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How to get better at defence in basketball
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.
3. Athletic Stance
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:
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.
Focus on not clicking your heels together, crossing your feet over, or letting your weight be unbalanced.
Work on being able to drive off of each leg and change directions as quickly as you can each time.
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:
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.
Once you have the footwork down, push yourself to go as fast as possible, and get out of your comfort zone.
Stay low and athletic in all of the different movements during the drill.
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:
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.
The goal is to go as fast as you can while also ensuring that you maintain the correct footwork.
Don’t hunch your back, cross your feet, hop, etc.
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.
Drill Goal: Work on rebounding out of area and being aggressive to the boards.
Equipment Needed: A basketball and a hoop.
Drill Tips:
Get up off of the ground and be explosive on every rebound.
Don’t wait for the ball to come down to you; go up and get it with both hands at its highest point.
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.
10 Tips to Improve Your Basketball Defense (& your position to win!)
Today, I have chosen a topic that I have a great deal of passion and hopefully a modest amount of success in, that being defense, blocking out, and really possessing a passion to improve on the defensive end. I am going to share my tips to improve your basketball defense, and put you in the position to win!
If you’re really step up your game and improve your “D” – don’t miss the Team Defense Drillbook.
A team needs to possess great energy and great passion to improve. And they also need to find ways to negate talent.
1. Negate talent.
You don’t have the tools you want, you don’t have the people you want, but you have to find a way to win; at least give yourself a chance and an opportunity to win.
Attitude negates talent. Many times the team that possesses the “we” or the team that can get the most out of each other’s abilities sometimes defeats those multi-talented ball clubs.
Strength negates talent. Take a look at an old footage of college or pro basketball, 10 20 years ago. Long, narrow men played the game. Not any longer. Strength can negate talent at every position. But, in fact, many times on the defensive end or fighting for position when boarding.
What else would negate talent? No question, intellect. Probably the single most important factor. A man or a woman who knows angles, who knows how to save time, and use what they have to the most of the abilities. Intellect negates talent. And many times, as you’ve heard in the past, the mental, the approach mentally can be four or five, six times what it is to the physical. The speed and the quickness and the leaping ability.
Those are some of the essential needs that negate talent. And you know what? We all possess those. They have to come out in terms of your passion and willingness to improve.
2. Uniqueness
I think it’s important that we talk about uniqueness. Why can certain principles help my ball club more? And there’s no question. Our uniqueness begins on the practice floor. We don’t play with any fouls at practice. I’m the only one that calls the fouls. We’d like to make our players think there’s nothing more important than learning to play hard and play through trying times. We play with no lines.
3. No Out-of-Bounds
Every player in our program is expected to go for every loose ball. And, of course, we continue to play every drill, every scrimmage, every breakdown, or every whole group that we’re practicing in not until the defense recovers possession of the ball. Therefore, the offense may score and if they grab it out of the net, they can dunk it again or continue to play.
4. Instincts
We’re trying to create a passion to improve and a playing-hard mentality that can carry over to the game. Thus, practice and practice drills many times will be far more difficult, we hope, than the game itself. Maybe the game turns into a pleasurable experience.
5. Overload Opportunities
We also want to think that one of the most important things that we do in a unique sense is ask for overload opportunities. We want to put our players in positions at practice where it’s more difficult than it might be during the game. By overload we’re talking about five offensive players working against four defenders. And five will learn that they can stop six players on offense. Four defenders will learn they can stop five players on offense.
And you know what? We need to put ourselves in those predicaments each and every day. Overloading sometimes is very good. We might use overload by numbers. We might use a heavy ball to put an advantage to the defense and make it more difficult to pass the ball.
We may put our hands behind our back on defense to make it more important to move our feet and gain body position. Always trying to make it a little more difficult so that we can overcome anything and no hurdle is too great to jump during the game.
6. Attention to Detail
Paying attention to detail is something we think is so important as we talked about. The little things. Making sure we watch those things we call priorities. And our priorities, very honestly, begin on the defensive end. Taking away easies early.
We want to build a wall in defensive transition. We want to sprint back and protect our goal and we want nobody getting early easy shots. If they score early, let’s hope it was an effected jump shot. I think it’s important that our players do know we may not shut anybody out. We may give up lucky shots.
But, you know what? What shot can we accept? An effected one-dribble jump shot. And so we will compliment our players sometimes when the opponent has scored, but has scored under our terms. I want to make sure that we know what we can do and what we cannot do. What we can ill afford to give up.
7. Easy Earlies
Keep the ball out of the paint via the pass or the dribble. The two most important priorities in our full court and half court defense.Keeping the ball out of the paint area by virtue of dribble drives, by virtue of post feeds. And last but not least, we’ve got to make sure we block out. We do that in a unique way. We face guard everybody. We block out at 15, 20, even 25 feet.
