It hit me like a ton of bricks, that what I just taught these kids was all they were really going to get before they play HS ball. Defense on a particular player typically occurs within a small area on the court, so being agile will give you an advantage. Is that wrong? But they also use 10ft baskets and our girls aren't strong enough to shoot at those high baskets with good form. It might also get you a few more victories in that rec league you coach in. When bringing the ball up against a pressing zone defense in basketball, you always want to have a player behind the ball. Speed is an essential aspect of defense. I enjoyed reading Coach Coe's commets and agree that it is important to teach every last detail. You bet.I went to as many middle school games as I could its hard to balance practice time, games, scouting and a family life along with furthering my education. Face guarding is a defensive technique used in basketball to prevent the offensive player from getting a clear view of the basket. I coach 5th 6th grade rec 70% of my 1st 10 practices are spent on man to man and help principles.The other 30% are spent on shooting form , dribbling, and ballhandling. I like Coach Sar's suggestion of using a low curl screen. So much goes into creating great basketball players, from a physical standpoint, interest in learning, fundamentals, and mental understating of the game. To me as a former high school coach - this is a place where there may be a need to put in a special set or at least to tweek the regular zone or man offense. Players can develop crucial skills for successful defense during game-time scenarios by practicing face-guarding through this drill. Since they didnt run a press offense in practice, they got destroyed and never got the chance to do much in games. A good time to work on the fundamentals is in the off season. It is always best to prevent your opponent from getting the ball so that your job will be easier. Pressuring the Player with the Ball. Pressuring the ballhandler makes passing and dribbling more difficult, and increases the chances of an offensive mistake.The defender must eliminate the "Triple Threat" (shot, pass, drive) by taking away the shot and pass options, and forcing the ball hander . The National Federation of State High School Associations first outlawed face guarding back in 1913, and it has left little room for interpretation of the rules since then. When you are guarding your weight should be on the balls of your feet and your feet should be shoulder with apart. I probably would have made that same statement 10 years ago. But I won't, winning is not the priority and should not be at this age. Saying that it takes half a season to teach m2m for a junior varsity or varsity coach is great. I would say at least 75% of the time the steals these girls are making are fouls, but in these leagues, the refs are very liberal - as they should be, but its still bad defense. If you can get them to understand how to stay between the ball and the basket when playing defense on the ball, you're doing better than most high school coaches.I don't recommend basketball for 1st and 2nd graders because they are not developed enough physcially or mentally to play the game. With an aggressive defender we tend to pivot from three oclock to 6 oclock and this allows them to take away our space and may take us out of a dangerous position. I coach 5th-6th grade rec . Agility. They are picking up on it great and do a fantastic job with help defense. We lost to them 4 points last time we played them. Youth Coaches, unlike school coaches, are not paid or trained or offered 5 practice days per week. That is their primary goal. Can You Play Basketball After Bunion Surgery? They play better team ball. It is legal in basketball as long as the defender does not make contact with the offensive players head or body. The burden totally lies squarely on the coaching of these young players. It's hard explaining to my own 7th graders why we aren't going to use a zone defense when every team we come across uses it. There are lockdown defenders that lockdown post players by blocking their shots on the block or forcing their opponents to change their shots, making it difficult for them to score. The restricted zone is a Basketball is pretty simple the team with the most points at the end of play wins. We have had everything thrown at us from junk defenses to half court to full court M2M to 2-1-2 zones. I hope the kids that play under me get the most of the things I have control of, and I positively influence the things I have influence over. You should also look for ways to draw contact against your defender; this may lead to fouls or free throws that will help add points to the board. The point guard O1 dribbles toward the wing opposite the star and passes to that wing. The defender even went to the bench when the 2G went out of the game for a break - until he realized player was leaving game. Charles, I completely agree with your just letting the kids PLAY comments. They became the first team to take a 2-0 series lead over the Warriors in the Stephen . Now comes the planning part. Credit to the other coach - smart decision - but there has to be some good way to make the defense pay. Another is to reach out with your arms and hands and block their view that way. Schools are too independent with their athletic programs. Our goal at PGC is to empower you with the tools to fulfill your basketball dreams, while also assisting you in experiencing the joy of the journey. ?Also, while bringing up the angry parents is a valid point, I think we experience that kind of issue at all levels. I agree with this --"instead they'd be a scout or recruiter. How can i become effective offensively against a box-in-one?? Practice and do what you practice. I am teaching them to move as the ball is in the air for the pass. Perimeter lockdown defenders are able to contest jump shots or block shots on the perimeter. I would have made a lot less mistakes, like playing zones with young players.As I see it, substituting is your biggest problem sit down and make a script of how and when you will sub to keep your players as fresh as you can.Think about this. with a minute or less to go in a quarter, you can sub someone and they will get at least a 2 minute break before the next quarter starts if you wait another minute, that's a 3 minute break enough to recover with I would think.There are many teams that never went more than 8 deep unless they were in foul trouble. they won''t have these same kids next year so they put in zones because they just don''t have the time to teach man and zone gives them the best chance at winning.