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How to get past a good defender in basketball
How to get past a good defender in basketball
3 Keys to Blowing Past Your Defender
by Jefferson Mason, on Feb 9, 2018 5:03:55 PM
Dr. Dish Basketball is back at it with 3 great ways to blow past your defender.
Every player is looking and searching for ways to create scoring opportunities for themselves and also teammates. Most players think that they need to have an advanced double or triple move to blow past a defender but most of the time a quick move paired with properly reading the defender is enough.
The game of basketball is extremely fast moving and players on the offensive and defensive side of the floor must make quick decisions when the game is in action. This is why developing great habits is extremely important and will help players naturally make great split second decisions on the court.
The more comfortable a player gets at the level they are playing at, the slower the game becomes. This doesn't actually mean the game slows down but it does become easier for players to settle in rather then run around aimlessly because of excitement or fear.![]()
Players: Please make sure you are playing and thinking the game with pace. At times you will need to play and think fast and sometimes you need to slow down and allow a play to develop. Understanding the difference is the beginning step in being able to blow past your defender.
1. UNDERSTANDING AND PROPERLY ATTACKING YOUR DEFENDER'S STANCE
One of the most important things defenders are taught is how to close out and to stay on the balls of their feet. The reason this is so important is because great offensive players know how to destroy a player whose close-out is suspect.
Many times you will see defenders shading towards the weak hand because they don't believe offensive players are skilled or athletic enough to attack that way. This is why it's very beneficial to have the skill set to go either way. When the defender shades one way, sweep and attack that way to force them to cut you off. If you go straight to the basket with purpose, the defender should have no chance to stop you getting to the rim without fouling.
If they are able to cut you off, the side step, euro step, or spin move is a great way to slice across the defender for the easy finish.
Another way to take advantage of your defender is to attack their high top foot. When a defender is shading one direction that doesn't mean you have to go that way every time. Attacking the top foot gives you an opportunity to turn the corner on your defender and also forces them to step backwards before they can slide into position. Once again a quick sweep-and-go is a great way to blow past for a lay-up and a great way to get your defender off balance for a one dribble pull-up. By simply being able to read the subtle differences in your defenders stance and understanding your own strengths, you can create a blow by scoring opportunity.
2. CHANGE OF PACE
The next way you can blow past your defender is to utilize change of pace. What players fail to realize is that it's easier to guard someone if they are going the same speed the entire time.
The offensive players that are able to decelerate and slow down then explode to the next spot are the ones that create space for scoring opportunities. When you have the basketball and are in a one on one situation, the goal is to force the defender to make a mistake or hesitate.
One great way to do this is simply attack the defender and force them to get on your hip or shoulder. When this happens decelerate and slow down. This will cause the defender to also decelerate and get out of position. Follow that with an explosion towards the scoring location you want to get to. A lot of times the subtle change in pace will get a defender to stand up or get out of their defensive stance. This minor change will give you the advantage to blow past your defender and more times than not lead to a scoring opportunity or a foul.
One of the best at doing this is John Wall. While he is incredibly quick and fast, one of the reasons he's so successful is because of his change of pace.
3. UTILIZE DOWNHILL MOMENTUM
Utilizing downhill momentum is one of the best ways to put your defender in a compromising situation and ultimately blow past them. Downhill momentum opportunities can come from many different situations during the game including the fast break or even the secondary break. If you're able to catch the ball on the move, make sure to utilize that momentum to attack the defense. It's much tougher to blow past your defender when standing still and/or flatfooted.
It's great to use quick changes of direction in the fast break because defenders are often moving backwards at a fast speed and it's extremely difficult to slide over at the same time. Often times you'll see players like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook actually retreat dribble backwards away from their defender. Then you'll see them go straight at the defender downhill using a quick move to blow past them.
In this situation, usually the defender will have to guess which direction you're attacking.
If you can read the defenders footing properly, it will almost be impossible for them to stop you as you create downhill momentum. There will almost always need to be a second line defender there to help. If this happens you've done your job and created an open opportunity for another teammate to score.
