GENERAL: EVERYBODY
THIS DEFENSE DOES NOT WORK WITHOUT BALL PRESSURE.
THIS DEFENSE DOES NOT WORK WITH BLOW-BYS.
THE KEY IS PRESSURING THE BALL WHILE KEEPING IT IN FRONT.
Pressure the ball handler while protecting against the drive. Stick and move, pop back, and measure to maintain that balance.
ANTICIPATE THE PASS. GO GET IT. IF YOU DON’T GET IT, DIG UP ON THE CATCH.
CHECK YOUR MIRRORS: Take quick glances to find the players around you.
HEAD ON A SWIVEL: Keep checking the ball and your assignment.
DON’T BALL WATCH: See the players, not just the ball.
BE PARANOID: Expect the cut, the skip, and the next scoring threat.
GO GET IT: Attack the pass in the air. Don’t wait for the catch. Don’t let “don’t gamble” turn into “don’t try for the steal.”
DIG UP ON THE CATCH: If you can’t steal the pass, dig up at the ball as it arrives. Don’t swipe down across the receiver’s hands. Pop back and contain.
ANTICIPATE: Read the next pass, cut, drive, or post arrival before it happens.
WORK EARLY: Move on the first cue. Get into position before the catch.
EXPECT A TURNOVER: Expect our pressure and denial to force a mistake. Be ready to take the ball.
NO BLOW-BY: Keep the ball in front. Make the driver change direction.
PLAY WITH YOUR FEET: We teach from the ground up. Get your feet to the right location, facing the right direction. Denial, help, fronting, anticipation, and weak-side coverage all depend on your feet. Reaching does not replace getting there.
ALWAYS IN YOUR STANCE: Stay low and ready to move, on and off the ball.
HANDS UP: Keep active hands in passing lanes and ready to contest.
SPRINT ROTATIONS: Sprint to your next assignment. Sprint out and sprint back.
ONE DIG: On every guard closeout, dig up once at the ball on the catch, then pop back and contain.
DO YOUR JOB: Cover your assignment. Leaving it to do somebody else’s gives up the next scoring opportunity.
NO POST ENTRIES: Take away the high- and low-post passes.
NO DUMP-OFFS: Don’t abandon the block to become an extra help defender.
NO DOUBLES: B-Guard stops the drive. Other defenders jab and melt into their passing lanes.
NO OVER-ROTATION: Get to your assignment without leaving another job uncovered.
RUN THEM OFF THE LINE: Close out to take away the catch-and-shoot three.
FORCE CONTESTED MID-RANGE: Cut off drives and make them shoot over a defender in the mid-range.
NO FOULS: Contest with position and hands up. Make them shoot over you.
A-Guard: The guard pressuring the ball
- Attack: Apply consistent ball pressure. Get the ball handler’s head down and disrupt the offense.
- Alpha dog: Take ownership of the ball. Pressure him and contain him.
- Hard closeout: Get to the catch and run him off the line while protecting against the drive.
- Dig and pop: Dig up once at the ball on the catch and physically pop your feet back. Digging, tracing, and popping back overlap.
- Trace: Track the ball with your hand as you pop back.
- Measure: Extend your tracing hand. If you can touch his body, you’re too close. Stay ready on your feet, not on your heels.
- Stick and move: Crowd him, then give him space. Keep changing the distance so he’s occupied with you instead of running the offense.
- Driving line: Keep your body in the path of the drive. Don’t side-defend and give him a runway.
- Check-mark closeout: Get into the driving line, then get to the ball. An immediate shot may require getting straight to the contest.
- No middle to the nail: Protect against the middle drive without leaving the driving line.
- No baseline: Take away the baseline drive without giving him a free path elsewhere.
- Turn him: Make him change direction. Give him one dribble that way, then turn him again.
- A-Guard/B-Guard exchange: If you get beat, B-Guard takes the driver. You release into B-Guard’s old responsibility. Don’t chase into a double.
- Fight for B-Guard: When another guard takes the ball, the other two move toward the backup position. First there becomes B-Guard; the other becomes C-Guard.
- Corner pass: When the forward takes the ball in the corner, deny the return pass to the wing.
B-Guard: The guard backing up A-Guard
- Backup: Have A-Guard’s back while denying the post pass.
- Bump cutter: Bump cutters through your area. Listen for the weak-side forward calling a high cut.
- High-post denial: With the ball on the wing or higher, take away the high-post entry. If the post is empty, you can move closer to the driving line.
- Low-post denial: With the ball in the corner, take away the low-post entry.
- Long-trap denial: Face the ball, head on a swivel, hands up. Don’t turn your back and point a thumb down like typical man denial.
- Jumping-jack denial: Use active arms and jumping-jack movement to discourage the pass.
- Deny the quick touch: Fly into the passing lane before the post can receive the quick entry.
- Post up like you’re on offense: After denying the quick touch, hold your post-denial position with your body and feet.
- Stop the drive: You are the only defender assigned to come over and help on drives. Get your feet all the way into the driving line and stop the advance. He is your man now. Nobody else is coming to rescue you. Don’t escort him toward the rim or reach from the side.
