How to play help defense in basketball

Man-to-Man Defense Guide - HoopsKing.com Instructional Basketball Company

Man-to-Man Defense is the most common defense in the game of basketball. You’ll see it used in every level of basketball from youth league all the way up to the professional leagues.

This defense involves all five defensive players on the court being assigned one opposition player who they’re responsible for defending whenever they’re on defense. Players are often matched up by position, ability, or size. At times, players will be switching or helping on defense assignments but for the most part each player is sticking to defending one player.

Learning to be a great man-to-man defender is arguably one of the most important skills for players. In this article, you will learn the strengths and weaknesses of implementing the Man-to-Man Defense along with the basic rules and positions to determine if it’s the right defensive strategy for your team.

Strengths of the Man-to-Man Defense

• Can Guard Any Offense. The beauty of the Man-to-Man Defense is it can be used to guard pretty much any offensive system. You can make your adjustments as needed but overall this defense will be ready to go.
• Forces the Offense to Make a Play. If your team buys into this defense and every position can guard then you're forcing the offense to figure out how to beat you. A team with 5 defenders on the court - all working together - is going to be HARD to beat.
• Exploits Weaknesses in Offense. In this defense you can make changes according to your opponent or to a specific player weaknesses. Player A can't shoot from the outside? Instruct their defender to sag off of them which forces them to shoot the ball.

Weaknesses of the Man-to-Man Defense

• Dribble Penetration to the Middle. The fastest way to bust a Man-to-Man Defense is to penetrate the middle of the lane. If the offense gets the ball to the middle then your defense is most likely beat. It's harder to know who should help and what the rotations are when the ball is in the middle which leads to confusion for the defense.
• Unable to hide weak defenders. In this defense, every player has to be ready guard on-ball, help off-ball, and rotate when needed which means weaker defenders may struggle. Effective offenses will find this weakness and try to exploit it.
• Difficult to Learn. For this defense to be successful, players have to learn multiple defensive positions on the court and how to quickly transition in and out of them. This can be hard to understand at first because it takes time for players to understand these positions and movements along with reading and anticipating the offense.

Man-to-Man Defense Overview

Man-to-Man Defense involves all five defensive players on the court being assigned one opposition player who they’re responsible for defending whenever they’re on defense.

The keys to a tenacious Man-to-Man Defense is a solid understanding of the rules and positions on the court. If your team recognizes what to do and not do and where each player needs to be in order for success then this defense will be able to stop any offensive game plan.

Now lets break down the rules and positions for a strong Man-to-Man Defense.

Man-to-Man Defense Rules

When it comes to teaching Man-to-Man Defense there are 5 key rules you need to enforce with your team.

1. No Middle Penetration. The first rule and most important rule is not allowing the opponent into the middle of the lane. Instead, defenders want to force their players to the sideline or baseline because it’s easier to defend and rotate. If the ball gets to the middle of the court then your defense is more likely to give up points.
2. No Ball Reversals. When the ball has been passed to one side of the floor you never want to allow it to be reversed back to the top or the opposite side. When the ball gets reversed it causes the defense to move and rotate opening up possible gaps and scoring opportunities for the offense.
3. No Full Help From One Pass Away. Players one pass away from the ball are helping in the driving lanes by taking away dribble penetration. If the offense attempts to attack the basket, the player one pass away should give a little help in order to pressure the attacker to pick up their dribble, but not fully help in case the offense tries to pass out to their offensive assignment.
4. No Front Cuts. Defenders never want the offense to get between them and the basketball. In Man-to-Man Defense, front cuts happen when the offense passes the ball to a teammate and cuts to the basket. When a pass is made, the player defending the passer must quickly jump to the basketball forcing their opponent to cut behind them. In other words, defenders must always stay between their offensive opponent and ball.
5. Move When the Ball Moves. When the basketball moves, every defensive player on the court should move and adjust their position on the court according to the ball. This rule helps your defense learn to stay alert and anticipate offensive movements to get stops and try to create turnovers.

Man-to-Man Defense Positions

There are 3 positions you can be in on the court in a Man-to-Man Defense: on-ball defense, denial defense, and help defense.

Each player understanding all of these positions is essential to a successful team defense. If any player is out of position it can lead to open driving lanes and scoring opportunities for the offense.

On-Ball Defense

The on-ball defender is responsible for guarding the basketball. Their role is to contain the ball handler and influence them towards the sideline and baseline.

It’s important for all defenders on the court to be able to contain the basketball. If the defender gets beat with the dribble then your defense could break down very quickly.