These three expert ways to blow past your defender can be easily implemented into any player's game because they don't require a player to be overly athletic, quick, and strong. These opportunities come from thinking the game through and understanding the situations the game and your defender gives you. Players like James Harden have mastered these blow past techniques and that's why he scores so effortlessly and draws so many fouls. He's obviously an unbelievably talented player, but players at the high school level can master these techniques as well.
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Knowledge is power and this leads to success so make sure to always train hard, train smart and train with a purpose!
Official Guide to Attacking Your Defender : Basketball
You're all more than welcome to add your own tips and edits, I'd love to learn more about 1 on 1 basketball or getting buckets in general.
ON THE CATCH
As soon as the ball is coming your way, you want to get an idea of how the court is laid out. Look at the court, and look especially at your defender. Ask yourself questions. Is the paint crowded or is it empty? Are you being double teamed? Are there any obvious passes? It sounds like overthinking, but you really just need to keep your eyes up and you'll answer all these subconsciously.
Now that you've got the obvious stuff out of the way, you got to make a move.
Is the defender playing off of you? Pop it. If you can’t shoot well, you need to work on that. Watch pro players, 50% of their points are just off easy shots. Driving to the basket is a lot harder cause there are more variables.
The lane has to be open and the paint is much more crowded in high levels of basketball.
Is he playing too tight? Blow by, use your off arm to PUSH THEIR ARM ASIDE. This is very important cause it means they cant cut you off and push you away from the basket. They are temporarily immobilized, but don't be too obvious or rough about it. If the lane isn’t open, dribble into the gap between where your defender was and where one of your teamate’s defender is, so that both defenders follow you and you get a wide open pass.
Is he playing in the middle? You got to get him off you then.
ATTACKING
Pump Fake - Give him one or two pump fakes. If he doesn't bite (assuming your pump fake is believable and you're really selling it) and you're confident in your shot, pop it. If you got him to jump, then you need to drive the second he gets off the ground, you've got an open lane.
Jab - If the pump didn't work in your favor, give him a jab.
JAB HIS TOP FOOT. And you're not just gonna put your foot in between him and the basket. You're gonna get him off you. Think about it this way. You're gonna explode to the basket but try not to move at the same time. Explode, but keep your pivot foot planted. You want him away from you and the ball. Hell, yell at him to get off you while you do it. If this doesn't work, then you didn't jab hard enough or believable enough. However, if he's fast enough to catch up to you while you drive, you need to counter and use a combo like jab-pump-drive.
Analyze - Alright, lets look at it. If he can guard your jab, and your pump combos, you've got to put the ball on the floor and get him to move. If you can’t handle the ball, work on ball handling. This doesn’t just mean work on between the legs, behind the back, shamgod, etc., if you look at players like Kawhi, Kobe, and Jordan, they have very basic footwork moves and don’t use many advanced dribbling moves. Ball handling simply means being able to move with the ball as efficiently as if you didn’t have a basketball.
For example, can you sprint with the basketball as fast as you can sprint without a basketball? Can you attack a closeout?
If you're being guarded by someone faster or better than you, you've got to exploit his weaknesses. Does he seem to not have any? He does, but for the time being you gotta score. Look at his top foot. Which foot is closer to you? You want to attack in the direction of that foot so that he has to open up his body and slide all the way to meet up with you. Play to your strengths, if you can body him to the basket then go drive. If you can shoot, try to get him off you and use a stepback.
Read your defender's momentum. If his hips are turned and he is following you to the basket and you are side to side with him, a snatchback or a stepback will get an easy jumper, if it doesnt send them flying first. If the layup is open and you can't shoot, you got to get your front foot in front his feet, and put him on your backside so you can cut him off. If you do, there is nothing he can do but foul you.
Make contact as well, use that hip and shoulder to bully your defender but dont drop the shoulder. If you're afraid of contact and you're driving to the basket, you will never score consistently. This is something I struggle with. In any situation, if you want to negate the other person's ability to jump or contest a layup, you have to jump into their body. Go at em like a football player. Contact is extremely underrated in basketball, you can use that shoulder to bump someone when you're driving and if you're strong enough, they usually give you about 2 feet of space, enough to finish or give a good pumpfake. Last suggestion, an old trade secret of Kobe's, when you are on defense and your player is driving to the basket with the ball, pinning their inside hand to your hip, as in grabbing their hand and pushing it against your waist, can slow them down so much and completely get rid of their other arm. They also cant explode and jump into you nearly as well.
