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How to play against taller players in basketball
How to Guard Taller People in Basketball | Live Healthy
By Dan Howard
Matching up with a player who is taller than you has some pros when defending far from the basket, but presents a matchup problem in the low post. You can use your quickness to crowd and take away your opponent's perimeter shot and steal the ball away if they try to dribble at you. Dealing with a taller player close to the basket is a tougher proposition, so do your best to establish proper defending position and play passing lanes to keep your opponent from catching a clean entry pass.
Perimeter Defense
Beat your opponent down the court and be prepared to defend by the time he reaches the three-point line.
Stay as close as possible to a tall, skilled shooter when you guard him near the three-point line. Actively slide your feet from side to side to stay near your opponent and minimize shot opportunities.
Chop your hand downward at the ball to slap it loose as your opponent starts a shooting motion. Stripping the ball before it reaches shoulder height is more effective than trying to block a taller player's shot.
Raise your hands straight up and position your body as close as possible to your opponent's without fouling them during a shot attempt.
Wave your hand in front of your opponent's face to disrupt his view of the basket as the shot is released. Take care not to hit your opponent in the face.
Lunge forward to slap the ball away if a taller opponent faces you and dribbles. Aim your arm swipe for the airspace a few feet above where the ball hits the court, and time your steal attempt so that you begin reaching at the moment the ball leaves his hand for the floor.
Fronting the Post
To front the post, stand between your opponent and the player with the ball. Only front the post when you have a teammate positioned to help on a pass over your head.
Turn your torso so that it's at a 45-degree angle to your opponent.
Extend your near arm into your opponent's waist and extended your other arm up into the passing lane.
Look over your shoulder at the ballhandler.
Rotate around your opponent to stay between him and the ball as it is passed or dribbled around the perimeter.
Spin back to a normal post defense stance if the ball swings to the other side of the court or if your help defender becomes busy and can't help guard against a pass over the top.
Post Defense
Make contact with your opponent as far from the basket as possible.
Lean a bent forearm into your opponent's lower back to maintain your current position.
Bend your knees and crouch down if your opponent tries to push you out of position. Pushing back at a point below your opponent's center of gravity improves your chances of maintaining defensive position.
Call for a teammate to help if your opponent gets the ball in a good position that you can't defend alone.
Rotate your body toward the basket the moment a shot goes up. Spread your arms out and thrust your bottom into your opponent to box him out. Push backward with a low center of gravity to move your opponent away from the rebound.
References
Layups Coaching Blog: Guarding a Taller Player
The Coach's Clipboard: Basketball Rebounding
Writer Bio
Dan Howard is a sports and fitness aficionado who holds a master's degree in psychology. Howard's postgraduate research on the brain and learning has appeared in several academic books and peer-reviewed psychology journals.
How to Play Against Taller Basketball Players
Basketball can be a tall task to take on if you are a small player. The better the skill level you are playing, the taller the players you will face in competition.
How do you play against taller basketball players? There are a number of different strategies that you can use to gain an advantage against your taller opponent. Using your skill, ball handling, and basketball I.Q. will go a long way in competing against your bigger competitors. Being able to make the open shot consistently when you do get an open look at the basket is important as these opportunities become much more difficult for the amount of space a taller player can gain when compared to a smaller player.
Using a variety of the tips listed below will help you score more points and play better defense on the players you come across who have the height advantage. These tips will help you outsmart your taller opponent and help you realize what you need to work on to help you at the next level.
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How to score over bigger defenders?
You may have played against players that are much taller than you playing the same position. You realize while your playing you are finding you are having to adjust to the taller players and bigger talent. Basically the better you are, the better the competition you will face, the better competition is always taller in basketball. This means you are going to have to be an excellent ball-handler and shot-creator to be able to score on taller defenders.
Smaller players need to have an advantage and that is the ability to have the ball on their hand like a string. Now that doesn’t mean you absolutely need to be able to cross players up like Kyrie Irving, but it does mean your ball handling has to be polished. The times you do get an open shot, you need to be able to make the shot with high accuracy.
Players in the NBA who are 6 feet and under are not like their taller competition, they have to stand out in a way that makes them taller than their actual height. This means they have far superior strengths in their game that stand out among other players. Usually, this is speed, ball-handling, and a consistent jumper.
How to get past taller defenders in basketball?
The truth is the smaller you are when compared to your opponents the quicker and more skilled you need to be, period. A taller player guarding you can afford to be the slowest guy on the court if he is long in stature. The player can get to where he needs to be on defense using his length to his advantage.
Having a great jab step with some fakes is necessary to be able to blow by the taller defender. In some cases it may not be enough to just get past him if he is trailing behind you ready to block your shot from behind when you attempt a layup or shot.
