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How to beat a zone defence in basketball

Tips for Beating a Zone Defense in Basketball

This basketball coaching article was written by Basketball HQ co-founder Kyle Ohman.

Most zone defenses in basketball aim to keep the ball moving aimlessly around the perimeter before a low percentage shot is eventually put up. Even knowing this, there are still a lot of offenses that still fall into this trap. Offenses will hit a few 3 pointers at the start but will fall in love with low percentage shots, and by the end of the game, they have fallen right into the zone defense’s trap.

Zone defenses can be exploited, and there are high percentage shots to be had if your offense is set up with the right situations. Hopefully, this offensive basketball coaching article will provide you with a few tips for beating a zone defense in basketball.

Don’t Stand, Move With a Purpose Against the Zone

As basketball coaches, we have all at one point or another yelled, “don’t stand, move!” Unfortunately, most of the time, our players (for lack of a better term) start running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They cut and move with no timing, and nothing comes of it. When it comes to beating a zone defense in basketball, players must understand when and where they should be moving.

If you have a more experienced team, you can talk about timing and some of the purposes of cutting, and this usually is enough because they have a higher basketball IQ. However, if you have a less experienced basketball team, a great option is putting in a zone motion offense with specific rules for when and where a player should cut, fill, space, screen, etc. This will allow your players not to get bogged down with overthinking and will help simplify their responsibilities.

In a zone motion offense, players still need to understand what is going on, but with the different rules, it helps to alleviate a lot of the pressure of knowing what to do off the basketball.

Shift the Zone Defense by Moving the Ball

Equally as important (or even more) as player movement is ball movement. A zone defense in basketball is designed to load up on the side of the ball so that there are no angles to penetrate or make entry passes. So if you can get the ball moving side to side and even better yet, inside out, you have a great chance of making the defense shift, which creates potential defensive breakdowns.

The key is not allowing any of your players to be ball stoppers. There will be players on your team that feel the need to catch and dribble every time they receive the ball. If you allow this to happen, your zone offense will not work. Catching and holding the ball or catching and dribbling the ball without purpose allows the defense to recover and reset. Keep the ball moving.

Before a player catches the ball, they should already know what they will do with it. The three main options are; catch and shoot (if open and a good shooter), drive the ball (either to score or to kick), or pass (which is usually the most common option). The longer a player holds the ball, the more time the defense has to recover. So the ball must be moving from player to player with purpose.

Hard Cuts Through the Zone

We have already touched on player movement, but specifically talking about cutting, players must be cutting hard and with purpose, even if they aren’t getting the ball. If a player can execute a hard cut to the basket, it is going to force the defense to respect them, and that means that either they are going to get a scoring opportunity, or it is going to open up a scoring opportunity for someone else. However, if the player doesn’t cut hard, the defense doesn’t respect the cut, and there is no shifting or over helping.

Hard cuts are extremely important in beating a zone defense in basketball. You must force the defense to respect and guard every player that cuts through the zone. This will force the defense to move and communicate, which will lead to (you guessed it) more potential defensive breakdowns.

Play Inside Out Against the Zone

If the goal of a zone defense in basketball is to keep the ball outside on the perimeter, it makes sense that the offense should want to get the ball inside the zone. Playing inside out can be accomplished in several different ways. It can be created with hard cuts/player movement like we just talked about, it can be achieved by dribble penetration and attacking gaps in a zone, and it can be done by feeding the low or high post and playing out of it.

If you can get the ball inside through one of these means, you force the defense to have to suck in to help; this opens up kick-outs for open HIGH PERCENTAGE shots. There is a huge difference between inside out 3’s and 3’s from a lack of ball movement. Playing inside out forces the defense to have to move, shift, and recover, and any time you get a defense doing this, it opens up scoring possibilities.

Set Zone Basketball Plays

Against a zone defense, you aren’t really going to be able to run a set basketball play every time down. Still, during a game, if you execute correctly and run your set basketball plays at advantageous times, you can usually get 8-10 points from them, which could easily be the difference between a win and a loss.

