Ten Thoughts About Playing Defense

Was reading some Kevin Eastman stuff last night and came across some defensive stuff to stimulate your thinking about Defensive Basketball:

• It's a "shoulders game." Defender should always make sure to keep his/her shoulders lower than the shoulders of the player he/she is guarding.

• Do you teach how to foul late in the game? Make sure you wrap both your arms above both arms of the offensive player so that he/she can never get into his/her shooting position.

• Do you have rules in regard to late game fouling? Consider only fouling a person who has their back to the basket, making sure it will never be a shooting foul.

• Do you teach your players how to talk on defense? Consider teaching them that all talk should be (1) early (as play is developing or even before it develops); (2) loud (make sure your teammates hears your talk); (3) continuous (make sure if they don't hear it the first time that you always repeat it - good rule is 3 times, e.g., LEFT-LEFT-LEFT).

• Do you detail how to switch? Consider teaching 3 steps: (1) talk it (2) touch it and (3) switch it.

• Defender must make contact with his/her man before the screen makes contact with him/her or he/she will be screened and his/her man will be able to control the cut.

• Transition Defense: Do you teach your team that in transition they are guarding the open man on the other team not their man?

• Focus on contesting shots early in the game so that you can take some of the shooter's confidence away early in that night's game.

• Do you mandate that your players get to their help spots early, making sure that the offensive player sees no open seams as soon as he/she catches it?

• Have you gotten your best player to buy into the importance of your defense? When you get that you have a chance to be special defensively...