Taller players love to jump and block shots especially when the player they are guarding are smaller than them. This is a great opportunity to pump fake when you are in a triple threat stance to get them off their feet. Anytime time you can get them of their feet you are going to be able to get an open shot off if you follow the pump fake with a dribble towards the basket.
Speed Kills
You need to use your speed to your advantage, and not just when you are setting up on offense. You have to get the taller defender to bite, or in a bad position so you can use your speed to not just go by him but blow by him.
This can be in transition, in which you are pushing the ball down the open court. When you receive the ball on the outside and the defense is trying to recover. Taking advantage of the speed vs size mismatch at the top of the 3 point-line.
These are just a number of examples of when you can find the opportunity to score. look for these opportunities on the court, they are the same every game. Find your advantage, don’t play the game aimlessly, but actually think.
How to Finish Over Taller Defenders?
Smaller players have had this happen to them often, they are one on one with a much taller player who is meeting them at the basket. They go up for a layup, only to get the ball blocked viciously at the rim. What did this player do wrong? They didn’t finish high off the backboard.
High of the Backboard
Finishing high off the backboard is necessary against taller opponents to not get your shot blocked. Not only will you not get your shot blocked but your shot will not be altered either. When you shoot the basketball high off the backboard your giving yourself more space between you and your defender to shoot this type of shot. When shooting the basketball high with your right hand you will need to shoot it over the right corner of the layup square, this height can be between the top of the backboard and the top of the square. Somewhere in this middle is where you can aim for.
The top of the backboard is thirteen feet and the op of the white layup square on the back board is 12 and a half feet, you want to shoo the ball high when you lay it up between those two heights or more specifically between 12 feet and 12 and a half feet.
Body
You must be able to use your body well on offense, if you as a smaller player this will help create space while protecting the basketball at the same time. If you are not doing this, your at a disadvantage as the bigger players will naturally over power anyone who is weaker then them, based on instinct alone.
There will be times where you will be hip to hip with your much taller defender and the only way your going to get up a shot is to use your body to do so. The best way to do this when attempting a layup is to think of using your body to push your defender underneath the basket while your able to get the layup off. This will not only help with avoiding a block but also drawing a foul in the process. This may require hanging in the air for a brief moment or picking your dribble up deeper in the painted area.
Basketball is a physical game, and as a smaller player you need to work on being able to use your physicality to your advantage on offense while also not shying away from it on defense. Player will take one look at you and think they can power through you with ease, unless you stand your ground and play physical defense yourself.
Two Foot Floaters
The closer you get to the basket and shoot the softer the touch needs to be when you release the ball this is why players use floaters. Two foot floaters are much more controlled an much more accurate then one foot.
This is a skill anyone can develop especially smaller guards. This is crucial to add to your game in order to score when meeting taller players just before the rim. The ability to beat your defender to the spot in front of the rim and shooting a floater is a high percentage shot. Shooting a 5 to 10 foot floater will help you get 4 to 6 points a game if you can make this a go to move.
Taller players who leave their man to help when you attack the paint to shoot a floater, this will allow you to drop a pass to your big man down low. The floater is a very difficult shot to block as it is a quicker shot and is very hard to time your jump to block as a defender when the player is shooting the ball.
How to shoot over taller defenders?Pump Fake
If you are already a pretty good shooter this will immediately work to your advantage. Tall basketball players in general love to block shots, especially against their smaller opposition. Being able to shoot and a make a shot, or if the player knows you can shoot will be a big advantage to you. Whenever you do get the basketball you want to pump fake him hoping that he bites just a little bit. If so you can one-dribble pull up or get to an open spot in front of you and shoot. The pump fake especially works just after a made shot as the player thinks you want to shoot again and you do want to but only when your open.
Jab Step
Starting in your athletic stance, using the jab step is simple, when you jab step forward as if to say you want to drive, if the player moves just a little bit backwards, this will be a signal that you may return back to your athletic stance to take a shoot as the player as transferred some of his energy back to is heels. Think of the jab step as using your foot to either push the player backwards, or if the player does not go backwards you can go by him. Timing is very important!
Step Back
The step back is an advance move. I only recommend this if you have good basketball shooting mechanics. If you don’t know how to do a step back here is a video that can help.
How to guard a big man in basketball?
When we talk about big men were not just talking about height but a player that is playing in the post and you are guarding that player. This may happen due to a mismatch or switch. It is extremely important to make it difficult for the post to receive the entry pass from the wing. This can be done by going from protecting the basket to three-quarter fronting to fronting the player completely back to protecting the basket. I would do this quickly, so the entry passer has to guess where you will be. You must not allow the post to seal you, he can’t seal you if he isn’t touching you so you may need to take a step back and as he backs up with you you can front him.
When there is a mismatch let your teammates know and have the wings deny the entry pass, you can also front completely hoping weak side defense helps.