Good luck with everything and add any comments or suggestions you have.
Thanks for reading.
An original way to beat a defender in basketball
Hello, dear visitors of basketball-training.org.ua (how long have I not written this phrase…). A few days ago, while playing basketball on one of the courts in Kharkov, I ran into a player who, when beating, used one very interesting trick that I myself like to use (but which had not yet been used against me until now).
It was then that I realized how effective this method can be, especially if it is performed by a player who is not as slow as me. Yes, I'm really far from the fastest player, so most of my "feints", if you can call them that, are based on using the opponent's speed against him (and a little physics, which you can still come in handy even on the basketball court).
So, today we're going to talk about the defender's supporting leg, the leg where the weight is transferred, and which we will use for our own purposes. Let's get started.
3 elements to beat successfully
First, you must get the ball in position from which you can attack the ring.
Well, or your defender must think that you can do it. Everything is trite, but nevertheless, over and over again I come across the fact that the majority are either just too lazy to spend their energy on getting rid of guardianship and they ask for the ball a couple of meters from the three-point line, from where it is very problematic to threaten the ring. Or they just don't know how to open up.
Topic article: 3 easy ways to get the ball in basketball
So, your goal is to get the ball at least on the three-point line, as much as possible already inside the arc. This move will not work if you get the ball under the basket or on the edge of the three-second zone.
The second stage is to stagger the defender 2-3 times, simulating a pass. You just do a few lunges to the side, and at this point you need to concentrate on the legs of the defender: which of them is his weight on. Which leg becomes his support during the execution of your false display for the passage.
Did you see?
The third point is the passage itself. If you know which foot the defender is on, where his weight is concentrated at the time of your deceptive movements, then you should know the following: he will not be able to step with this foot. In any case, for this the defender will have to shift the weight to the other foot - and even if he is very fast, these fractions of a second will be enough for you to beat him.
Yes, this technique will not work every time. Yes, you will not beat the defender with 100% probability. But by using this trick, you can buy time and create space. Another "trick" - step as close as possible to his supporting leg: even if he reacts very quickly, he will most likely break the rules.
How to defend yourself against such a technique?
No matter how interesting and promising the above trick looks, there is a defense against it and it is quite simple.
First method: block the attacker's strong side from the passage, positioning yourself at almost a 90 degree angle to it.
Either close your weak side (let the player go to your strong side, or to the side where there is a safety net). This is a budget way. You save energy, but still give the attacking player more freedom of action.
The second way is to do hellish footwork. I won't tell you too much, it's better to look at the video, as Andre Iguudala shows in the video for Nike:
See the topic: Nike Signature Moves Part 1
where is your body weight now. Of the minuses - an unprepared player after 2-3 such defenses will “sit down” very much and become slow in defense.
The third option - get as close as possible to the player, even in the process of receiving the ball. Thus, the attacker will not have much time to think: on which leg is your weight concentrated, where to stagger you, etc.
Small conclusions
- The method described above is suitable for a measured pace of the game, even more so for a streetball match in which there are no quick breaks and the probability of an effective 1v1 beat is much greater.
- The method described above is not a panacea, but simply one of the ways to use the laws of physics and the lack of experience of the defending player.
- This method is difficult to use in its pure form if you are far from the basket (1-2 meters from the three-point line) or if the defender is very active.
- Defending against such a technique is quite simple, the main thing is to understand that the opponent is going to use it (most often, he looks at your feet).
And this concludes the article, I wish you successful training, success in both attacking and defensive actions and I look forward to seeing you on the pages of this site.
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Maxim Gordienko
Playing defense in basketball
Hello, dear visitors of the site basketball-training.org.ua ! Today I want to share with you my observations and conclusions, obtained as a result of the improve your defense game .
It so happened that the first few years of playing basketball (mostly on the street courts) my defense game consisted of constantly trying 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 at least somehow talked about the development of the defensive skills of a basketball player was a three-minute performance of by Bruce Bowen in 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: Defending against the dribbler.
Assume that previous attempts to get possession of the ball failed and the opponent began 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 (turn), 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, 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.