On-Ball Defenders should be crafty when guarding the ball and not reach in for a steal or turnover, but instead apply constant pressure on the ball-handler and be ready if they mishandle their dribble.

Denial Defense

Players in denial defense are one pass away from the basketball and in a denial stance to prevent any pass to their player.

A defender in denial should have one hand and one foot in the passing lane at all times, their chest should be facing their opponent, and they should be looking over their shoulder to see both the ball and their opponent.

The distance a denial player should be from their man will depend on the distance their opponent is from the basketball. A good rule to follow is: close enough to close the the distance and recover to guard your opponent if they are passed the ball.

Help Defense

Help defense is any defender two or more passes away from the ball and the last line of your Man-to-Man Defense.

A player in help defense should have one hand point to their opponent and the other hand points at the basketball. Using their peripheral vision, they should be able to see both man and ball at all times.

They have to see ball in order to know when to help and they have to see man in case their man moves and they have to recover and change defensive positions.

The position of help defense depends on where the ball is on the court and where their opponent is on the court as well. When the defender is two or more passes away, the help defense is on the split line. Help defense will be on the split line either in the low help which is close to the rim in the paint or high help which is near the free throw line.

With these two help defense positions it makes it easier for the defense to know their roles and rotations if the offense dribble penetrates.

How to Run Man-to-Man Defense

With the rules and positions in mind, it’s time to put it all together. We’ll start with positions the players should be in when the ball is in different areas of the court. Then we’ll break down what rotations must occur when there is dribble penetration or skip passes from the offense.

Top of the Key

When the ball is at the top of the key the main goal is to get it out of the middle of the court and make the offense pick a side. To achieve this, the on-ball defender starts forcing the ball-handler to the sideline as soon as they dribble the ball across half court.

Players who are one pass away do not deny the pass in this instance because you want the ball on a side which means you will let the pass be made. Whether the offense dribbles or passes to a side of the court doesn't matter.

Once the ball is on a side of the court, the defense can establish who is in denial or help defense and what their responsibilities are in that position.

Basketball on the Wing

When the ball is on the wing, you want to make sure that you don't allow the ball to be reversed back to the top of the key.

The player on pass away towards to top must be in denial position to make sure the reversal pass can't be made while the on-ball defender should be playing on the high side of the player to continue forcing them towards the sideline and baseline. The player guarding the corner should be in denial as well since they're one pass away.

Help defense will be the two defenders whose offensive players are on the opposite side of the court which means they'll have a foot on the split line. This puts them in the best position to help or recover depending on what the offense does.

Basketball in the Corner

When the basketball is passed to the corner, the most important thing is to not allow a reversal pass back to the wing.

The player on pass away must be in full denial and not allow a pass to be made back to the wing. The on-ball defender should work to contain the player in the corner and play on their high side because the ball in the corner is where you want it to stay.

With the ball in the corner, help defense will be the other three players who are more than two passes away from the ball. The lowest help defender is going to be the first line of help defense if there is dribble penetration on the baseline while the higher help defender is ready to drop down as soon as the lower help defender helps.

The last help defender is as low as possible but still in a position they can recover to their player who is at the top of the key.

Man to Man Defense Drills

Shell Drill

A great way to get better at Man-to-Man Defense is to break it down. In this video, you'll see them focusing on Ballside-Helpside.

One of the biggest rules in this defense is to not let the basketball into the middle of the lane and this drill is going to challenge your players.

Individual Drills

As much as you need to learn defense as a whole it's important for players to individually work on their defensive skills. To become a better defender you should be working on skills such as sprinting, backpedaling, and defensive slides.

Here is an excellent example of some individual defensive drills.

If you want to become a solid defender then start training with Alan Stein. He is an internationally renowned performance specialist and the owner of Stronger Team and the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the DeMatha Catholic High School basketball program.

He has over a decade's worth of valuable experience in working with high school and college All-Americans and NBA players (Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving). And now he can work with YOU! You'll become a better all-around player who can be explosive on offense and lockdown on defense.

Ready to start training? Click here.  

Learn More

The Man-to-Man Defense Guide should cover everything you need to know about this defense, but there's always room to learn more. To learn more start browsing through our vast selection of Coaching DVDs right now.

Our basketball training videos feature the best of the best. From the top coaches in high school, college, & the Pros to the best basketball trainers who teach Pro players we have them all. We have DVDs for rent by mail, downloads available for purchase and 48 hour rental, and also as DVDs. You can watch them over and over, take notes, and then rent another DVD over the same topic and very quickly your knowledge of a specific topic will reach mastery level.