How to guard a taller player in basketball?
The advantage you have over a taller player would need to be quickness and speed in order for this to work. When playing defense you really need to be in the player’s bubble making it very difficult for this player to dribble and get a shot off over you. This will require you to be aggressive and being a pest in the process, frustrating your opponent so that he is unable to do what he would like on the court. This is called hard nosed in your face defense.
Form time to time take a charge this will also frustrate them. When you are able to shift the player from comfortable to uncomfortable they tend to do things that are not apart of their game. Such as shooting from further out, dribbling too much, and taking bad shots.
Basketball tactics
Basketball
Historical development
Rules
Material support
Judging
Technique
Tactics
Education and training
Choosing a basketball
Basketball is a game with clearly defined offensive tactics. In basketball, it is easier to successfully attack than to defend. This game is characterized by a quick transition from attack to defense, and vice versa.
Another characteristic feature is that all 5 players participate in both attack and defense. Each of the players must perform well as an attacker and defender.
A peculiar exception in attack is the center. This is usually the tallest player on the team, with excellent tactics and technique. He is always in the center of the attack near the basket, in the free throw area.
In all favorable situations, the post is passed the ball for a shot to the basket or he passes the ball to another athlete who is in a better position. Individual and group tactics of defense and attack is an important prerequisite for the collective tactics of the entire team.
Basketball: attack.
The main task is to get closer to the basket than the opponent, with or without the ball, or to take positions on the court from which it would be easy to support the collective action of the whole team. The use of feints is recommended. The ball must be passed quickly, strongly, accurately and confidently.
When catching the ball, the athlete runs towards him. Due to the fact that dribbling slows down the game, it should be used as little as possible and only in cases where it can move closer to the basket or if it is part of a certain tactical combination. There are many types of throwing the ball into the basket, which is often accompanied by deceptive movements.
Basketball: protection.
Defenders must choose a position in which they have the maximum opportunity to prevent an opponent from reaching the basket. Therefore, the defenders are constantly between the opponent and the basket, because even small miscalculations in the actions of the defenders give the opponent significant tactical advantages.
In addition, the defender must be at such a distance from the opponent that, firstly, he could not get around him and, secondly, so that the defender could prevent the opponent from making a long-range throw. The farther the opposing attacker is from the basket, the further away the defender is from him.
Due to the fact that, according to the rules, you cannot take the ball from an opponent during an attack, many attempts by defenders to intercept the ball during a pass lead to serious tactical errors. Only after a shot on the basket can you intercept the ball from the opponent, so the athletes, after an unsuccessful throw of the opponent, should make the most of the technique of fighting for the ball.
Basketball: group tactics.
Group tactics are various combinations of attack and defense. It involves a certain coordinated action between 2-3 team players. For attack, passing the ball, entering a free place, crossing, screening are typical, and for defense, a safety net or switching.
Basketball: team tactics.
Collective attack tactics have two main forms: a rush attack and a positional attack. Both forms of attack, especially the positional attack, can be played in a variety of ways.
Basketball: fast attack.
Rapid attack is used in most cases as a counter attack after the team has gained possession of the ball. Before the opponent sets up his defense (1-3 people), the players of the attacking team quickly run forward to create an advantage in strength, and complete this combination after several passes (5-6) with the help of the rest of the players with a successful shot into the basket.
Basketball: positional attack.
If the opponent managed to build a defense correctly and the swift attack was not successful, then a positional attack is used. In this case, the team tries to create a corridor in the opponent's defense with the help of innings, crossing with or without the ball, with the help of screens in order to successfully complete the attack.
Screens tie down the opponent's defense for a while if the attacker is between the basket and the opponent's defender and he has no way to prevent the player from advancing towards the basket. The preparatory phase of the attack is often repeated, because the opponent's defenders prevent the team from using favorable moments for the throw.
Basketball: collective defense tactics.
Differentiate between personal protection and zone protection.
Basketball: personal protection.
Each player "patronizes" a certain player from the opposing team. This type of protection can be carried out throughout the court or only in the free throw area (complex marking). In complex marking, the defending team's defender leaves the free throw area to prevent the opponent from making a long-range shot.
Basketball: zone protection.
Zone protection has common features with complex guarding. All team members collectively defend the free throw area in order to prevent close shots.
Each player is assigned a specific area on the court. The formation is as follows: one player each to the right and left of the free throw area at the level of the foul line. Due to the fact that passive zone defense has many negative aspects, both tactical and methodological, it is extremely rarely used in its pure form.
Basketball
Historical development
Rules
Material support
Judging
Technique
Tactics
Education and training
Choosing a basketball
Rules of Basketball
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
WE ALL LOVE TO PLAY BASKETBALL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THE RULES FOR EXACTLY?
