Do your kids a favor and start
with the very basic man-to-man defense. Zone defenses have no place in youth
basketball. In fact man-to-man defenses can be played six or more different
ways. Start with normal and teach it well. They can learn the others, later
on.
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Normal
- Tight
- Loose
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Turn-and-Double
-
Switching
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Run-and-Jump
Normal Man-to-Man Defense
Each defender has two duties:
- Guard the player assigned by the coach.
This is his most important responsibility and under normal conditions, he
should not expect help from teammates. When guarding a player who is
dribbling, the defender must never lunge, but must move the man away from
the advantage he, or she, seeks. The person guarding the screener should
call out any switch. Both players should be aggressive staying with the
player they have switched without retreating. In case of a mismatch where
a smaller defender must cover a taller player, a teammate should collapse
to help. The smaller player should play in front of his opponent in a
pivot position knowing he will get weak-side help from alert defensive
teammates. The players should switch back to their original opponents as
quickly as possible under safe conditions, again calling the switch.
- Cooperate with teammates. In case
of a mismatch where a smaller defender must cover a taller player, a
teammate should collapse to help. Players away from the ball should
collapse toward the screen to help
To coordinate his, or her, movement to those
of the team, each player has the following responsibilities:
- Force the opposing dribbler in a
predetermined direction.
- See both the designated opponent and
the ball.
- Be prepared to pick up opponents who
are free coming off a screen or a backdoor cut.
- Collapse to the middle to prevent easy
reception in the pivot area when you are on the weak-side of the floor.
- Be vocal.
- Get back on defense quickly.
- Be alert to double team opponents.
- Be mentally and physically alert to
avert any opponent's scoring opportunities.
- Get inside rebound position on every
shot by the opposing team.
- Help the pivot defender in the
following three ways: First, do not allow a pass into the pivot area;
second, float into this area to discourage the ball from being passed when
your opponent is on the weak side; and third, try to tie up a good pivot
player from the front by following the pass-in if the ball does get into
the pivot-player's hands.
- Know your opponent's strengths and
weaknesses and play him, or her, accordingly.
- Intercept or deflect if possible.
Here are a few diagrams to help you get
started. I can think of a hundred others, but space is limited. Surely this
will give you the idea.
 Diagram
#1a - Against a Two-Three Offense: A has possession of the
ball. A's defender is playing him, or her, close on line between A and the
basket. The corner defender, X3, guarding C is up the line
a little toward the ball, but close to C. X2, defending
against B, has dropped off a step toward the ball. Pivot defender, X4,
has taken a haf-fronting position toward the ball in guarding D. X5,
defending E, has loosened normally and moved up to prevent E
from cutting to the high post to get a pass. He is also in position to help
defend D should a pass get to the corner player, C. (Note:
all defenders away from the ball are inside their man-ball-basket triangle.)
 Diagram
#2a - The ball has been passed to A to C, the corner
player. X3 is playing C to the baseline side to
prevent a drive in that direction. X1 has moved to a position
where he, or she, is overplaying slightly toward the ball. X2
has dropped off B into the foul-lane area. X5 has
dropped off E the weak side forward into the area between the
foul lanes. X4 is fronting D in the low-post position
to prevent him from receiving an easy pass into the pivot area. (Note:
all defenders away from the ball are inside their man-ball-basket
triangle.)
 Diagram
#3a - Against a Three-Two Offensive Alignment: A has
the ball and is guarded by X1, who is up close between A
and the basket. B is guarded by X2, who has dropped
off slightly toward the ball. X3 has dropped off C. X5
has dropped off E and is a little high on him, or her, so that
he, or she, can not get good pivot position on the outer-half of the
free-throw circle. X4 has moved closer to D to prevent
a pass in or to pick him up if he cuts along the baseline without the
ball. (Note: Here is the exception to the all defenders away from
the ball are inside their man-ball-basket triangle rule for X5.)
