Basketball Defense Tips and Tricks

Basketball defense isn't just about having quickness and good skills; it actually requires an immense effort and a lot of brain power to study your opponents. To play defense well, you need to have strong self-discipline and determination. Whether short or tall, lean or muscular, if you play defense with great skills and a smart brain, there will almost always be a uniform for you.

The first step of playing good basketball defense is to ask yourself these questions:

• What are your opponent's favorite shots?
• Is he right-handed or left-handed?
• What is his favorite move?
• Does he cut to the basket a lot?
• Will we need to double-team him?

The better you know your enemy, the more likely you will be able to outsmart him.

A good defensive stance allows your body to be ready to react in any of the four directions: left, right, foward or backward. You should keep your knees bent and your feet about shoulder-width apart from each other. One foot should be a bit ahead of the other.

Don't reach in and try to steal the ball. Reaching in is usually not a good way to play defense, especially if you are not yet a pro, because it can make you fall for a ball fake, put you off-balance and force your teammates to leave their players to cover yours. Just partially raise your arms in the position where you can easily grab the ball if your man fumbles it.

One of the smartest ways to contain your opponent is forcing him to dribble with his weak hand. Let's say he is a right-handed. What you have to do is put your left foot forward and close in aggressively, so you can pressure him to dribble with his left hand or change direction. Keep your head lower than your opponent's, preferably level with his chest.

How close should you be to your opponent? It depends on the situation. For example, if he is out at midcourt and quite a skillful dribbler, give him a full step or two to make it harder for him to get around you. If he's a good shooter who can make an easy shot from outside, you should play closer and force him to put the ball on the floor.

Even if you are guarding a player who doesn't have the ball, it doesn't mean you can slack off. If he is any kind of a player at all, he is certainly thinking about getting into a better spot to catch a pass. So you should try to get a head start. Try to guess where he wants to go.

In order to score, your opponent will need two things: the ball and a good position. So it's your job to keep your eye on both. If the ball is over on the right wing, for instance, your opponent probably wants to cut from the left wing into the middle. So go ahead and get one-third of the way there. Be faster than he is. Make him frustrated. Use your body to block his way. Keep the hand closest to the ball outstretched. Keep the foot closest to the ball in the path that you think a potential pass would go.

If there is more than one spot open to cut to, try to defend the spot with the better shot first. If they're both good shots, you may have to rely on your teammates to help you out.

If you think shot-blocking is the main strategy for inside defense, you're wrong and actually starting to defend a bit too late. You should know how to establish your position so that your opponent won't even be able to get the ball at all. Keep in mind; if he doesn't get the ball, he can't score. That's the gist of it.

• If the inside man is much bigger than you, you should be in front of him. Be a pain in the butt to passers. Make it as difficult as possible for them to pass.
• If the inside man is smaller than you, you can play behind him. If he is much shorter than you, you should easily be able to get by on shot blocking and distracting the shooter.
• If your opponent gets the ball in the corner, you should cover the baseline side and prevent a quick pass for an easy layup.
• Don't keep hugging your opponent and restricting his movement. He won't appreciate the love that much, and you'll be charged with a foul.

In basketball defense, containing your opponent and obstructing passes are favored more than shot blocking. When your opponent can make a shot, it means he has maneuvered his way successfully into scoring position and feels confident enough to make a shot. In other words, he has outplayed your team's defense. So try to use other strategies first and think of shot-blocking as the play of last resort. Here are some nice shot-blocking tips:

• When you block, try to deflect the ball to where your teammates can get a good rebound position.
• Your hand should go straight up, so it will look like the shooter puts the ball into your hand. Bringing your arm down to grab or hit the ball can cause a foul trouble.
• Keep both of your feet on the floor. Leaping may make you vulnerable to being faked out.
• Even if you know you can't block a shot, run at the shooter anyway with your arms up. The idea is to make him believe that you are going to block. Your presence will force him to rush his shot and increase a chance that he might miss the basket.

Some Bad Defense Tricks

NEVER try to use any of these moves.