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DEFENSE PHILOSOPHY
One of the hardest jobs undertaken, is that of convincing players that the secret to winning basketball games lies in the good defense. You must sell defense. Much of the early season time is devoted to this job.
DEFENSE Anyone can play defense but the big thing is getting the player to have the proper mental attitude. The necessary ingredients that make up this attitude are PRIDE and SELF-DISCIPLINE. To be good defensive player, the player must take pride in his work. He must be confident of his ability to contain his man, to pressure him into making mistakes, and to harass him at all times. NEVER RELAX!!! We tell the player to make the offensive man do what he wants him to do. If you let the offense do what it wants to, they will play their offense just like in practice - and it is easy to win that way. A LAZY PLAYER CANNOT PLAY DEFENSE!!! We prefer the man-to-man defense in teaching the player the fundamentals of individual defensive play. We feel this promotes strong individual pride in his defensive ability. If a player does not learn to play fundamental man-to-man defense, he will never become a complete, top-notch basketball player. However, if he learns fundamental man-to-man defense, he can easily adjust to the zone or alternative defenses later on in his career. If a player plays primarily the zone defense through his junior high playing days he will lack the individual ability in the basic one on one situation required in any of the various defenses that may be used later in his career. While we do not use a full court press at all times, we have found that it is a way to teach them the elements of pressure defense that we want the to posses. Our early emphasis on the full court press has a dual purpose. Not only do our players learn defense, but they also learn and gain experience in bring the ball up the court offensively against the presses. In teaching man-to-man defense several points must be stressed. They are basically the following: 1. STANCE: Feet comfortably spread with one foot forward and the weight slightly backward. If the right foot is back, we want the right hand down and back: If the left foot is forward, we want the left hand up and to ward the offensive man. 2. FOOTWORK: Never cross feet, slide them as a boxer’s shuffle. Don’t hop. The only time any crossing of the feet may possibly occur is in an attempt to catch up with a man we can’t overtake other wise. 3. MOVEMENT: Your first move on defense is usually backward. Give up the long shot but never let the man drive for a short shot. 4. HARASSMENT: Always keep your hands working. Don’t let them slip down. Try to distract their attention. Since the offensive player makes various maneuvers to counteract the defense, it seems logical to ma to guard against a stereotype defense. To accomplish this we should use various techniques in assuring a “guarding position”. One technique is to place the outside foot forward, forcing the opponent to the middle for trapping purposes. The other technique would be to drop the outside foot back, for forcing the opponent to the outside. Continue to Next Page
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