- A-Guard/B-Guard exchange: Take the driver; beaten A-Guard takes your old job.
- Anticipate the pass across the court: Leave post denial and close out while the pass travels. Become the new A-Guard.
- Double drop: On the corner pass, drop to deny the low post while C-Guard drops to deny the high post.
C-Guard: The guard denying the next perimeter pass
- Create chaos: Disrupt the offense by taking away the next obvious guard pass.
- Cause problems: Make the ball handler find another option instead of swinging the ball freely.
- Fight for B-Guard: If your teammate gets to the backup position first, fly into your C-Guard assignment.
- Ball at the top: C-Guard can deny either wing to get the play started. Ball is not allowed at the top. Get it out of the middle.
- Deny the reversal: Take away the pass back toward the top. Adjust when the receiver moves.
- Keep it on one side: Once the ball reaches a side, prevent the easy reversal. Make them throw the skip.
- Long-trap denial: Face the ball, head on a swivel, hands up. Stay in the passing lane without turning your back to the ball.
- Jumping-jack denial: Use active arms and jumping-jack movement to discourage the pass.
- See the back cut: Keep enough room to see and respond when the receiver cuts behind you.
- Hunt the return pass: After a skip, anticipate the next pass toward the top and attack that passing lane.
- Double drop: On the corner pass, drop to deny the high post while B-Guard takes the low post.
- Deny the quick touch: Get into the post passing lane first, then post up like you’re on offense.
- Jab and melt: When showing at a driver, jab briefly to interrupt him, then immediately melt into your passing lane with at least an arm in it. B-Guard owns the drive. Don’t become a second help defender. If you accidentally double-help, melt back immediately. Showing the jab can make the driver pass; recovering into denial can produce the steal.
- No guards on the weak side: All three guards work on the ball side. The weak-side forward owns the other half.
Strong-Side Forward: The forward on the ball side
- R and L: Know your assigned side and block, including in transition. Your side stays the same; your job changes with the ball.
- Front the post: Put your feet and body between the post player and the ball. Take away the entry.
- Anticipate the corner: Stay ready to release to the corner pass.
- Jab and melt: Show a quick jab at the ball handler, then melt back into your passing lane with at least an arm in it. Don’t jab and stand or just return to a floor spot. Recover into denial.
- No double-help: B-Guard stops the driver. If you accidentally become a second helper, melt back immediately before they use the scoring opportunity you left.
- Protect the dump-off: Stay responsible for the post even when the drive goes outside. B-Guard must move all the way over to stop it.
- Banana closeout: Take away baseline first when closing to the corner.
- Bottom foot up: Get the foot closest to the baseline up to prevent the baseline drive.
- Corner pass: close out and stay: You own the ball in the corner. Run him off the line and contain him.
- Long trap: Pressure the corner ball while the guards deny the exits. It is not a double team.
- Wall and block: Wall up with hands high and make the player shoot over you without fouling. As soon as the shooter lands, turn and block him out. “Block” means block out, not chase a blocked shot. Finish the contest by keeping him from the rebound.
Weak-Side Forward: The forward guarding the other half
- Four ball side, one weak side: You are the one defender responsible for the other half of the court.
- Ride the block: Straddle your block with one foot on either side. Your foot location determines whether you’re covering your job.
- Butt to the baseline: Keep your butt directly toward the baseline and your arms wide, parallel with it. See your whole half without turning your whole body toward the ball.
- See your whole half: Watch the cutters, post player, and receivers on your side. Talk to your teammates.
- No ball-side help: Don’t drift into the middle to rescue the ball-side defense. B-Guard owns drive help.
- Sit on top: Don’t leave the offensive player inside you with an open diagonal passing lane to the rim. Don’t fight all the way around inside and let him seal you in.
- Push him down: Keep him down toward the baseline, with your butt still facing the baseline and your arms wide.
- Easy release: From the top, release and fly to the corner on the skip. SIT ON TOP. PUSH HIM DOWN. EASY RELEASE.
- Bump cutters: See the cut on its first step, bump it, then return to your job.
- Call the high cutter: Tell B-Guard to bump a cut too high for you to reach.
- Anticipate the skip: Read it early. Go get it while it’s in the air. If you can’t steal it, dig up on the catch.
- Skip wing three: A known vulnerability. Anticipate the pass and get out to discourage the shot.
- Show and recover: On a wing or slot skip, show to discourage the three, then plant and sprint back to the block. One quick trip out and back. ONE DIG does not apply to show and recover.
- Don’t wait for the bump: Recover immediately. B-Guard is coming through the driving line to take the ball.
- Corner pass: close out and stay: A pass to your corner requires a full closeout. You become the strong-side forward.
- Volleyball-spike it out of the paint: Attack an over-the-top post pass and knock it decisively out of the paint. No steal gamble or soft tips that leave the ball up for grabs.
- Live to fight another battle: Clear that post pass out of the paint and reset the defense.
- Wall and block: When contesting a shot, wall up without fouling, then turn and block out as soon as the shooter lands.