Home »
Misc »
How to guard the post in basketball
How to guard the post in basketball
Basketball Post Player
Home>Sports>Basketball>Basketball Positions
PreviousNext
A post player in basketball is a nickname for a player on the team that likes to post up. A post up is when an offensive player puts their back to the basket and tries to use their positioning and strength to score. They attempt to back their way through the defender. A post player in most cases are the larger players on the team, typically the power forward and center positions.
Table of Contents
- Roles and Responsibilities
- What Makes a Good Post Player
- Famous Post Players
Roles and Responsibilities
A post player spends most of their time in the paint (close to the basket) scoring baskets on offense and protecting the rim on defense. On offense they utilize their size and strength to muscle their way into to paint and finish with a post move.
Post Move
A post move is a single or series of fakes to fool the defense.![]()
A popular example of a post move is the Dream Shake, popularized by 90’s star Hakeem Olajuwon. The move involves two seperate pump fakes followed by pivots.
Defense
Post players must also be able to play defense on the opposing team’s post players. What that involves is not allowing them to enter the paint. They contest shots from the other team and try to block the ball.
What Makes a Good Post Player
There is no such thing as the right answer for what makes the best post player. There are countless combinations of skills and tactics that can shape any one hooper into a good post player. In general though, a good post player on offense must be able to create their own space and stand in what is known as a dangerous position. Good post defenders tend to have long arms for blocking shots as well as a high basketball iq for grabbing rebounds.
Famous Post Players
As the sport of basketball has evolved post players have become less and less relevant.
In the modern game there is a greater emphasis on three point shooting, spacing, and pace. None of which the traditional post players are capable of providing for a team. They have been replaced with athletic centers and forwards who are capable of shooting long range shots. That being said, the game has had periods where post players have been the focus of the offensive attack, especially in the 1990’s, a decade when a lot of great “big men” played.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon is known for his footwork, revolutionizing the position in that area. He helped usher in the fad of players utilizing post moves to assist them in being a primary source of offense for their team.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal was massive, 7’1” and 325 pounds to be exact. He terrorized defenses with massive dunks, disrespectful blocks, and several backboards broken.
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard is a center who starred on The Orlando Magic in the late 2000’s using his strength and size.
Howard is a victim of the modern NBA changing and moving away from post players, and in the past few years has bounced around from team to team. He is considered to be the last dominant traditional big man in The NBA.
PreviousNext
Pages Related to Basketball Post Player
- Basketball Offensive Player
- Basketball Shooting Guard
- Basketball Shooting Guard Vs. Small Forward
- Basketball Player Positions
- Basketball Point Guard
- Basketball Screener
PreviousNext
Basic Post Defense - MY BASKETBALL TEACHER
Spread the love
The first point I should make with post defense is that there are a number of strategies than can be deployed, for the purposes of this post I am going to discuss basic post defense. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, and are dependant on the players executing the strategy so while basic post defense principles are the norm, that does not mean that are flawless. With that said let’s look at what basic post defense is.
The first point that needs to be recognized is that post play differs from guard play because it is fundamentally quarter-court defense, meaning it only happens behind the three point line. It can happen in a full court situation (for example when the first post down the floor on offense runs to the front of the rim to get a quick, early post up opportunity) but more commonly happens in a set offense in the quarter court. This seems obvious but it is worth noting because it defines where we begin as a defender. Post defense always begins as off-the-ball defense. The player posting up does not start with the ball and therefore must have the ball passed to him or her. This means that the player defending a posting up player has to decide on where to be before the offensive player catches the ball. In basic post defense this usually means being in a “3/4 Front”. A three-quarter front means that the defender is straddling the offensive player’s top foot (the one closest to center court and the middle of the floor) so that if you drew a line between the defender’s feet and a line between the offensive player’s feet, the two lines would form a “T” shape.
With the defender’s feet in place, the defender must then raise their outside arm (the one furthest away from the basket) and extend it out in front of the offensive player. With the opposite arm, the defender is going to use an arm bar to hold the offensive player in position and away from the basket.