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Everything was different back then: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Everything was different back then: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
The history of basketballs
The history of basketballs
What balls are played now and how it happened
Beginning
The rules have also changed a lot during this time. Initially, there were only 13:9 in basketball0039
The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.
The player may not run with the ball. The player must throw the ball from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.
The ball must be held with the hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.
In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is scored, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the entire game. It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.
Punching the ball is a violation of points 2 and 4, the penalty is described in point 5. commit no foul).
A point is scored if a ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a point is scored.
If the ball goes out of bounds, it must be dropped into the field by the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He shall have the power to disqualify players under rule 5.
The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other actions that the referee would normally take .
The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of 5 minutes between them.
The side with the most goals during this time period is the winner.
The most important rule change in the history of basketball was the introduction of dribbling. In the original version of the game, this was prohibited by paragraph 3 of the rules.
One of the first changes in the game and the rules was the replacement of the basket with a ring with a net. It seemed to be very inconvenient to climb after the ball every time after a hit. Around the same time, free throws, dribbling appeared, and the composition of the teams was fixed for 5 players on the court at the same time. Before that, in some matches, up to 50 people could be on the court at the same time. All this happened back in 1896-1897.
The emergence of FIBA (International Basketball Federation)
Basketball at the beginning of the 20th century became more popular and the rules in each country could be different. This was one of the reasons why FIBA appeared in 1932 year. At the first FIBA Congress, the teams were approved (5 people and 2 substitutes), and it was decided that after each goal there would be a throw-in in the center. This rule was removed after 4 years to reduce the advantage of tall players.
Over the next few years, the main changes were related to the number of personal fouls, the number of players on the bench and the introduction of a time limit for getting the ball into the opponent's half of the court.
More changes came in 1952 after the Olympic Games. The game became very boring, because the teams held the ball, having received a minimal lead in the score. Everyone understood this and searched for solutions for several years in order to save the life of basketball. At 1954 Danny Biason proposed to the NBA to limit the time for the shot to 24 seconds. At the 1956 Olympics, there was a similar rule: it was necessary to make a throw in 30 seconds. At the same time, to add equality between defense and attack, another rule familiar to us appeared: you need to start dribbling the ball before the supporting leg comes off.
Then the game became similar to the modern one from a technical point of view: dribbling, shots, a three-second zone appeared. In 1979, the NBA added a three-point line, and in 19In 1984, FIBA also added an arc.
!!! An article about the evolution of the three-point shot and interesting facts:
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
Three-pointer evolution and insane records.
Changes in the rules and basketball since 1956 have included the number of free throws, the situations in which these free throws are given, and individual and team penalties. Some rules were introduced, and a few years later they were canceled. For example, the "3 for 2" rule: if a player was fouled in the shooting phase, then if one of the first two shots was missed, he could make another free throw. This rule was later removed.
Since the 1990s there have been constant changes: the emergence of alley-ups, changes in the timing and rewriting of the rules of running, which continue to this day.
Push backward with a low center of gravity to move your opponent away from the rebound.
When shooting the basketball high with your right hand you will need to shoot it over the right corner of the layup square, this height can be between the top of the backboard and the top of the square. Somewhere in this middle is where you can aim for.
The best way to do this when attempting a layup is to think of using your body to push your defender underneath the basket while your able to get the layup off. This will not only help with avoiding a block but also drawing a foul in the process. This may require hanging in the air for a brief moment or picking your dribble up deeper in the painted area.
This is crucial to add to your game in order to score when meeting taller players just before the rim. The ability to beat your defender to the spot in front of the rim and shooting a floater is a high percentage shot. Shooting a 5 to 10 foot floater will help you get 4 to 6 points a game if you can make this a go to move.
Whenever you do get the basketball you want to pump fake him hoping that he bites just a little bit. If so you can one-dribble pull up or get to an open spot in front of you and shoot. The pump fake especially works just after a made shot as the player thinks you want to shoot again and you do want to but only when your open.
In basketball, it is easier to successfully attack than to defend. This game is characterized by a quick transition from attack to defense, and vice versa. 
The use of feints is recommended. The ball must be passed quickly, strongly, accurately and confidently. 
The farther the opposing attacker is from the basket, the further away the defender is from him. 
The preparatory phase of the attack is often repeated, because the opponent's defenders prevent the team from using favorable moments for the throw. 
Due to the fact that passive zone defense has many negative aspects, both tactical and methodological, it is extremely rarely used in its pure form. 
If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a point is scored. 
This was one of the reasons why FIBA appeared in 1932 year. At the first FIBA Congress, the teams were approved (5 people and 2 substitutes), and it was decided that after each goal there would be a throw-in in the center. This rule was removed after 4 years to reduce the advantage of tall players. 