Using basketball training videos as a coach can change your entire coaching style. You will see how the best coaches teach the game, how they talk to players, how they drill, and you can take their knowledge and apply it to the court right away wherever you coach.  

Jun 22, 2020 Coach Chris

Help Defense in Basketball : Basic Concepts and Examples

Table of Contents

What is help defense in basketball

Help defense, also known as help side defense, is a basketball defensive tactic, primarily used within man to man defense, in which off-ball defenders will support the on-ball defender to ultimately limit or prevent potential scoring opportunities of the offensive team.

What does help defense consist of

Help defense consists of adjacent off-ball defenders that are one pass away from the ball as well as additional off-ball defenders that are two or more passes away from the ball.

Defenders that are one pass away

If an off-ball defender is one pass away, this means that the offensive team only has to execute one pass before the ball reaches that same off-ball defender’s assignment.

For example, if an off-ball defender is near the right side wing but the ball is at the top, then that same off-ball defender is one pass away from the ball.

In other words, the offensive team only has to pass the ball one time, from the top to the right side wing, before it is in close proximity to that same off-ball defender.

Additionally, when the ball gets passed to the left side or right side of the court, off-ball defenders that are one pass away from the ball on that same side of the court could be considered strong side defenders.

Defenders that are two or more passes away

If an off-ball defender is two or more passes away, this means that the offensive team has to execute two or more passes before the ball reaches that same off-ball defender’s assignment.

As an example, if an off-ball defender is near the right side wing but the ball is on the left side wing, then that same off-ball defender is two passes away from the ball.

In other words, the offensive team has to pass the ball two times, from the left side wing to the top and then from the top to the right side wing, before it is in close proximity to that same off-ball defender.

What is the general help defense technique when the ball is one pass away

Jump to the ball

When the ball is one pass away, the help defender will initially jump to the ball as a way of limiting or preventing certain scoring options by the adjacent offensive players.

For example, if the ball is initially at the top but then, gets passed to the right side wing, this means that the defender initially guarding the player at the top is now a help defender.

Furthermore, the ball is one pass away from that help defender so that means that same defender should immediately jump to the ball on the air time of the pass to the right side wing.

By doing this, the help defender accomplishes at least two things.

No face cut

First, upon jumping to the ball, the help defender takes away the potential face cut by the player at the top.

In other words, if the player at the top decides to cut straight to the basket, that same player will have to cut behind the help defender as opposed to in front.

When that occurs, the player with the ball on the wing will have to throw the ball over the outstretched arms of the help defender if the cutting player was to receive it.

However, throwing this type of pass increases the chances of a potential turnover which is detrimental to the offensive team but beneficial for the defensive team.

No adjacent gap space

Second, after jumping to the ball, the help defender immediately plugs the gap space that is between the player on the right side wing and the player at the top.

What this essentially means is that the wing player with the ball cannot get good dribble penetration in that same gap space because the help defender is standing in that area.

In other words, if the player with the ball wants to drive to the basket, that same player can only go one direction, at least temporarily.

What are the general help defense techniques when the ball is at least two passes away

Slide toward post areas

When the ball is at least two passes away, the help defenders, near the top, the wing opposite the ball (i. e. the weak side wing), and/or the corner opposite the ball (i.e the weak side corner) should slide laterally towards the nail area, the weak side high post, and/or the weak side low post area respectively.

For example, let’s say the offensive team implements a 5 out formation which means there are five offensive players near the top, the left side and right side wings, as well as the left side and right side corners.

If that occurs and the ball gets passed to the right side wing, then the off-ball help defender guarding the left side wing (i.e. weak side wing) is two passes away from the ball.

Moreover, the off-ball help defender guarding the left side corner (i.e. weak side corner) is three passes away from the ball.

Therefore, those same help defenders should execute a lateral slide towards the left side high post elbow and the left side low post area respectively.

Furthermore, if the ball gets passed to the right side corner, then the off-ball help defender guarding the top is two passes away.

Additionally, the off-ball help defender guarding the left side wing is at least three passes away while the off-ball help defender guarding the left side corner is four passes away.

So, the help defender guarding the top should slide towards the nail area, which is at the center of the free throw line or high post area.

At the same time, the help defenders near the weak side wing and corner should slide laterally towards the left side high post elbow and left side low post area.

