Man-to-man Team Defense
Ten Principles to Remember
1. Post Defense Demands Contact
2. Low man wins
3. Stay between ballhandler and the basket
4. Ball—"U"—Man
5. Sag more the further your man is from the ballhandler
6. Avoid switching whenever possible
7. Take away the baseline
8. Talk…talk…talk
9. Rotate when defense gets beat
10. Box…box…box
Key Teaching Points—Man-to-man Team Defense
1. Post Defense Demands Contact--In addition to having players be physical with post players, have
all defensive players prevent cuts through the lane by creating contact. Give players permission to be
physical in the paint! It’s not only legal, but it’s good defense.
2. Low man wins—"Butt down, hands up" Ask players how sprinters start; ask them why. Being low
and balanced gives you more speed and power than if you are standing up straight. Have defensive
players overplay the strong hand to force the dribble to the weak hand.
3. Stay between ballhandler and the basket—Have defensive players key on the ballhandler’s "belly
button" in order to avoid overreaction to up-fakes, jab steps and crossovers. When a player picks up
his/her dribble, defense must smother that play. All others look to deny passes.
4. Ball—"U"—Man—Players must always know where their man and the ball are and should not lose
sight of either for more than a fraction of a second. Have beginners point to both the ball and their man
until this concept is mastered by your players.
5. Sag more the further your man is from the ballhandler—players should play off their man
according to how far the player is from the ball. Players must always be able to quickly get to their man
when he/she receives the ball. Players on the weakside (or "helpside"—the side of the court away from
the ball) should play as close to the midline (draw a line between the hoops) as possible. The goal here
is to prevent open lanes to the basket.
6. Avoid switching whenever possible—Defensive switches are inevitable, but if young players are
allowed to switch at will, they will never learn to fight through screens. Frequent switches lead to
frequent mismatches.
7. Take away the baseline—Young players tend to favor their dominant hand, but defensive players
must place their foot near the baseline on drives to stop baseline drives. Avoid putting the defensive
foot on or over the line as referees may call a defensive foul (relatively new rule).
8. Talk…talk…talk—examples
"Left" or "Right" on screens
"Help" when a defensive player is beaten
"Double" when a double team should occur
"Slide" to allow a defensive player to move between you and the offensive player
"Dead" when a player has lost his/her dribble
9. Rotate when defense gets beat—player closest to the ball must switch when the defensive player
covering the ballhandler is beaten; other players must quickly rotate to cover the switching defensive
players man (the most likely recipient of the driving player’s pass).
10. Box…box…box—once a shot is taken, all five defensive players must "put a body" on their man
before going for the rebound. The ability to determining responsibility in boxing out is a major
advantage in man-to-man defenses.