Category: Defense
Type: Drill
MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
Man-to-Man defense is the most commonly played defense of basketball teams across the country. It’s principles are simple. Each one of your five defenders matches up against one of the five opponents,and is assigned to guard him at all costs. Commonly, height, speed, and athleticism designate the match ups.In other words, the point guards defend each other, the centers defend each other, etc.There are always exceptions,especially as the game goes on, when foul trouble and other elements become factors. Man-to-Man defense is predicated upon aggressiveness and personal responsibility;guard your man. No excuses. Though “help defense” is im-portant, and the players must communicate with each other in helping their teammates to fight through screens and other offensive tactics, each player is responsible to stay with the player he’s been assigned to. A benefit of this defense is that it allows for an aggressive type of defensive style, where players try to force steals and other mental mistakes on the part of the offense. Teams that love to fastbreak often play aggressive man-to-man defense. The cons of this defense are simple: If players on offense can take their men off the dribble, the defense is crippled, as the offense is faced with a situation in which the numbers—i.e. offense players to defensive players—are suddenly in their favor. Not for the faint of heart; however, there is a reason the zone defense is illegal in the NBA. Man to man defense allows for a fast-paced, ex-citing brand of basketball, which is what makes the game both enjoyable to play and watch.
Submitted by: Paul Tayyar
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