 Diagram
#4a - The ball has been passed from A to B. X2
is guarding B between him, or her, and the basket. X1
has dropped off slightly from A. X4 has dropped off
and up on D. X5 has dropped off and up on E. X3
has dropped off and toward the ball against C. (Note: all
defenders away from the ball are inside their man-ball-basket triangle.)
 Diagram
#5a - The ball is passed to the corner player, E. X5,
guarding against E, must prevent a baseline drive. X5
has dropped off C slightly toward the ball. X2 has
dropped off a distance from B, as B is two passes from the
ball. X1 and X4 have drooped off A and
D, since A and D are so far from the ball.
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Tight Man-to-Man Defense
| This defense can be
used as a full-court, three-quarter-court, or half-court
pressure defense. Such a defense is most effective when sprung
as a surprise and used for only short periods of time. Use more
passive defenses in-between. You will find this defense to be
most effective against inexperienced teams or a team who has
poor ball-handlers. The
tight person-to-person is a great defense for a quick, small
team. Use it to move the opponents point of attack farther out
than they normally like. This defense is an excellent defense to
use when trailing, late in the game.
Defensive players play closer
than normal to their assigned opponent. They must go after him,
or her, in an aggressive manner whenever they have the ball.
When playing the dribbler force him, or her, to their weak hand,
not attempting to steal the ball. Stay in his, or her, bubble
faking and jabbing to stop the dribble.
As soon as the dribbler stops,
the defender moves up quickly getting as close to the opponent
as possible, without fouling, waving arms to block vision, and
shouting, "Dead! Dead! Dead!" The teammates, hearing this, get
into the passing lane to the person they are guarding to prevent
them from receiving an easy pass.
If the dribbler does pass off,
his defender must drop off immediately toward the basket in the
direction the pass was made.
 Diagram
#6a - Against a Two-Three Offense - A has
possession of the ball and is dribbling to the left. X1
is closer to A than normal and is attempting to force
A to the sideline in order to cut down on his, or her,
passing lanes. All other players are guarding their assigned
player closely, except X5 who has moved off toward
the ball to be in a good intercepting position and to be able to
help X4, who has fronted D, in case of a long
lob pass to the basket. X3 has overplayed C to
the ball-side to prevent C from receiving a pass. X2
has overplayed B to the ball-side to prevent B
from receiving a pass.
 Diagram
#7a - C has come back toward the ball and received a
pass from A. X3, C's defender, has
closed in on C very aggressively. X1 is
overplaying A on the ball side. X4 is still
fronting D between D and the ball. X5
has dropped down to stay between E and the ball, far
enough to help X4 in the event of a lob pass over the
head of X4. X2 has dropped off B
who is two players away from the ball, toward the position of
the ball to prevent a cut by B, and to help X1
if uses a reverse cut to the basket. Both X2 and X5
are in good positions for interceptions.
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| As the name
implies, the loose person-to-person defense is played in
a looser fashion than a normal person-to-person. in the
loose defense the players collapse preventing
penetration of the lane.
The pick-up point of this
defense is just outside the 3-point line. This is an
excellent defense to use against poor outside shooting
opponents, a good cutting team, a team that changes
direction to the basket well, or a much quicker team
than yours. It is also good for a taller team that is
playing person-to-person defense for good rebounding
strength. It places a burden on the offensive team to
score from the outside.
 Diagram
#8a - Against a Two-Three Aligned Offense -
A has the ball. X1 is on the 3-point
line, playing A. X4, playing D,
has floated off, allowing a pass reception. X5
is fronting the pivot player, E. X2
has dropped back, playing B loosely and X3,
likewise.
 Diagram
#9a - D has received a pass from A. X4
is playing on the 3-point line and on the baseline-side
of D. X1 has dropped off A and
is on the ball-side, nearer the basket. X2
has dropped farther off B and is at the foul-line
area. X3 has dropped off C and is in
the foul lane. X5 still fronts E.
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Turn and
Double Man-to-Man Defense
This is an aggressive double-teaming
half-court defense, in which the player guarding the
dribbler takes him, or her, toward the sideline. As this
is taking place the near defensive guard will cheat
toward the dribbler between the player he, or she, is
guarding and the ball.