#3 99% of the rec kids will not play highschool ball. Can You Put a Portable Basketball Hoop in the Ground? We probably don't get past half court on 50% of our possessions. How Can You Play Basketball With Flat Feet. Today I want to share something thats been troubling me for the better part of the last year or soits this new disturbing trend that could destroy youth basketball. You can read the some of the reasons why here: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/defense/age.html- I was one of those kids that just needed a chance. Bottom line, we win. That is the measure of your success as a youth basketball coach. Good outside shooting teams can beat the 1-3 and a chaser, but if the shots aren't falling, this can be an effective defense. Agile defenders are most often better than fast defenders. I created my own league and just invite other teams to play/scrimmage us at our gym. I am coaching a boys basketball team. That is not good for their development and would be a joke. Can You Put a Basketball Hoop on the Sidewalk? Before the season I sent a letter to my parents about what to expect, Fun and Fundamentals, and by the way equal playing time for all eight of my girls. I didnt care what offense they ran, as long as they had these basics, we could teach the rest. He has been a huge basketball fan for decades, watching thousands of basketball games through the years to learn the ins and outs of the game. I don't believe learning how to play zone is bad. The ball side forward should be high and wide(10-15 ft above the 3 pt line and close to the sideline), weak side forward should be at the weak side block, this forces the defense to extend back to the basket some to cover the man. We really think he was on the money with this, so we decided to post it on our blog. Maybe some coaches don't want to put in the effort. Screening for the post or another wing player cant hurt. its worth a try. The sad part is that many kids don't go out to the park any more and spend to much time inside on the computer. After the defender has established a legal guarding position without creating contact, they can now start to defend their opponents, but they cannot use their appendages to prevent him from passing. Baskets made close to the rim are considered to be a high percentage shot. Keep Away 3.2. this is really gonna be helpful when i start basketball in Dec. Love the discussion! The offensive player should attempt to move around the court and post up for open shots, while the defensive player should focus on staying in front of their opponent at all times. In addition to spending 6-7 hours on the court each day, lessons will be reinforced through classroom sessions and video analysis. Harold, when playing the junk defense, I don't even like putting my best defender as the chaser. Why Is Speed Important For A Basketball Player. Joe Haefner. And when a kid makes the left hand layup in the game your credibility as a coach and mentor just went through the roof. They are easy to understand and give you step by step instruction. John and I talked about some kids that were shooting the ball off their left eye and pushing the ball instead of good solid fundamental shooting. If your district doesn't allow your control, find a district that will or fix your district! I'm guessing other teams have watched game film and they're trying to take her out of the game. MS-Please don't put all high school coaches in one basket. As a first year coach for a 6th grade girls team, all of this discussion makes a lot of sense to me from both sides. Harden's finishing at the rim. They guarded our point guard, Lily, which is our best player and only competent ballhandler. I do understand the parents mind set but maybe you can change that pre season meetings telling them what you are trying to accomplish.. teach the the fundamentals of the game and have FUN!At the youth level the only D that should be played is m2m no pressing or trapping. My team recently displayed a weakness that i am having trouble correcting. B squad in 8th. If youre looking to improve your defensive game, then learning how to properly face-guard your opponents is a great place to start. Your man defense can be around stopping this kid and you wont have your kids questioning what they are doing. It's not about the individual schools success, isn't about player's success? If one of my teams is facing an opponent that only plays man I would game plan and prepare my players well enough to destroy your team. Many of the teams that we have played against this year use this as their primar ways of try to score ( off of quick steals and lay-ups). Agility will help players to keep up with the offense. And just for clarification, my girl was guarding the girl off the ball and not looking at the ball but just staying close to her and not letting her have the ball. DJ - That is true that a good zone has man to man defense qualities and that is exactly one of the reasons its SO important to start by teaching man to man defense first. I think they can do other activities (tag, hopscotch, flag football, soccer, obstacle courses, juggling, and so on) which would help them more athletically which will help them when they're ready to play basketball when they are older.With that being said, you can work on lots of ball handling, passing, and lay ups. To become a lockdown defender, you must do your scouting so that you can know