Great basketball coaches can put their best players in positions where they can succeed. So if you have a player that is a knockdown shooter, run some different zone 3 point basketball plays throughout the game that will get them a wide-open shot. If you have a freak athlete run a misdirection zone lob basketball play for them, or if you have a post player that can’t be stopped in the post, run some different actions to allow your post player to get the ball around the basket.

Depending on your basketball team and strengths, you are going to have different set plays. So find the zone basketball plays that work best for your team and take advantage of them periodically throughout the course of a game.

Use Screens Against the Zone

Even though defenders aren’t specifically assigned to guard one player in a zone, it is still beneficial to the offense to set screens. The two primary screens that work the best to score against a zone defense in basketball are seal-in screens and ball screens. If used correctly, both can put the zone defense in a difficult situation that forces them to rotate, shift, and communicate. This means that there is potential for defensive breakdowns and opportunities for the offense to get a great look.

Ball screens against the top defenders of the zone are also great because they create angles for penetration and overload situations. If the top defender chooses to fight over the ball screen, there will be an angle for the ball handler to attack. If the defender decides to bump off the ball handler to the next defender in line, it will create an overload situation if you place a couple of good shooters on the perimeter and quickly swing the ball.

Seal in screens are great to use for shooters on a quick ball reversal or a skip pass. If you can get the defense rotating one way and then seal them in on the backside for a quick reversal or skip pass, you can end up with some good action. If the wing defender leaves too early, the screener will be open for a shot or a finish at the basket.

As it goes with pretty much anything, it is easier said than done. So while all of these keys provide the information for beating a zone defense in basketball, it also takes a commitment to working on these keys with your team. It is essential that as a coach, you are consistently going over the keys of good zone offense with your basketball team. Whether you are facing teams that primarily run zone or face teams that use it sparingly, you must be able to take advantage of it whenever you come across it.

3 Simple Strategies to Attack a Zone Defense

By Jeff Haefner

Home > Coaching > Basketball Offense > 3 Simple Strategies to Attack a Zone Defense

Want to score more points against zone defense? Here are 3 really simple yet effective strategies that every coach should consider.

These strategies work against all types of zone defenses and will help you score more points. ..

Strategy #1 - Put Your Best Ballhandler in the Middle (Even if They're 4 Foot Nothing)

I picked up this strategy from Danny Miles who is #4 with most wins in college history (900) and the head coach of Oregon Tech.

It's very common for teams to put their big man at the free throw line in the middle of the zone offense. Instead, he urges you to put your best ball-handler and creator there. It's doesn't matter if they're 5'2".

Big players usually aren't as good at catching and handling a ball in traffic. But if you put one of your best ball handlers in the high post area, they will be able to drive around the bigger defensive players. They can score, dish, and cause lots of problems for the defense. This especially causes match up problems for the defense because they always put the biggest clumsier players in the middle of the zone defense. They will not be able stop your quick guards.

Coaches should take a real good look at just putting one of their taller kids in the middle - because usually those kids don't pass or shoot it very well and you don't attack as well with that kind of kid.

Strategy #2 - Attack from Behind the Zone

One of the best ways to attack from behind the zone it to always have at least one player in the short corner area.

You'll find that on almost every ball reversal the player in the short corner will be open. Then the wing can pass down to the open player in the short corner.

Once the ball is there, this is a very tough place to guard because at the moment none of the defenders are looking at the short corner player (because he or she is "behind" the zone).

Once the ball is caught in the short corner you have several excellent options to get high percentage shots...

If wide open, the short corner player can take one step to the basket for a lay up.
The short corner player can shot fake and take it to the hole.

The player in the middle can dive to the basket and receive the pass from short corner (this seems to be open for a lay up almost 50% of the time).

If they double down, the short corner can kick it out for a wide open three pointer.

The key is to force the defense to guard what is front of them (with ball reversals, cutting, and screening actions) and then attack from behind the zone. It works extremely well!

Strategy #3 - Put Em Where They Ain't

I can thank Coach Ken Sartini for reminding me about this strategy and catchy phrase...

I heard a college coach say this about attacking zones... "it's not rocket science... put em where they aint!"

Keep things simple, put your kids in the gaps of the zone.