8. The Block Out
No player on the defensive end can ever forget to block out. The most important, essential criteria. Make sure your man cannot get the ball. And let’s find a hero amongst our five defenders. Let’s look at each position on the floor as they would effectively block out. On the pass and the block out with the player on the ball.
Take a player who shot fakes, and takes a one-dribble baseline jump shot. You’re going to see the defender more worried about the body position and making the first hit on the offensive player. Then his second instinct is to go get the ball, making sure that we keep space and eliminate the opportunity for even a long rebound to come to the long offensive player.
9. Rebounds
Now let’s talk about our help side block, which is by far the toughest instinct to teach and the toughest principle to teach. If the player with the ball shoots the basketball, most defenders will turn and go to the ball. But most rebounds rebound on the help side.
Many rebounds from a further position on the floor rebound deep on the help side.
That gives the offensive player an equal opportunity and, if they’re a better athlete or they’re a better player or they’re a quicker player, gives him, the offensive player, possibly a rebounding advantage. Therefore, we take all the thinking out of it. When a shot goes up, initiate contact, maintain your balance, make the first hit, and then go get the ball. Will this result occasionally on loss of sight of the ball? Occasionally. Will it even result in possibly the ball bouncing or possibly the ball hitting the blind side of our defender? Possibly. And we’re willing to let that happen so long as the offensive player can’t make a play on the ball.
10. Create Opportunities
What’s happened to us many times is great talent, even excellent players, at a certain point in every game they quit at their offensive rebounding skills because they have one common denominator. These defenders block out every player, every possession.
Quite honestly, the offensive guard most of the time is told by their coach to not become an offensive rebounder many times and backpedal the defense. We still want the space closed between the defender and the offensive player, virtually giving us a better target for a fast break and making sure that long rebound can’t be played by the offensive guard.
Again, as the defense, if they choose not to go to the offensive boards, as they backpedal and we try to maintain our space on the blockout we, in fact, get more opportunities for a fast break, not less opportunities.
Next step: for our latest practice ideas and tips, check out our main basketball coaching page.
Or, if you need fresh ideas for your next practice, head over to our complete basketball drills directory. You’ll find dozens of simple, fun and effective drills to rapidly improve your team’s skill level.
If you enjoyed this article and want to see more, check out our most popular defensive basketball drills before you go!
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.
Defensive Tips for
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 is playing 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 take 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” one, 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 set a 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, and often on street sites there is a clap of hands: at games they can give a foul, 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.
Defense Training
Defense Training
Learning how to move in defense.
1. Move in a defensive stance diagonally backwards. After 3-5 steps, turn around and change direction. Then do the same diagonally forward. 2. Do the same but add hand movements. The far hand works to protect against the transfer, the near hand imitates the capture of the ball. 2-3 sets of 5 diagonals forward and backward.
DETAILS : Increase and decrease your movement speed. Keep your back, don't jump in the move. The back leg drags along the floor.
CHIPS : Emphasis on the first step, it must be fast and taken with the lead foot.
Improving defensive actions.
1. Five attackers stand on the perimeter and pass the ball to each other, each of them has a defender. Defenders must change their stance and shift to the correct position depending on the ball. 2. The same, but with active defense, try to intercept or take the ball away. 3. At the signal of the teacher, the player with the ball goes into the aisle. For 30 seconds, then change roles, 3 times.
DETAILS : Defenders must always see the ball, keep their distance, actively use their hands.
CHIPS : The drill will be especially effective if performed without fouls.
Improving defensive actions.
1. Stand opposite each other with a partner. The attacker stands still and performs turns, moving the ball to the side. The defender reacts to the attacker's movements and moves accordingly, making defensive movements with both hands in front of the ball. 2. The defender tries to knock out or take the ball away from the attacker. 30 seconds each, 3 sets.
DETAILS : Low stance, keep distance, back straight.
CHIPS : The drill will be especially effective if performed without fouls.
Improving defensive actions.
One player (playing) has the ball, two other players - a defender and an attacker. The striker makes movements (forward / backward, right / left), trying to get a pass from the player with the ball. The defender plays in a closed stance, covering the passing line, making it difficult for the attacker to receive the ball. If the pass is still passed, then the attacker must perform turns (one circle forward or backward) and give a reverse pass to the playing along, and the defender must actively interfere with him, try to knock out or take the ball away. 30 seconds in each role, 3 times (change in a circle).
DETAILS : The defender must always have a view of the ball, keep his distance, actively use his hands. The attacker must perform turns without running.
Learning the basic defensive stance.
From a standing position, take a protective stance at the signal. At the next signal, return to the starting position. 10-15 times.
DETAILS : Feet slightly wider than shoulder width and parallel, arms in line with legs, shoulders relaxed, arms half-bent, palms open towards attacker.
CHIPS : The stand must be very stable. To check this, you can knock a little.
Improving defensive actions.
