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    by admin in Basketball Drills | Comments Off on Defensive Strategies and Tactics in Basketball

    Basketball defense may not appear as exciting as offense(scoring)but it is a fact that the teams which concentrate on their defense, often find themselves in a better winning position.The more a teams defense is solid,the more it becomes harder for an opponent to convert a chance into a successful goal.There are multiple types of defensive strategies and tactics which can be used according to the demand of situation.

    Man-to-Man Defense

    Man to man is an aggressive defensive strategy.In this strategy,each defender is assigned to guard a specific offensive player and he follows him where ever he goes on the court. This strategy is effective when a team has shorter and faster players and opposition has bulky players,then faster players can take advantage of their spead and can beat opposition with their pace but in this tactic a weak defender often gets exposed.

    Zone Defense

    In zone defense,each defender guards a specfic area of the court rather than a player.There are various kinds of zone defense, generally described by a set of numbers.

    2-3 Zone Defense

    This is the most common type of zone defense.Two defensive players are placed high at free throw line and other three remain close to the basket.

    3-2 Zone Defense

    Three defenders stand above the free throw line and remaining two guard either side of basket.

    1-3-1 Zone Defense

    One defender is positioned at the top of  key,three defenders over the free throw lane and last one on the area underneath the basket.

    1-2-2 Zone Defense

    One defender stays at above the free throw line,two players either side of free throw line and other two defenders cover the area close to the basket.

    2-2-1 Zone Defense

    Two defenders are assigned to protect the free throw line,two stand just below the free throw line and last one protects the lower area of the lane.

    2-1-2 Zone Defense

    Two defenders patrol the free throw line to stop dribble penetration, one guards the lane  and remaining two  position themselves on either side of the basket.

    Zone defense is more suitable when a team has big and slow  players ,those bulky players take advantage of their height and prevent offensive players in getting through the defence.Zone defense proves ineffictive when opposition is strong in long range shooting.

    Double Teaming

    In double teaming ,two defenders are placed to guard a single offensive player(player holding the ball).The plan starts when an offensive player succeeds in getting through a defender then another defender comes up to help his teammate,both combines a double team and impede the advancement of offensive player,but in double teaming,an area remains unguarded which can cause problems for defensive team.

    Combination/ Junk Defense

    As the name suggests,it is a combination of primarily two types of defense man to man defense and zone defense,it is deployed to counter the great individual offensive players,but it does not go well against attacking teams.There are few common types of combination defense.

    Box-and-One

    In this defense,4 players play zone defence in a box,two defenders under the basket,other two on the free throw line area and the remaining one plays man to man defense against the best offensive player.This strategy is prefered to overcome a high scoring player but it is vulnarable against good passing offensive teams,as they can exploit a gap in the middle of the box where no player is positioned.

    Triangle-and-Two

    In this variation,three defenders form a triangle shape, two protect the area close to the basket,one is placed at free throw line and other two defenders play man to man defence and disrupt the play of best offensive players.Teams with better passing offensive players usually find a flaw in this defence and easily get through the defence.

    Diamond -and-One

    It is a variation in box and one defense,players  set up in diamond  pattern to play zone defense,one close to the basket,two either side of the line and one above free throw line,while the fifth one takes one  opposition player man to man .

    Pressure Defense/Full Court Press

    In this defensive tactic,a team plays zone or man to man defense on entire court to create pressure on offensive players.This defensive strategy requires a great deal of effort,speed and aggression on the part of defense,especially applied when teams are behind in scoring and want to slow down the offensive players and need to produce turnovers.This plan is effective against the teams which have poor dribblers and slow movers on court but when defensive and offensive players have equall speed,then it may back fire.

    Half Court Press

     This strategy is quite similar to full court press,defenders apply strong pressure when offensive players get the ball halfway down the court(front court).

    Amoeba Defense

    In this defense,one defender guards the area close to the basket,two  players patrol the area between basket and free throw line,one is placed at free throw line area and the remaining one is positioned high at the top of free throw line. As soon as offensive players come up the court,these defenders create hurdles in  their way and make their advancement difficult,but if defense misjudge the interception then it leaves a wide space for offense to take a shot.

    Successful defense depends heavily on the selection of strategy. There are some  points which should be remembered while selecting a defense strategy.

    Select  the strategy which suits your players the most.

    Figure out your opponents strengths and weaknesses before adobting a defense strategy.

    Do not stick to a single strategy,change your strategy acording to the situation,other wise opponent will find a way to beat your defence. Execute right strategy at right time to get right result.




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