This is a common strategy but I feel it's worth mentioning in this context because it's a good reminder to keep things simple. Attacking a zone doesn't have to be complicated.

Not to mention, wording things so players understand can certainly help. Sometimes when you say "find the gap" players don't really understand what you mean (even when they tell you that they do understand).

Try wording things differently. Simply tell your players to find spots where's there no defense (go where they ain't at).

Do you currently employ all three of these strategies?

I'll bet not. Use these simple suggestions and you'll get better. These strategies work against all types of zone defenses.

Recommended Products:

Beating the Zone - 75 Set Plays to Score Against Zone Defense
In this eBook, you will find 75 zone plays that you can use against any zone defense.

It includes 2-3 zone plays, 3-2 zone plays, 1-3-1 zone plays, baseline out of bounds plays, and multi-purpose zone plays. You will also learn how to exploit the weaknesses of zone defenses, learn new ideas for running zone plays, and much more ... (more info)

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

Basketball defense techniques and tactics, zone and individual defense

Danila Chezhin

Basketball is a game consisting of attack and defense, and the one who scores the most points wins. To beat the opposing team, basketball coaches go to a variety of tricks. In this article, we will analyze what elements of defensive work are most often found in basketball. Needless to say, protection is one of the key success factors!

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Technique of defense

In basketball there is no division of players into those who participate only in attack or only in defense. All 5 athletes who, according to the rules of the game, can simultaneously be on the court as part of one team, are equally involved in both halves of the court. At the same time, the defense technique in basketball directly depends on the position of a particular player. In the classic game system, 5 roles are distinguished:

point guard;
shooting guard;
small forward;
power forward;
center.

Basketball also uses numbers to designate positions - first, second, and so on.

Defenders number one and two are usually the shortest players on the team. And if when playing in the attack their functionality is significantly different, then in defense both are engaged in approximately the same thing, namely, work on the perimeter against the defenders of the opposing side. To complicate the ball as much as possible, to prevent passes, to prevent a long-range shot from being made - these are the main aspects that are required from the "small" ones in defense.

Small forward is versatile in attack and just as versatile in defense. The tasks of the third number include both helping the "small" ones on the perimeter, and belaying the "big ones" near their own ring. Basketball players of this role must simultaneously be able to move quickly around the court, and be physically strong and resilient in order to impose a fight on the shield if necessary.

"Big", fourth and fifth numbers, power forward and center, especially in modern basketball, often duplicate each other in defense. The task of the players of both positions in defense is to prevent the opponent from taking the rebound (rebound) and to make it as difficult as possible for the opponent to attempt shots from the field.

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Man marking

Position marking in basketball is called man protection. This tactical pattern implies that each player guards a basketball player of a similar position from the opponent. This approach, however, does not mean that the players simply run after each other. A positional attack, for example, often offers defense exchanges - when, due to setting up a screen, the “big” with the ball remains one-on-one against the “small” and vice versa. The goal of defense in this case is to neutralize the unequal exchange. Either not let it take place at all, or by doubling it, when a teammate joins the custody, throwing his player for seconds.

There are many such schemes in the personal care system. Defense in basketball is no less variable than attack.

Zone defense

Another important defensive tactic in basketball is the zone. Its difference from the "personal team" is that the players adhere to a clear arrangement in their own half. The fundamental goal of basketball players playing zone defense becomes, accordingly, the preservation of their possessions, and not the neutralization of a particular player, as in personal protection.

Zone formations come in many varieties - coaches often use zone variations as a plan B in a bad match. But the most common arrangement is 3-2. Three players are located on the back line - two wingers, whose roles are most often played by light and heavy forwards, and a center between them. Two players are in front, it is clear that these are “small” defenders. The tasks of the first line are to interfere with the movement of the ball, prevent throwing from afar and, if possible, make an interception. The second line is responsible for the opponent's passes under the basket - it is customary to meet them tough in basketball.

Effectively playing zone defense is hard team work. Mutual understanding between athletes should be at the highest level - the five should be like a mechanism. Therefore, personal marking is much more common in basketball. Although there are a lot of mixed options, when elements of the zone fit into the “personal room”, or vice versa, there are also quite a few.

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