FIBA Man to Man Defense Clinic (Annotated)

Annotated clinic from Patrick Hunt (FIBA)...basic but important. I find players want to play off the dribbler because they FEAR getting beaten. 

• Olympic medal winners all used man-to-man defense...teach man-to-man if you want to develop good zone. Contain.
• Keep the ball in front of you (ultimate simplicity)
• Distill to the essence. "Doing words"
• Stance, balance, "nose behind the toes" (Balance check)
• Hand position - dig hand and deflection hand
• Footwork - must move correct foot first (intuitive?)
• Head position - stability not rocking
• 15:03 Defending crossover - swing step/drop step and hand position change
• (I think it is important to teach 'hip turn' (NFL cornerback) because ball pressure will also get beaten by top guards - Coach reviews this later)
• 17:30 "Be down" (a.k.a. 'shoulders game' - low man wins)
• "Slide-run-slide" 
• 24:35 DRILL. "Gateway drill" = paint denial from half court. Initially takes hands out of the drill. Initially WITHOUT the ball. Then adding hand movement but still no basketball. "Defensive spacing" - favors initially one meter. Then adds ball...no spin dribbles allowed. 3 move limit for offensive player. 
• 37:00 Closeouts. Most difficult skill. 3 player drill. 2 wings, defender in key. Coach on top. "1000 pushups." "Most popular move off closeout is crossover." High hands then "lock down" to limit the crossover. 
• "Deny from the ball side, help on the help side." 
• 46:10 "Ball pressure buys time for defense." 
• 2nd Peg chest pass to wing and closeout (1 on 1)
• Drill Modified: 2 wings, coach on top, defense tandem; skip pass into play.
• 53:35 3 on 3 closeout DRILL across (live play)...baseline and foul line/extended wings
• Full court defense. Turning in the back court, channelling (forcing) in the forecourt. No middle.
• Uses "part-whole" method. 
• "Line of the ball concept" reiterated...2-on-2 
• 1:07:00 Teaches "run and switch" (run and jump) out of the turn (advanced concepts) from the side.
• Core elements in his system: contain, trap, run-and-switch
• 1:12:45 1/3 (from player) 2/3 from ball when on 'split line (bisecting line)
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