D-Fence section 3

You've heard the expression "there's more than one way to skin a cat." Well that definitely applies to playing defense. Because there is definitely more than one way to stop the opposing team's offense. You can play man-to-man, you can use a zone, you can press. Here at D-Fence, we'll lay out for you different defensive strategies, drills for how to have your team work on them, and tips on how to play the stingiest defense you can muster.

MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

1. If the player you are guarding is faster than you, play about an arm-and-a-half distance away.
2. If the player you are guarding is slower than you, then you can stay just an arm’s length away.
3. The closer to the basket your player is, the closer you should guard them.
4. When you are defending a player on the strong side (the side of the court the ball is on), play closer to your player.
5. When your player is on the weak side (the opposite side of the court the ball is on), play three arm lengths from your player.
6. See your player and the ball at the same time. Create a triangle with your arms pointing to the ball and your player, seeing both. This is the ball, me, player principle.

BENEFITS OF MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE

1. You can force the other team to take bad shots and to make bad passes.
* Man-to-man defensive pressure may force the opposing team to turn the ball over more.
2. You will be in better position to box out your player and rebound the ball.
3. You will be ensured that good shooters will be covered and will not be left open to shoot, as is more likely in a zone.
4. Man-to-man defense will allow you to speed up a game.
* With this pressure you can force the opposing team to hurry through their offensive sets, cause turnovers and rush their style of play. This can lead to unorganized and confused players.
* This can be an advantage to your team if you have a team that plays at a faster pace, pressures the ball to cause turnovers, and run a fastbreak well.

Here is a defensive drill that works on your man-to-man defensive skills.

Corner Denial

  • This is a two-person half court drill.
  • The coach starts with the ball at the top of the key on the same side of the court as the players.
  • Player 1 starts on the block.
  • The defender, X, starts on the passing line and up the passing line. (see diagram)
  • Player 1 will try to get open, as X defends Player 1 out to the 3-point line.
  • It is X’s job to prevent Player 1 from catching the ball inside the 3-point line.
  • If Player 1 cuts backdoor to get open, X will defend her cut down to the block.
  • If Player 1 does get the ball X must force her out of the middle and down to the corner of the court.
  • Once Player 1 gets the ball they will play one-on-one from the wing.
  • X has to get a stop in order to rotate off the court.
  • The rotation is as follows: offense to defense, defense off, and a new player steps in on offense.
  • Do this drill for 5 minutes on both sides of the floor. Make sure that all players get into the rotation of the drill.

    Coming Next Time: zone defense!