1. Three attackers stand in a triangle and pass the ball to each other, each of them has a defender. The defensive stance varies depending on the ball. If your player has the ball, then a parallel stance with active hand work; if the ball is in the possession of a nearby player (in one pass), then a closed stance with overlapping of the transfer line; if the far player has the ball (in two passes), then the stance is open. 2. The same, but with active defense, try to intercept or take the ball away. For 30 seconds, then change roles, 3 times.
DETAILS : Defenders must always see the ball, keep their distance, actively use their hands.
Learning how to move in defense.
Get into a protective stance and move around: 1. Small steps to one side and the other. 2. Small steps to one and the other side with greater speed. 20-30 seconds each exercise.
DETAILS : Leading foot turned slightly in the direction of travel, the "back" foot does not approach the leading, the distance between the legs is maintained.
CHIPS : Emphasis on the first step, it must be fast and taken with the lead foot.
Learning how to move in defense.
1. Move backwards in a defensive stance in a zigzag from the beginning to the middle of the court, quickly, without stopping. Come back with an easy run. 2. Do the same in alternation with acceleration. Start with 2-3 times, and later increase the number of times or distance.
DETAILS : Keep your back, don't jump in the move.
CHIPS : Emphasis on the first step, it must be fast and taken with the lead foot.
Learning how to move in defense.
Move in a protective stance: 1. Back and forth, adding a normal run every three steps. 2. In one direction and in the other, adding the usual run at the command of the coach. 20-30 seconds each exercise.
DETAILS : Leading foot turned slightly in the direction of travel, the "back" foot does not approach the leading, the distance between the legs is maintained.
Improving defensive actions.
1. Stand opposite each other with a partner. The attacker dribbles the ball in place with cover, the defender tries to knock out or take the ball away. If he succeeds, then the defender gives the ball back to the attacker. 2. The same, but the attacker moves left and right along the line in 3-5 steps. 3. The same, but the attacker moves diagonally back and forth in 3-5 steps. 30 seconds each, 3 sets.
DETAILS : Keep your distance, back straight.
CHIPS : The drill will be especially effective if performed without fouls.
Learning how to move in defense.
Stand opposite each other in protective stances with a partner. One makes movements, the other repeats after him: 1. The host moves in one direction and the other, makes various movements with his hands (raises and lowers). 2. The leader moves in one direction and the other, sometimes adding a normal run. 30 seconds each, 3 sets.
DETAILS : Increase and decrease your movement speed. Keep your back, don't jump in the move. The back leg drags along the floor.
CHIPS : Turn on your imagination, perform different movements.
Learning how to move in defense.
Accelerating forward 1/4 of the landing, at the end of a step with active work of the hands - moving sideways in a protective stance - accelerating forward again with a step and so on. 3 sites.
DETAILS : Keep your back straight, low stance in defensive movements, active arm work
When you do, you lose your ability to be quick and explosive.
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.
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.
Why can certain principles help my ball club more? And there’s no question. Our uniqueness begins on the practice floor. We don’t play with any fouls at practice. I’m the only one that calls the fouls. We’d like to make our players think there’s nothing more important than learning to play hard and play through trying times. We play with no lines.
Maybe the game turns into a pleasurable experience.
Always trying to make it a little more difficult so that we can overcome anything and no hurdle is too great to jump during the game.
I want to make sure that we know what we can do and what we cannot do. What we can ill afford to give up.
You’re going to see the defender more worried about the body position and making the first hit on the offensive player. Then his second instinct is to go get the ball, making sure that we keep space and eliminate the opportunity for even a long rebound to come to the long offensive player.
When a shot goes up, initiate contact, maintain your balance, make the first hit, and then go get the ball. Will this result occasionally on loss of sight of the ball? Occasionally. Will it even result in possibly the ball bouncing or possibly the ball hitting the blind side of our defender? Possibly. And we’re willing to let that happen so long as the offensive player can’t make a play on the ball.
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. 
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. 
Let's take a closer look at this. 
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. 
Belly, solar plexus, groin - all this interferes with concentration at the time of the throw. Well, and often on street sites there is a clap of hands: at games they can give a foul, but on the street it can bring down that very concentration. 
2. The same, but with active defense, try to intercept or take the ball away. 3. At the signal of the teacher, the player with the ball goes into the aisle. For 30 seconds, then change roles, 3 times. 
2. The same, but with active defense, try to intercept or take the ball away. For 30 seconds, then change roles, 3 times. 
Move backwards in a defensive stance in a zigzag from the beginning to the middle of the court, quickly, without stopping. Come back with an easy run. 2. Do the same in alternation with acceleration. Start with 2-3 times, and later increase the number of times or distance. 
The host moves in one direction and the other, makes various movements with his hands (raises and lowers). 2. The leader moves in one direction and the other, sometimes adding a normal run. 30 seconds each, 3 sets.