your opponents strengths and weaknesses. No matter what type of defense youre playing, there are some basic principles that all good defenders follow: staying in front of your opponent so they cant get past you; using your body and hands to block shots and passes; boxing out so your opponent cant get rebounds, and stealing the ball when you have an opportunity. I had the great pleasure of playing for some great coaches and programs in Indiana in both High School and College. (So they can win) because if you always missed every shot you took the game would get old fast for a 10 and under. I also experienced something similar to you when I coached 5th & 6th grade boys. The Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks on the road to book a ticket to the second round. We play pretty solid man to man, and hardly ever get scored on in half-court game, mostly in transition - i.e. Using feints, misdirection passes, and quick cuts, you can put your defender off balance and create opportunities for yourself or your teammates. While guarding is legal in games, there are times where positioning makes it illegal. I have read a lot of ideas but really the plays are too complicated and don't account for the other team anticipating the pass and stealing it.thanks!! Surely you can agree that the defensive end of the basketball court is critical. However, there are rules put in place by basketball governing bodies such as USA Basketball and FIBA that aim to protect players from overly aggressive face-guarding techniques. If they cant see it, they cant catch it or steal it. Any player who arrives first without inadvertently making contact with an opponent is entitled to a spot on the playing court. Let them know they are probably going to see the box-1. Jeff,12 - 13 years oldHere are my goals (straight from my letter to the parents):1. Finally got solid playing time as a senior on the varsity team. For example, if you know your opponent is stronger when they drive to the right, cut off the right dribble and force them to go left. We get either 75 minutes or 150 minutes a week to practice. Angles. OK, thats my sermon for the day. Agile defenders are most often better than fast defenders. How Is Wheelchair Basketball Different To Normal Basketball? The players must know how to cover these.The most important aspect of defense is communication. We said that to say this, developing good basketball defense strategies is a lot harder these days than in the past, so it is unreasonable to expect a team or individual to prevent another from scoring consistently. Just do your best to power him out of the post. For the full video - go to: https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Basketball/Suffocating-Pressure-Defense_BD-06007.html?mv_source=YouTube I hope this helps! The time goes quick! Off-court training is as vital as on-court training. If the ball is entered to the high post the weak side guard backdoors the weakside.If it is open the original guard with the ball can bring it up and hit the ball side forward immediately and you would have the same thing that was after the ball was reversed.Or the point guard can hit the middle man immediatly if he is open. The basketball defense rules state that a player playing defense should not push, hold on to, charge into or impede the progress of an opponent by using their appendages or body in any abnormal way. Just last week, one of the "bottom" players scored 4 points on her birthday (to see her after that game made my season). The top 20% of each grade are selected for the elite division of our developmental program called "classics". Finding that most 1 -3 rd grad kids cannot shoot properly but they can make shots. That is probably 10 times the practice time I will have with my kids in 3 years. Here is the article:Important Lesson for Youth Basketball Coaches By Jeff Haefner Heres a guest post and very good lesson from Coach Ken Sartini. She is getting very frustrated. Coach -There are times when your talent level is down and you have to rely on some smoke and mirrors. (varstiy ball)Its not always about the smarter players, its also about who has the best players. "This is a great website. or do you want us to focus on winning games now and hinder their development in the future? Being agile means to maintain your speed and momentum while being able to quickly change direction. Dealing with players that have NOT been taught the fundamentals. Defense is one important way to keep your opponents from scoring and winning the game. Being able to break down the different key factors in personal defense and work on them will help you improve them individually and improve your overall performance, making you a Lockdown defender. I'm sure you teach solid zone principles if that is what you have been coaching for all of these years. By: Carlos Yap. Time will tell how effective the new rule is in achieving its intended objectives. We have an hour and a half twice per week. 38 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from First Baptist Church, Winnfield, Louisiana: am service 30 April 2023 One team had a pretty good center who could score from outside the paint so we had to adjust my center wasn't the greatest defender, thats why I did that, not because he was a shot blocker.Give that a try in practice and let us know how that works for you. Then you go a week or 2 with no practice3 because of snow. Is it to teach the game, or is it to win? This has thrown our team out of whack. So now I have to go back and un-do that bad muscle memory and create a new one. Are you wrong for wanting to use a zone? No kidding. I have taught the boys to play a man to man defense until this last game we tried a 2-3 defense..Fun but not the same game. Be sure to check out our article on the best basketball agility drills. