side to side to stay near your opponent and minimize shot opportunities.

Chop your hand downward at the ball to slap it loose as your opponent starts a shooting motion. Stripping the ball before it reaches shoulder height is more effective than trying to block a taller player's shot.

Raise your hands straight up and position your body as close as possible to your opponent's without fouling them during a shot attempt.

Wave your hand in front of your opponent's face to disrupt his view of the basket as the shot is released. Take care not to hit your opponent in the face.

Lunge forward to slap the ball away if a taller opponent faces you and dribbles. Aim your arm swipe for the airspace a few feet above where the ball hits the court, and time your steal attempt so that you begin reaching at the moment the ball leaves his hand for the floor.

Fronting the Post

To front the post, stand between your opponent and the player with the ball. Only front the post when you have a teammate positioned to help on a pass over your head.

Turn your torso so that it's at a 45-degree angle to your opponent.

Extend your near arm into your opponent's waist and extended your other arm up into the passing lane.

Look over your shoulder at the ballhandler.

Rotate around your opponent to stay between him and the ball as it is passed or dribbled around the perimeter.

Spin back to a normal post defense stance if the ball swings to the other side of the court or if your help defender becomes busy and can't help guard against a pass over the top.

Post Defense

Make contact with your opponent as far from the basket as possible.

Lean a bent forearm into your opponent's lower back to maintain your current position.

Bend your knees and crouch down if your opponent tries to push you out of position. Pushing back at a point below your opponent's center of gravity improves your chances of maintaining defensive position.

Call for a teammate to help if your opponent gets the ball in a good position that you can't defend alone.

Rotate your body toward the basket the moment a shot goes up. Spread your arms out and thrust your bottom into your opponent to box him out. Push backward with a low center of gravity to move your opponent away from the rebound.

References

• Layups Coaching Blog: Guarding a Taller Player
• The Coach's Clipboard: Basketball Rebounding

Writer Bio

Dan Howard is a sports and fitness aficionado who holds a master's degree in psychology. Howard's postgraduate research on the brain and learning has appeared in several academic books and peer-reviewed psychology journals.

Philadelphia Plotting a Basketball Revolution: Win Defensively and No Three-Pointers - Blogs

Philadelphia is the NBA's most interesting team this year.

All current trends in the league have been around for almost a decade and in their current peak version seem to be axioms:

– faster and faster;

more three-pointers;

- space is the key to attack and, in general, to victory;

- it is believed that there are no "big" in the league who can really punish with their backs;

- whatever the defense, a quality attack will always be better.

And now, when even completely lost teams begin to adapt to this style, Philadelphia suddenly appears from the future or from the past, confident that due to their size and dominant center they can strangle anyone.

***

Philadelphia has never hesitated to stand out in recent history. There was a Process that was fascinating in its cynicism. The draft was chosen players who missed the first season. A powerful forward without a throw moved to the point guard position. While everyone was playing pick-and-roll with a bunch of snipers, Philly stayed away from screens on the ball and didn't hesitate to start 3 people without a steady shot.

And the 76ers made a number of moves this past off-season that stand out from where the rest of the league is heading. Following the results of the summer transitions, the team approached the season with the Embiid-Horford-Harris-Simmons-Richardson starting lineup.

This is such a new manifestation of the giant ball concept (and probably the first since Oklahoma 2015/16). While other teams are trying to push players to a position higher, Philadelphia is going in the opposite direction . Golden State dominated when they moved Green to an 5 and Barnes/Durant to a 4. James' hits were deadliest when they moved Bosh to the center position, gaining an extra sniper. The Sixers are doing the opposite.

Embiid is a huge center. Horford by today's standards is also a center, but due to the fact that Embiid is nearby, Al plays a four. So, while number five is busy guarding Joel, Al attacks against powerful forwards. This is already a convenient match-up. But some teams (like Brooklyn, Minnesota, and Boston) now have former small forwards in the four, because of this, Horford's advantage in size becomes even more pronounced. And Al not only plays the starting forward, he is also a backup center. And many spare centers today are undersized. This, for example, was clearly seen in the game between the 66ers and the Celtics, when Horford tried to restrain the Thais.

If the 4th and 5th numbers of the opponent are defending against Embiid and Horford, then who of the remaining ones can cope with Harris and Simmons, who themselves are larger in anthropometry than many modern fourths? One of them will attack against the guard - either Ben or Toby.

And the smallest starter is Josh Richardson, who often defended against small forwards in Miami.

And this whole gigantic cast theme works because it's not slow. Just as the Warriors' small ball used to work because their players weren't weak and didn't lose physically, the Sixers' unique casting works because they're big and take advantage of their size, but they're not slow. , and the opponent does not get the advantage in speed. “Philadelphia” goes against the current precisely because of the unique staff that allows you to do it, benefiting and not getting problems.