The purpose of this positioning is simple. The post defender wants to make it as difficult as possible for the offensive player to catch the ball. It is much easier to defend a player without the ball than it is to defend a player with the ball so our goal before a post player catches the ball is to not allow him/her to catch the ball. The arm bar has a purpose as well. The arm bar is not meant to move the offensive player. To do so would be a foul. The arm bar is meant to keep the offensive player from getting better position (closer to the hoop) and thus lowering their shooting percentage. The further away from the hoop a player is, the lower their shooting percentage becomes, which obviously helps to achieve the goal of the defense.
If the offensive player is having a hard time getting the ball because of the defensive player’s positioning, the most likely thing to happen is that he/she will then move to a new spot (most likely further away from the hoop and closer to the passer) in order to receive the pass. If the offensive player does this the defender has done his/her most basic job – to make it more difficult for the offensive player to score.
In the event that the post player is able to receive the pass, the defender must immediately reposition him/herself so that they are between the offensive player and the hoop. In a traditional 3/4 front position, if the offensive player catches the ball he/she will have a direct path to the rim if the defensive player does not reposition him/herself. When the offensive player catches the ball, the defensive player must reposition to keep the post player in front but may still use the arm bar to hold their ground and keep the offensive player from gaining more ground and getting a closer and higher percentage shot.
What must be kept in mind in developing this technique however, is that the defensive player can not extend their arm bar away from his/her own body. If this is done they risk being called for a foul. What should also be of note, is that the defensive player can not put an open hand, and especially two open hands on the player with the ball. These too, will most likely result in a foul being called.
By adhering to basic post defense fundamentals, a post defender can give themselves the opportunity to give the player they are guarding a more difficult time in scoring the ball.
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”, which cannot be thrown so easily.
Stage 4: Maintenance completed.
It can be a double step and a throw, a simple throw after a stop, a jump, a pivot (reversal), a series of displays, etc. Let's take a closer look at this.
Double step. Remember: he has 2 steps to complete the attack, and you have 2 steps to hit the ball down, and then another full step to block. I recommend doing this:
- A series of small touches to the ball during a double step (as if you were playing a drum). Thus, you will not knock out the ball, but you will disorientate it accurately. Yes, and in order to keep the ball, you have to make more.
- Trying to hit the ball from below! When hitting from above, there is a very high chance that you will hit your fingers - this is a foul. But from below: few people expect such a blow, few people close the ball from below. And taking the ball up for a throw, he will receive an additional impulse, the push of the ball - throwing it as it was previously thought would not be so easy.
A little tip: after picking up the ball by the opponent, very often the ball goes down, and this is done strongly and abruptly.
Just substitute okay from below at the level of the opponent's lower back: he himself will knock the ball against your hand. This is a very cool and often unexpected trick for the opponent.
- If it was a jump stop, or just a stop, then you need to get as close as possible and raise both hands vertically up. Now you can not be afraid of a foul.
Stage 5: Jump Shot.
It's good if you jump high and sharp - then try to block at the moment when the ball leaves the thrower's hand. You can just try to brush it off at the moment when the supporting hand is no longer involved in the throw, and the ball is on the wrist. I will not talk about how to block-shot, this is a topic for a separate article.
Remember that you can block the thrower's view with your hand: just don't poke it in the eyes, just bring it closer to the thrower's face. A good way (if you have not already jumped out for a block shot, and the throw is being made) is to simulate contact with various organs of the opponent (guys, you understand what I mean).
Belly, solar plexus, groin - all this interferes with concentration at the time of the throw. Well, 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.
"Detroit" defends the championship. So far so good :: Basketball :: RBC Sport
adv.
rbc.ru
Sport
TV channel
Pro
Investments
Events
RBC+
New economy
Trends
Real estate
Sport
Style
National projects
City
Crypto
Debating Club
Research
Credit ratings
Franchises
Newspaper
Special projects St.
Petersburg
Conferences St. Petersburg
Special projects
Checking counterparties
RBC Library
Podcasts
ESG index
Politics
Economy
Business
Technology and media
Finance
RBC Company
adv.rbc.ru
adv.rbc.ru
Last year's NBA champion Detroit made it to the second round of the playoffs by beating Philadelphia 4-1 in the first round. The fifth decisive match of the series ended with a score of 88:78 in favor of the champions, although Philadelphia leader Allen Iverson gave another amazing match.
