DefenseDefensive basketball teams may be considered boring at the professional level -- unless, of course, they're so defensive that they hold teams to outrageously low totals -- but defense is just as important as offense, if not more so, to a successful squad. The mindset is this: if you can't drain buckets yourself, at least you prevent the other team from doing so. Defense is a very learnable aspect of the game; in many ways, it requires less natural talent than offense, and can be acquired with the right attitude and tenacity. Here are the top five learnable skills, both tangible and intangible, to help you be a better defender. Increasing the height of your vertical jump is vitally important, and is something you can do with repetitive drills by yourself or with teammates and a coach. Start by doing toe-touch drills: stand with your feet slightly apart, then jump and pull your knees up to your chest, touching your toes with both hands before you hit the ground. Continue for thirty seconds, and rest for thirty seconds; repeat this process as many times as you can before getting too tired. There are other jumping drills that will help you improve your vertical, but this is the most critical and simple.  Communication is important in every aspect of life; basketball is no exception. Shout out exactly what you're doing as you practice with your teammates -- although giving someone a play-by-play of your actions may be irritating in any other situation, having five players call to each other consistently soon helps you build a sense of what is important to communicate and what is superfluous.  In regards to defense, communication helps when players call for the rebound or shout out who they are covering, helping their teammates to find the spots where they will be most effective and avoiding overlap.  Before you can play defense, you need to understand it. There are many types of defensive strategies: zone, man-to-man, full-court press, traps, and other styles and variations. Study professional and college games to get a sense for where players are on the court in a specific defensive scheme.  In practice, run slowly through a defense setup to become familiar with where every team member will be standing or moving. And if you're unsure about how a defensive strategy works, don't try to run it. Knowing your limits in a game-time situation can be just as important as pushing them.  Footwork is an abstract term, and it has been grafted into offensive terminology, but it is just as meaningful on defense as when the ball is being driven toward the hoop. A defensive player must be aware of where his or her body is -- not just in regards to the key, but compared to where teammates and opponents are; you don't want to run into another player and foil your defense because your footwork is clumsy. As you start new defensive drills, pay attention to where your feet are and how they move, and train them to take you where you need to go. Finally, you must cultivate the right aggressiveness when improving your defense. Since basketball is not a contact sport, there are obvious limits to how much you can touch your opponent, but you can still play with tenacity that will surprise and overwhelm your opponents. Don't be afraid to take an elbow to the face, dive for the ball, or take a charge. You may end up with bumps and bruises at the end of the day, but your attitude alone might be enough to put your opponents off their game. Playing the Box and one or Diamond and one Defensive Drills for Basketball Would you like to contribute something?The thousands of visitors who visit this site would LOVE to see what YOU have to share... Return from Defense to Best Basketball Tips |