A team usually has a size advantage in four positions out of five. The Sixers start each game with a few mismatches that can help them score points and sharpen their offense with . If Philadelphia played in the West, where many do not have third numbers, it would be quite fun. But even now, the Sixers attack too often simply due to size, because the opponent simply lacks such large frames.

And this is damn important, because the Sixers' team attack is decently lame. Largely because they really do not have a full-fledged ballhandler capable of leading the game.

Simmons can accelerate fast breaks, but he is rarely able to create a team attack in static. Harris and Richardson can throw themselves, but these are not the kind of people who will constantly create initial offensive momentum. Horford and Embiid can go post-up and fold the ball on the double, but that's not how you can attack in every possession. That is, Philadelphia has an excellent selection of auxiliary ballhandlers, but there is no primary, there is no one who will aggravate in each attack.

That's why Butler fit in so well last season - he didn't lead the whole game, but he could consistently do it when needed. Now there is no such option, because of this the attack is constantly fickle. The Sixers simply have no one to lead the pick-and-rolls that give the initial momentum to the offense. The team is in last place both in terms of frequency and effectiveness of such possessions.

It is possible to give movement to an attack only by pushing through/beating an opponent who is inferior in height. Then the safety net is tightened, and there is a discount.

As a result, Philadelphia is the first in the NBA in terms of the frequency of post-ups, which today are considered to be not very effective. Such an attack is often pressed down in the playoffs, especially when there are not enough snipers around. But there are no other options, and the Sixers are forced to attack due to the advantage in size and ... protection.

Yes, Philadelphia is scoring 22 points per game after losing an opponent - the best record in the NBA. 20.5% of their attacks are early offense, the 4th most in the NBA.

They've got Ben Simmons, who's great at breaking breakouts. They have a size advantage in just about every position to be the best rebounding team in the league. And yes, there is a great defense that keeps the opponent within 100 points per 100 possessions. As a result - "we defended, we picked up the ball, we ran away" or "we defended, you lost the ball, we ran away."

What the team is doing is as close as possible to the basketball version of "defensive play" . And the defense is really monstrous both in terms of the level of individual frames and their compatibility.

Embiid is an excellent insurer "big", meeting the opponent's pick-and-rolls no worse than Gobert. Horford has been Draymond Green's eastern counterpart in recent years - big enough, but not slow, versatile and smart, a great option for the role of starting power forward and backup center. And yes, the center is the main position for defense, and Philly has 48 minutes of extra-class performers here.

Perimeter players are large and strong enough to easily get through the screens and drive opponents under the "big ones", but also mobile enough not to let them go one on one. Richardson, Simmons and Table are a defensive line of death that you can pass, but you have to leave the ball at the entrance.

In general, looking at the 66ers, you expect them to intercept the ball in every defense. These long-armed, stubborn guys in defense look like real creators. They are not just good defenders, there is an obvious defensive talent here, which allows not only to execute the scheme, but to give more than is required and than could be expected. They get those balls that they couldn’t seem to get, they get to where they couldn’t seem to be in time, they give out moments that look physically impossible.

It's like three DeJonte Murrays or something. They just block the opponent.

Yes, the 66ers will have games where they can't pick up a lot on offense. But they will always have a chance, simply because they can pin down half of the teams in the league points to 85 . This is the defense against which you can not score points for 5 minutes in a row.

The result is a team that:

– plays giant ball when everyone has switched to small fives;

- does not play pick-and-rolls when everyone in a row starts every attack with them;

plays defensively and does really cool things in defense.

Philadelphia is the most unusual team in the NBA. She does everything that is contrary to the spirit of the time, the 66ers abandon modern ideas and go in the opposite direction at full speed. And yes, the Sixers haven't lost yet this season.

Philadelphia - 5, NBA - 0.

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Photo: REUTERS/Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports; Gettyimages.ru/Mitchell Leff, Kevin C. Cox

"We showed the best basketball." UNICS destroyed the Spanish top - already in the second quarter the gap was +29

The first convincing victory in the Euroleague.

Start in the regular season of the Euroleague for UNICS was not easy. The team was on a par with many serious rivals - Anadolu Efes, Monaco, Zenit - but in all meetings it lacked something in the last minutes and even seconds. Only Bayern could beat UNICS in a tense ending.

The match against Baskonia ended in a victory and, what is no less important, a convincing one: the Kazan players seized the advantage at the very beginning and then didn't give the opponent any chances. The final victory of UNICS could have been predicted at the end of the second quarter. Tomorrow, UNICS will come to the Real Madrid test against a good emotional background.

“WE HAD MANY CHANCES, BUT SOMETHING WERE LOST EVERY TIME”

The situation in UNICS before the match with the Basque Country was tense to say the least. Last week, the team almost finished the reigning Euroleague champion Efes, but lost to him in the last minutes. Another similar game - and it would be right to talk about the complex endings for UNICS, since other lost matches developed according to a similar scenario. In addition, Kazan lost forward Andrey Vorontsevich for one match and on Sunday fell under the rink of Avtodor, which gained momentum, which did not spare Kazan for their difficult schedule in the Euroleague and beat them in Saratov (81:76). After this match, one could even assume that over the head coach of UNICS Velimir Perasovich clouds have gathered.