Slide into the lane

In certain instances, when the ball gets passed to a side of the floor, an offensive player may not occupy the low post area on that same side, such as the 5 out formation mentioned earlier.

When that occurs, an off-ball help defender, preferably one that is lower on the court, such as a weak side corner defender, can slide into the lane, also known as the paint, to protect the basket.

Furthermore, if an off-ball help defender slides into the lane to protect the basket, then an additional help defender on that same side of the court could drop back to stand in the gap between the weak side mid-post and the weak side corner.

The main purpose of standing in the weak side gap is to provide additional help defense if necessary, which is known as help the helper.

To demonstrate with the 5 out formation again, let’s say the ball gets passed to the right side wing. However, there is not an offensive player filling the low post area on that same side.

When that occurs, the help defender initially guarding the weak side corner could slide into the paint.

At the same time, the help defender initially guarding the weak side wing could drop back towards the weak side mid-post area and stand in the gap between the weak side wing and weak side corner.

What is the help the helper defensive concept

Help the helper occurs when one defender provides help, especially during dribble penetration, and then that same helping defender receives additional assistance from another help defender.

In other words, to help the helper means to give yet another layer of defensive support to work alongside the initial layer of help defense.

For example, let’s say the offensive team uses the 5 out formation once again. Afterwards, the ball gets passed to the right side wing and the offensive wing player creates dribble penetration towards the basket via a dribble move against the on-ball wing defender.

Let’s also assume the help defender near the top did not jump to the ball as well. When that occurs, a weak side help defender initially guarding the corner could slide into the lane to protect the basket and/or take a possible charge.

However, if the offensive player with the ball throws a kick pass or drift pass to the offensive player in the left side corner, the help defender that stepped into the lane most likely will not be able to recover in time.

So, this is where the defensive concept of help the helper comes into play. Essentially, the weak side help defender that was initially guarding the left side wing dropped back to the mid-post area.

By doing that, this gives that same help defender enough time to execute a defensive closeout against the offensive player in the corner.

At the same time, the defender that was initially covering the top area could provide help by switching over to the weak side wing while the help defender that was initially guarding the weak side corner could rotate to the top.

This is an example of help the helper. In a basic sense, each help defender can support the others and act as one unit by executing certain types of defensive rotations against the offensive players that are left temporarily open, specifically as a result of initial dribble penetration.

Why is help defense a useful tactic

Help defense is a useful and beneficial defensive tactic because it can mitigate the effectiveness of offensive dribble penetration and/or it can hinder basket cuts, especially by offensive players that are at least two passes away from the ball.

Mitigate the effectiveness of dribble penetration

As an example, let’s say an offensive player is in possession of the ball near the right side wing area and that same player is currently being guarded by an on-ball defender.

Afterwards, let’s also say that the offensive player with the ball is able to beat the on-ball defender with a dribble move of some sort and then create dribble penetration towards the middle of the lane.

From that point, if there are not any help side defenders, particularly near the right side high post area and/or left side low post area, then that offensive player with the ball could possibly dribble all the way to the basket and score with a layup or dunk.

On the other hand, if there is a help defender near the right side high post, then that same help defender could possibly hinder the dribble penetration, particularly after jumping to the ball.

Furthermore, even if the high post help defender does not jump to the ball to limit the initial dribble penetration, another help defender on the lower weak side, could slide into the lane to either protect the basket and/or take a charge.

Therefore, the offensive player with the ball would most likely be influenced to settle for a contested field goal attempt or possibly pass the ball to another teammate, preferably near the perimeter.

Hinder basket cuts

As another example, let’s say again that an offensive player is in possession of the ball near the right side wing and that same player is currently being guarded by an on-ball defender.

Let’s also say that a help defender, particularly near the left side corner, is not implementing proper help defense but is instead, executing unnecessary defensive pressure against the offensive corner player that is more than two passes away.

At this point, the offensive player in the left side corner could cut to the basket, receive the ball from the wing player, and score at the basket.

So, to prevent the potential cutting action, the help defender near the left side corner could get closer to the basket by sliding towards the low post area or sliding into the lane.

Afterwards, if the offensive player in the left side corner attempts to cut to the basket, that same player would have to deal with the help defender near the basket.

What are examples of help defense rotations

Example 1

This is an example of help defense when the ball is initially at the top. To begin, 2 receives the ball from 1 which triggers X1 to jump to the ball.

Therefore, if 2 attempts to create dribble penetration, particularly towards the middle, X1 is there to hinder that penetration.

Also, the help defense of X1 gives X2 enough time to get back in front to further prevent dribble penetration.

