Defensive Strategies
Man to Man Defense
Man-to-man defence is a type of defensive tactic used in basketball, and netball, in which each player is assigned to defend and follow the movements of a single player on offence.
The advantage of the man-to-man defense is that it is more aggressive than the zone defence. It also allows a team's best defender to stay on a player who has to be guarded at all times. The disadvantage is that it allows the offensive team to run screens more effectively, and it leaves weaker or slower defenders more exposed. Defensive Zones |
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Zone defence is a type of defence, used in basketball, which is the alternative to man-to-man defence; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover. A description of a zone defence corresponds to the number of players on the front of the zone (farthest from the goal) and works its way to the back of the zone. For example, a 2-3 zone is a zone defence in which two defenders are covering areas in the top of the zone (near the top of the key) while three defenders are covering areas near the baseline.
Full Court Press
Defenses utilize the full-court press to apply pressure on the offense, dictate tempo, force turnovers, and is routinely used as a "comeback" tactic. The full-court press relies on end-to-end man defense, relying on aggressively trapping the ball and using the sideline and corners to the defense's advantage.
Well-coached teams with poised ballhandlers and great spacing usually generate easy baskets when "breaking the press." Nonetheless, successful full-court pressure remains one of the most captivating strategies in all of basketball |
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