"The Euroleague is a very difficult tournament," Perasovic said before the game against Basque Country. - You can play well and still fail. We have improved our basketball, but we are up against very serious opponents. Just playing well is not enough - you need to play at an outstanding level. We will improve in the next match and we will have to find out if that will be enough to win.”

The head coach of UNICS turned out to be right: the team really got better, and that was more than enough to win. The harsh laws of the Euroleague, which Perasovich has been talking about since the very beginning of the season, played in favor of the Kazan team for the first time: UNICS managed to "catch" the top opponent on the home court and punish him for a moment of weakness. As soon as the Baskonia had a weak start, the Kazan team seized the advantage and never once allowed the opponent to get any closer to them. In the second quarter, the advantage of UNICS reached a convincing +29(48:19), and if in this match the difference in the score was of fundamental importance, then Kazan could bring the matter up to +40. This shows that if the team has a very good day, it is hard to resist them.

As Perasovich noted after the match, in the first half of the game, UNICS showed the best basketball this season. Progress was primarily in attack. “In every Euroleague match, we defended well, but showed a poor percentage of hits in attack. Today we may have had the first match when we were completely confident in our throw. In the first two quarters alone, we made eight 3-pointers." Velimir also noted the importance of victory for Kazan in psychological terms: “We had many chances in the Euroleague, but each time something was missing. We stumbled in the last seconds. We need wins like today to be sure."

BASQONIA WAS THREE IN A ROW BEFORE UNICS

Baskonia have been one of the European giants over the past 20 years and four-time Spanish champions. Although the club is based in the modest town of Vitoria, almost every year it has one of the largest budgets in the tournament and one of the most solid teams. Unlike the football Athletic - another representative of the Basques in the sports world - they do not refuse foreign players in the Basque Country. There are almost no Basques in the squad, but there are enough foreigners of the first level.

By the way, this match was special for Perasovic. He played for the Basque Country both as a player and as a coach, and in the second capacity he twice led the team to the Final Four. “This is one of the best teams in Europe over the past 20 years,” said UNICS head coach. “She is in my heart, I spent nine years there.”

Baskonia arrived in Kazan with three victories in the Euroleague in a row - over Panathinaikos, Alba and Monaco - and expected to win the fourth. Moreover, on Sunday, the Basques, like UNICS, stumbled in a match with an opponent who was inferior in class. They lost to Murcia with a score of 79:80, which once again indicates a high level of workload in the Euroleague. Even such tops as Baskonia do not withstand the tournament calendar and misfire in those matches of the national championship where they should win in class.

Baskonia failed to rehabilitate in Kazan. “The main feature of Baskonia is our character,” said the head coach of Baskonia Dushko Ivanovich after the match in Kazan. - We are fighting every minute. Today, we did not have this character. We can't lose like this. What can we talk about when we only fouled twice in the first half."

AHEAD - REAL WITH THE BEST CENTER

There are many local successes for UNICS in the match. Thus, defender Marco Spiess showed the best game of the season: he scored 5 points and added 8 assists and 6 rebounds to them. For most of the matches, he was in the shadow of Lorenzo Brown and showed himself only in short stretches. After the injury, a strong match was played by Vorontsevich, who scored 14 points and rebounds. No less useful was John Brown , who showed similar statistics - 14 points and 6 rebounds. The second match for UNICS was held by an overseas newcomer O Jay Mayo , and unlike the meeting with Efes, he turned out to be effective.

However, far-reaching conclusions cannot be drawn from the meeting, of course. UNICS dismantled the Basque Country in a way that it is unlikely to be able to dismantle in future matches. Tomorrow Kazan will meet with Real Madrid, which needs no special introduction. Specifically for UNICS, the main danger will be the position of the center. She's manned at Real Madrid Walter Tavares - one of the best Euroleague players in general, as well as Vincent playing for the French national team Poirier .

Exam with another super-top Fenerbahce, to which UNICS lost 41:80, Perasovic flunked - can he improve in the game with Madrid? “In my opinion, Real Madrid is the best team in Europe. This season they have changed their playing philosophy. Now their leaders are two centers Tavares and Porrier, the best in the entire Euroleague. We have confidence, we will fight for victory."

This season, Kazan chose a mobile and undersized front line. The tallest player in the team Tonier Jackiri (212 cm), of course, will not seem like a dwarf against the background of Tavares (220 cm), but he will still be inferior in size to him. Artyom Klimenko could help Jackiri, but his Perasovich did not flirt systematically this season and it is impossible to say that the Russian center is in the best shape. It will be especially hard against such a giant as Tavares, the forwards of UNICS, active under the basket John Brown (203 cm) and Jarrell Brentley (201 cm).

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