As soon as the dribbler picks up his
dribble, his, or her, guard forces that player to pivot
back toward the mid-court line. The guard who is
cheating should sprint toward the player with the ball
as he, or she, pivots and attempts to either steal the
ball or forms a double-team with the dribbler's
defender.
Normally, a player being double-teamed
will pass in the direction the pressure comes;
therefore, the forward closest to the player who left to
make the double-team should shift into an intercepting
angle between the ball and the teammate's free offensive
player. The strong-side forward should, also, play at an
intercepting angle. The center should zone between the
two remaining offensive opponents, staying closer to the
more dangerous of the two.
If the ball is passed to a forward,
the double-team would take place between the defensive
forward and a guard. In this defense you should expect
the two guards, or a guard and a forward, will be the
double-team players, and the center in the middle area
using zone principles to protect the area near the
basket. The intercepting angles are to be played on the
offensive players nearer the ball. The fifth defender
zones the basket area as mentioned above.
If the dribbler can get the ball to a
teammate, each defender must pick up the nearest
opponent. The passer must be played by his, or her,
original defender. The double-teamer should sprint
toward the basket because the loose opponent is usually
the player farthest from the ball.
To negate the offensive opportunities
for a mismatch of a small player guarding a big player,
a switch may be necessary between the forward who has
come to pick up the opponent of the double-teaming guard
and the guard who has picked up the weak-side offensive
forward.
The best way to effect this switch is
to allow the ball to be passed back to the original
passer and have the players exchange opponents on the
pass. This will not hurt the defense because these
players are so far from the ball and the basket, and it
will allow the defensive team to adjust to this
situation and again attack in the same manner as before.
Good intercepting angles and
intelligent play by either defensive player guarding the
two offensive players closest to the ball will result in
many interceptions. Should the ball reach one of the
offensive players on the weak-side, they should have an
open shot. The defense should fake at them, allowing the
shot rather than an easy lay-up.
The turn-and-double defense is an
excellent surprise action that is most effective against
a taller team with poor ball handlers. It upsets the
opponents plan of attack and increases the tempo of the
game. Have this defense ready to use when behind in the
late stages of the game.
 Diagram
#10a - Against a Two-Three Offense - Player
B has crossed the mid-court line and X2
forces his, or her, dribble toward the sideline. X1,
guarding A, starts to cheat toward the same
sideline. X3 coordinates his movement with X1
and starts to cheat up toward A's position. E
is guarded by X5 in an intercepting position.
X4 is guarding D, the pivot player on
the weak-side in an overplay position toward the ball.
 Diagram
#11a - B has stopped his dribble after being
forced to the sideline by X2. As B
pivots back toward mid-court, X1 rushes to
double-team B with X2. X3
moved up into an intercepting position between the ball
and A. X5 overplays E toward
the ball. X4 moved to the center of the foul
lane at the lower half of the free-throw circle in a
position to defend against D, who is moving
across the foul lane, or C, who is the farthest
player from the ball.
 Diagram
#12a - B passes to E, who has faked a
cut to the basket and come back to relieve the pressure.
Immediately upon E's reception, X5
plays E strong on the baseline side to make E
pivot. X2 leaves B and attacks E
to effect the double-team. X1 overplays B
on the ball and X4 overplays D who is
at the low-post position. X3 fell back from
the position of an intercepting angle on A to the
lower half of the foul circle to discourage a lob pass
to D while still in an intercepting angle between
A and C in case of a cross-court pass.
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Switching Man-to-Man Defense
A switching man-to-man defense was
the main defense Coach Arad McCutchan used while I sat
on his bench. Coach McCutchan brought it with him from
Bosse High School in Evansville, Indiana. This was the
defense used by the Bulldogs when the racked-up two
Indiana State championships in a row during 1944 and
1945. This defense is an oldie, but a goodie.
This defense is one in which the
defensive players switch on every offensive cross,
except for the player defending the pivot. If
offensive guards are crossing laterally in the
backcourt, a jump switch is very effective. The
switching players are usually guards and forwards. If
the center must switch while defending the pivot
against a two-three offense, the center must call
the switch, otherwise, his, or her, teammates will not
expect it. If the opponents use a three out and two in,
the defenders should switch on all crosses with all
five players.