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Within your offense, make a concerted effort to get the ball inside, even if you don't have an inside scorer. I preach to my girls that we need to set up a good 1/2 court offense and play solid 1/2 court defense. Keith -You have taught them m2m for four years seems to me THAT is your best defense. Have another player flash to the block. The NBA does not specifically outlaw face guarding, in theory, though if any contact is made while a defender is waving or placing the hand in front of the face of an opponent, whether they are the dribbler or not, this violates legal guarding position and a personal foul is called. We are allowed to play zone and I am teaching them how it works. This is where the problem begins now they have torque there bodies in such a way to jump twist for the ball to go in the net. defense because they are left completely vulnerable if their man, effective strategy for both offensive and defensive players in basketball. I could play my three top girls and rotate in the other 5, and most likely stop playing M2M. 6. The final game that season his team made the championship and then the PG kid who had played every minute decided to throw a tantrum and not play so now we had a team of kids who weren't allowed to dribble or shoot the ball trying to figure out how to play. The defender uses their body and arms to block the vision of the offensive player, making it difficult for them to see the ball. Essentially he played one kid the entire game and he was the only one allowed to take shots and he was the point guard so my son spent the entire season standing around playing hard on defense and rebounding but was never allowed to be in the offense. Fly past your opponent when you're quickly bringing the ball up the court. I am the assistant coach of a homeschool girls team (ages 12-18) and we are playing against a team we lost to 37-30 who played a Box-and-1 against us last time. Just let the kids play and have fun that should be the focus. All players must know who they have and what their responsibilities are. It starts by making the kids work hard enough to be able to keep the offense in front of them one on one. Knees bent, wide base, hands out, short quick steps, not crossing feet, not making long strides. Offensive players should seek opportunities to create separation from their defenders by using head fakes, jab steps, and change-of-pace dribbling. The strong side bottom defender in the box goes out to defend the ball, and the man who should rotate to the strong side block is being screened, and because there are only 4 defenders in the zone, there is less help, which should give you a lay-up. I have had the same group of boys for the last four years, as 7th graders now. My junior high team is having trouble with a team that has 4 players man-to-man, while leaving their big man standing under the basket. However, the chaser does need to be athletic enough to make it difficult for the offense to get the ball.For offense, I love to set ball screens as well with the player being chased as well. Contact to the head or face is typically ruled a flagrant foul, resulting in ejection and possible suspension for the offending player. Coach G -You might try using your center to pick/screen for your players since his defender wont be there to help, that should allow you to get the other players open You are going to have to hit a few permiter shots maybe even 8-10 feet to force him to step out and defende.Set a good screen and open up to the ball and your center will be open as well as the person you are screening for. How is that helping a beginner improve at basketball? In terms of defense we experimented with all different types our first season, before settling on M2M half court as our primary defense. My feedback would depend on the following- How old are these kids?- What are your goals and priorities?Is your goal is to win and that''s it? I am a begining coach in my second year. Coach is all about FAMILY NOT ME and screens are not part of the offense, I just feel bad that my daughter is always trying to get open and running the baseline till her tongue is hanging out. During the all-star games we will be playing other all-stars of the same grade level across the state. It's very very difficult to teach zone defense and then go to man. Ted, about the difficulties of teaching solid M2M concepts at lower levels - teach them correctly and you'll be fine. Get to the rim with ease (to create a shot for yourself or a teammate) b. You have to teach every tiny detail that is involved. Our league does not allow Zone, but does allow double team. Thanks! My other comment is that when I was a kid, in the mid 80s, we didnt even have youth b-ball. I like the simple screen on the initial set. You must eliminate all confusion. Also, if a rec program is playing a bunch of zone defense and junk that is non sense. Limit Touches The easiest way to guard a great shooter is to limit his or her touches. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most popular and successful professional sports leagues in the world, with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1946. Until this year's playoffs, there have only been five 8th seeds that have beaten the 1st . However, in a condensed middle school schedule, I teach what gives us the best opportunity to win with the personnel I have that given year. John,From a development standpoint and preparing players for high school ball, it would be best to teach M2M defense. How well would your M2M work if your team, from a size/athleticism/experience standpoint, was a random sample of your high school's population?4. http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/haefner/should-you-use-the-popular-high-ball-screen-play-for-your-youth-team/, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/defense/age.html, https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/coaching/youthdefensestory.html, https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/defense/age.html, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6463#p6463, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/should-we-teach-basketball-skills-to-kids-under-the-age-of-10/, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/coaching/dealing-with-parents.html, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/mandefense.html, http://www.positivecoach.org/uploadedFiles/Free_Tips_and_Tools/Coaches_Tools/ParentLetter.pdf, http://www.positivecoach.org/ConPics/Con79/parent_pledge.pdf, http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/coaching/teach-youth.html. 