Basketball Defense

On The Ball Defense:
One of the most important defensive concepts is the theory of keeping your body between your man and the basket. Your defensive positioning should always be between the ball and the man you are guarding. Be within an arms reach of your man, so you can put pressure on the ball. Focus on his belly button...where it goes, he will go. You can be faked out by his eyes, head and shoulder fakes. Try to make him go where he doesn´t want to go. From the middle of the court... force him to the sideline. From a wing position, force him baseline 12-15 feet away from the basket.

Defensive Slide:
The proper way to move when guarding the dribbler is to step and push off. This is accomplished by stepping sideways with the lead foot (the foot closest to the direction in which you wish to go), then pushing off with your trail foot to catch up. Always keep your feet in contact with the floor. Stay low and keep your feet wide. Make quick slides.

Stance:
The proper defensive stance is necessary in order to play good defense. On the ball, feet should be shoulder width apart, with the knees bent, and your butt down and your back straight. Your hands should be outside your knees with the palms up. You should be low(your nose to your man´s chest) in "nose-chest" position. When you are low, you can change directions more quickly, which is a key for playing great defense.

Quick Help and Early Recovery:
There is no such thing as helping too quickly. When your teammate steers the ball into the next gap, be ready to provide quick help with your rear to the ball. When you help, you must recover on line to your man as the ball is picked up.In all screening situations you must talk, provide quick help and then recover early.

Defensive Triangle:
On Defense always be able to see your man and the ball (this is when your man doesn´t have the ball). When your man is 1 pass away, you can deny the player from getting the ball. You must be in a defensive triangle position with you, the ball and your man. Flatten out the triangle, with you at the center point of the triangle. Try to get a hand in the passing lane(straight line between the ball and your man). Position your head so that you can see both with your peripheral vision. Then slide up and back with your man, keeping that triangle position.

Close Down:
This is a strategy to use when you are coming to defend a player from a distance away, such as sprinting out to your man on a skip pass after help defense . What you do is sprint half way to your player and then in a low defensive position, use shuffle steps to assume good defensive position.

Transition and Communication:
Quick, organized transition with communication by all five players is a must for a great defensive team. You must STOP THE BALL. You must sprint to the level of the ball, eliminate all cheap baskets, and make opponents go against your set defense. NO LAYUPS, NO THREES, NO FOULS, NO SECOND SHOTS

Force Baseline:
On the defensive side, force baseline because the
baseline is an excellent defender. The baseline won´t move and will always get in the way of the offensive dribbler. The backboard is also a good
defender in that the dribbler can often times get behind it. With the on-ball defender, possible off-ball help as well as the baseline and backboard, that can make one heckuva trap if the ball-handler picks up his dribble.

Cover Down:
Whenever the ball penetrates on a pass or a dribble, all players should cover down to the level of the ball and force it back out. When the ball is dribbled toward the baseline, the nearest help side defender must quickly stop the ball before it reaches the lane. If the ball is passed to the post, we keep him from dribbling by quickly covering down. When we cover down to the baseline from on top. When the ball is passed back out, all players recover to their man. USE THE CLOSEST MAN TO THE BALL RULE ON RECOVERY.

Weakside Lane Closure:
You are in your weakside defensive stance in line with the basket, pointing to your man and the ball. Weakside lane closure to how you defend a player on the weakside who cuts to the ball.What you must do as your player cuts towards the ball is to slide up into deny position, make contact with the cutter, and make him cut behind you. As he cuts behind you, you then still deny the pass into your man.

Contest All Shots:
Never allow an opponent to shoot the ball uncontested. The problem, however, with players attempting to block shots is the tendency to commit fouls. Therefore, the proper way to contest a shot is to stay on your feet facing the shooter until the shooter leaves his or her feet, then attempt to get your hand on top of the basketball. At the very least, get a hand up so it limits his vision of the basket or he has to shoot over you. While you may not block the shot, you will put the shooter under a maximum amount of pressure.

Low Post Defense-ball above the Free throw line:
if the ball is above the free throw line extended(imaginary line extending from the free throw line to the sideline), then you should deny on the high side. You should be chest to chest with the post player with your arm closest to the ball in the passing lane.

Double Down:
This is a defensive strategy that is used when a very good low post player gets the ball. When the ball is passed to the post, the perimeter (outside) player quickly will double team the post player. This will make it difficult for a good post player to make their offensive move and force them to pass the ball back out.

Low post defense-ball is below the free throw line:
If the ball is below the free throw line try to get around the post player and "Full Front". Your teammates will need to help you on any lob pass. The post player probably is not going to want you in this position, so it is a constant fight for position between the post player and defender. Be active and try to AVOID contact. The post player will have more trouble "pinning" you in a position where they can receive the ball.

Low Post Defense-he´s pushed you out:
The low post player might try to push you out after you "full front". If you get out too far you can release and get behind so that your feet are OUTSIDE of the key. Now you are between him and the basket and have him 12´-15´ away. This makes it a tough shot for the offense and you have rebounding position.