subject: Improving Your Defensive Basketball Skills [print this page] With so much attention being paid to the high-octane offenses of the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks over the years, it's no wonder that the younger players in the league have forgotten how to play defense. Also considering that the younger generation at home has dedicated themselves to modeling their games after players who virtually score at will, they spent no time working on their defensive skills and have no idea how to perform in a team-based environment.
As a matter of fact, most coaches at the collegiate level spend more time teaching fundamental defense to players with raw talent than anything else. More often than not, players become so focused on developing their jump shots and passing skills that they don't even know where to start when it comes to learning how to become solid defensive players.
While the first steps to becoming a solid defensive player are simple ones, it's an area that most players have problems with. For instance, learning to keep yourself in a position where you can move quickly is easily the most important attribute of a competent defender.
Players who can't run the court, usually don't play too long (just ask guys like Manute Bol and Travis Knight). However, the stance you take when you're not running is equally important.
Keeping the majority of your weight on your toes, rather than the heel of your feet will give you the opportunity to get the most out of your speed and will help you keep pace with your opponent. By never finding yourself flat on your feet, you will be able to move much easier around the court.
This will also help you if you're bigger and huskier and aren't blessed with great speed and will help you become a better player. Doing this could easily turn a plodding power forward to a competent one that can hold his own with players much quicker than him.
This also becomes even more important when the player is extremely fast, because now the chains come off and their speed is used to its maximum potential. This also becomes even more important when a team plays zone defense.
Usually a defense that is used to disguise the weaknesses of a team (usually a lack of speed), being light on your feet allows you to cover a bigger area of the court more efficiently and limits the presence of perimeter shooting that can destroy the zone. It is a great technique to develop.
Being light on your feet also allows you to draw fouls on the opposition. Think of it this way: if you're firm on your feet and constantly have all of your weight on the back of your feet, you're basically like a boulder.
You have a high center of gravity and can't be moved. However, if your weight is on your toes, when a defender bumps into you while he's on his way to the hoop, you'll fall over much easier, thus taking the charge and keeping the opposition off the scoreboard.
Another key ingredient in a competent defender is being able to "stay big," which is just simply stretching out your arms as high and wide as they can go when you're in front of an opposing player who has the ball. Doing this will allow you to tip more passes and block more shots, regardless of how tall you are, easily making you a better defender.
The only drawback of staying big is that unless you're in good physical condition, you're going to expel a ton of energy keeping your arms up for long periods of time. Many college players complain to their friends about the drills that coaches put them through, where they are forced to shuffle their feet around cones while simultaneously keeping their arms stretched out.
While it may be tedious at first, learning to become as big of an obstacle in the face of your opponent is vital to your success as a defender. It will separate you from the other players on your team that are focused on other facets of the game.
In a day and age where every team in the NBA has at least one legitimate offensive threat, playing solid defense is even more important than it used to be. Simply put, if you're contemplating a professional basketball career or just take your pick up games seriously, you need to stop your opponents from scoring in order to be successful.