3-POINT PLAY Get a quick dose of wisdom to enhance your game and life. I''ve pressed, played zone, used the swing offense (no knock on Bo Ryan - just not for youth players), and million other things I can''t recall right now.I''ve also witnessed a team firsthand finish 4th in the AAU state tournament as 8th graders. If your opponents are able to play to their strengths, it makes your job as a defender a lot harder. In a longer season - with a longer pre-season - man-man would be much easier to go with. Work hard in the gym to be faster, stronger, and more agile. Support your team5. Although I agree that man should be the primary focus for all youth teams I also think, based on the age group you are working with, other things can be worked in to make it "fun" for your kids. Your email address will not be published. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Hoops Addict was created to help basketball fans of all ages learn more about the sport and find the best basketball gear to improve their ability to hoop. By perfecting 6 fundamental basketball moves, you'll have everything you need to explode past any defender on the court. That adds up to a grand total of about 20 hours of practice time a season. The Kings blew the Warriors out 118-99 in Game 6, dragging this heavyweight first-round series to a deciding Game 7 on Sunday afternoon back . Here are a few more details about what we do: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6463#p6463Against a 2-3 zone a gap attack could have a player at top, each wing, middle/high post, and short corner. It's a mess.You also have to realize we work with basketball coaches for a living. Over the course of those four games, Harden went 4-for-17 at the rim and 3-for-13 from the non-restricted area. I encourage coaches and parents of youth rec leagues to take it to your board or whoever dictates the rules to institute man to man defense only.Now outside of rec (AAU, School Teams, etc) employing zones may be appropriate. You may be trying to block him/keeping hands low but in 1v1 I try to keep my hand in the person's face the whole time I'm guarding so they never have a clear look at the basket in hopes it throws off their aim. Thank you for your input, James.Our youth defense discussion is on this page: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/defense/age.htmlPlease read the article and share your thoughts in the comments section. Now we play junk defensesthe reason why is for the past two years these games resembled rugby games more than basketball games. I have 7 players on the team. I face the following as a "rec" coach:1. NBA officials, as most fans know, are not in the habit of calling a foul when there is no contact to the face of the ball handler. It is very important for you to. However, we still incorporate a full court match up zone press in a 1-2-1-1 concept as well as throw in a diamond and two look against teams for a change of pace or to slow down a team with a couple of players that are hurting us. Often rule changes are made to accommodate the offense. Those teams/players are some of the best in the country and I doubt that they would be able to do all those things IF they weren't well schooled in the fundamentals of the game and how to play good m2m D! After they have established a legal guarding position, a defender can move laterally or backward towards the opposing player. In addition to knowing when to go for a steal, being disciplined also means remembering what you learned during training for all the other aspects of defense and doing them when the situation presents itself. The offensive playing will probably try to fake you out with their arms, head, eyes, or shoulder. My 12yr old son has done fine playing both types depending on the circumstance and it has given him some very good knowledge of strategies that can be employed. And we do not use it unless we need a serious adjustment to counter something we are having trouble with. 2. I want to take the ball away from teams before their bigs have an opporunity to settle down on the post and beat us up inside. we will probably face this alot this year as a 7th grader the kid averaged 20 pts a game. Teaching these other girls to become more of a threat than what they currently are. Furthermore, guards must pay attention to opponents who do not have the ball and can be called for fouls if they fail to give them enough space on the court while face-guarding. Its not rocket science Ken, just put em where they aint. Local high school has a great "horse" shooter this year. When playing man-to-man defense, make sure you do the following: Stay with your player. I am going to be coach of the all-stars. You can also utilize distracting techniques to get a shooter's attention rather than allowing him or her to focus on the upcoming shot. Eliminating zones in youth rec play starts at the top I feel. When playing basketball, face guarding is a technique used to prevent the person with the ball from seeing the court. Can drain it from anywhere inside of 25 feet. If the high school that the girl's will eventually play at, uses a zone defense of some sort, is it okay to teach and use that? Get the ball to one side of the court. It's simply better for their players in the long run. If your Jimmie and Joes are better than my Xs and Os, you will win. Improving Your Guarding in Basketball 3.1. We are fortunate and do have one league (just one) that has good rules - no press, etc. Defense is not different. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 2. If you are screening on the wing, did you tell the screener that their feet should be parallel with the sideline if we attack the middle?