Furthermore, because the low post on the side of the ball is empty, X4 could slide into the lane while X3 drops back to the mid-post gap between the weak side wing and weak side corner.

Example 2

This is an example of help defense rotations when the ball is initially in the corner. Also, X1 begins near the nail area at the high post because the ball is two passes away.

To start 2 receives the ball from 5 and then, 2 creates dribble penetration towards the middle of the lane.

X1 attempts to mitigate the dribble penetration by stunting at the ball but it is ineffective.

Next, X4 steps into the lane to provide help defense from the weak side. As a result, 4 receives the ball via a kick pass from 2.

When that happens, X4 will probably not have enough time to recover to the weak side corner. Therefore, X3 helps the helper (i.e. X4) by executing a defensive closeout on 4.

Furthermore, X1 also helps the helper (i.e. X3) by standing in the gap between 1 and 3. Moreover, X4 fills the empty space near the center of the nail that was recently vacated by X1 while X2 recovers.

From this point, if 3 receives the ball from 4, then X1 is ready to execute a closeout. Also, if 1 receives the ball from either 4 (via a skip pass) or from 3, then X4 is ready to closeout as well.

Example 3

This is an example of help defense rotations when baseline penetration occurs from the wing with an empty strong side low post, empty strong side corner, and an offensive low post player on the weak side as well.

To begin, 2 executes a dribble move against X2 to produce dribble penetration towards the baseline. When that occurs, X5 gives help defense by stepping across the paint and just outside of the lane line near the right side low post area.

At the same time, X3 helps the helper by sinking down to the basket with the main purpose of cutting in front of the offensive low post player.

Furthermore, X4 near the strong side elbow, slides into the paint slightly below the free throw line while X1 stands in the gap between 1 and 3.

This variation of help defense is also known as a sink and fill because X3 sinks down to take away the easy drop pass to 5 near the basket while X4 fills the lane to hinder basket cuts or to execute a defensive closeout towards the perimeter if necessary.

Related : Sink and Fill – The Basketball Dictionary

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.

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.

Basketball defense | Basketball coach

Defense in basketball is the second most important factor, along with offense, which allows you to fight for victory in the match. In modern basketball, the most attention is paid just to the attack, however, the correct game in defense is a much more important success factor. There is an unspoken rule in basketball: "good offense wins the game, good defense wins the title." Today we will focus on the basic concepts of defensive tactics in basketball.

There are two main defense tactics in basketball: zone and personal. In addition, there is a combined version of protective actions, called mixed protection. Personal defense in basketball involves the individual guarding of each opposing player. When playing "personally", the task of the defender is to constantly be close to one of the attackers (it should be noted that players are sorted out at the beginning of the match, as a rule, starting from the opponent's physical characteristics and playing style). In the figure below, you can see that each attacking player (white circle) is answered by a certain defender (black square).

During the game, substitutions and permutations are possible, and, consequently, the change of guarded players. However, even before the opponent's attack begins, the defender clearly knows who he should defend against. The main task in defense is to “complicate” the life of the attacker as much as possible. A correctly occupied position will allow you to cut off the player from the transfer or perform an interception. Good footwork and movement with the opponent will not allow him to get into a comfortable place to shoot towards the basketball post. And, of course, the creation of various obstacles during the throw (including block shots) will protect the ring from an accurate throw.

Zone defense in basketball is similarly aimed at taking the ball away and preventing the opponent from making an accurate shot around the ring. Nevertheless, such a system of play in defense provides for the guardianship of each of the defenders of a certain section of the site (zone). As you can see from the diagram below, regardless of the placement of the players in the attacking group, the defenders (black squares) are always placed in the same way and defend a certain area of ​​the court.

The zone is a single well-coordinated mechanism that has a certain construction scheme, moves smoothly, depending on the position of the ball on the court. With zone defense, it is possible to establish a more organized game in defense, adapt to the physical characteristics of the attacking players, increase the likelihood of intercepting the ball, and limit the opponent's combinations. The zone is most relevant in the game against screens, however, it is vulnerable against teams with snipers who have the ability to make naked shots from the perimeter, especially from the corner of the court. In addition, personal defense is more motivating and responsible for the players, since each player is responsible for the actions of a particular opponent. The “Zone”, on the contrary, makes it possible to count on insurance from partners and getting rid of feelings of guilt and responsibility. Personal defense, among other things, is more exhausting for defenders, especially if the team preaches fast-paced basketball in attack, then there is little left for personal defense.

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