The switching defense is extremely
effective against the weave, or an offense using good
guard-to-guard or guard-to-forward screens. It confuses
the offense, as it looks like a zone defense. The
weak-side players sag toward the middle, playing their
opponents loosely.
The switching person-to-person is
excellent for a team that has one big player and four
smaller players.
 Diagram
#13a - Against a Two-Three Offense -
Offensive guards A and B exchange the ball
in the backcourt. X1, guarding A, and
X2, guarding B, move together as A
dribbles and hands off to B who is cutting
behind. X1 and X2 automatically
switch with X1 picking up B who has
began to dribble, and X2 picking up A.
X3 is playing an intercepting angle on C,
X4 defends D in the low-post on
the ball-side, and X5 has floated toward the
center and a little higher guarding the opposite corner.
If B attempts to pass under these circumstances,
there is a good opportunity to intercept this pass.
 Diagram
#14a - A passes to C, who moves out to
meet the pass. A cuts behind C and X1
moves with A. Likewise, X3 has moved
out with C. C starts his dribble and as A
and C cross X1 and X3
automatically switch, X3 defending A
and X1 picking up the dribbler
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Run and
Jump Man-to-Man Defense
I don't know who gave this defense its name;
however, the concept has been around for ages. The run-and-jump
defense is not a team's style of defense. It is really a part of
a team's overall style of defensive play.
There are as many variations of the
run-and-jump as there are coaches; however, the description
here, follows these three rules:
- It is used only against baseline drives.
- The player who initiates the run-and-jump
is a designated perimeter player who must shout, "Jump!"
- Upon hearing the shout, the defender of the
baseline driver quickly jumps to the weak-side exchanging
defensive assignments.
The run-and-jump works best if if it is
initiated by your most capable and experienced player on the
team. If a coach has a quick, smart, hardnosed perimeter player
who doesn't mind contact and really likes to draw charging
fouls, he is the logical candidate to initiate this play any
time an opponent drives no matter what his court position.
The coach don't even have to tell the team he is using the
run-and-jump. All he needs to do, is tell that player to
initiate the run-and-jump whenever he feels he can draw the
charging foul. This player, of course, must use discretion;
however, if he is a smart player, it isn't difficult to pick the
spots. If such a ploy brings about two or three charging fouls,
or turnovers, early in the game, opponents, sometimes, lose
their willingness to drive hard to the basket.
 Diagram
#15a - Baseline Drive - When B attempts to
drive the baseline, X2 tries to force B wide
as possible before B turns toward the basket. X3,
on the weak-side of the floor, sees B making this move
toward the baseline, slides farther away from defending C
in preparation to jump into position outside the lane to stop
B's drive to perhaps draw a charging foul or forcing a
turnover. (Perhaps you might wonder why X5 since he
is nearer was not chosen to initiate the run-and-jump. There are
several reasons for preferring X3 to X5 in
making the run-and-jump switch: X3 might be a better
defensive player than X5, B may not be able to
find C as easily as E along the baseline, or the
coach may want to simply vary the coverage to give the defense a
different look. Whatever the reason, X3, or any other
weak-side defender covering an offensive player along the
perimeter, is a possible choice for making the run-and-jump
switch, since the first player B will look for when the
defender comes across to stop the drive is E under the
basket.
 Diagram
#16a - I prefer the idea of having one of the guards
run-and-jump. X1, the defensive point guard, is a
prime candidate for the position of run-and-jumper. His movement
to the basket begins at a point behind B as B
faces the baseline in starting his drive. Also, when X1
steps into position to stop B's drive, B may have
a hard time finding A before a jump-ball is called. Even
if A fills B's wing position and B is able
to pass back to A, the defense has given up nothing worse
than an outside shot from the wing |
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