What defensive "musts" keep coaches awake at night? Oblige that insomnia. Here are five:
1. Ball containment
2. Pick-and-roll
3. Long closeouts
4. Transition
5. Basket cuts
How can we satisfy our need for sleep?
Containing the ball starts with a stopper mentality.
- Defense begins with ball pressure and containment.
- No direct drives.
- Each coach decides whether to force weak hand.
Pick-and-roll.
- Get everyone on the same page.
- Teach and excel at what you know, e.g. show (fake trap), drop, or trap coverage
- Work the coverage and trust the protection
Long closeouts.
- Limit long closeouts with better ball pressure to make skip passes and ball reversal harder.
- Get more athletic (offseason training)
Transition.
- Assign 2 or 3 to the glass
- Beat opponent to half-court, fully engaged
- Stop the ball, protect the basket.
Limit basket cuts.
- Jump to the ball to stop front cuts.
- Teach your preferred technique to deny back cuts.
Lagniappe. Improvement of the game goes through individual improvement.
