Ahmet Dedeoğlu
06-13-2008, 12:48 AM
Two-guards back
Some teams are very proficient at the fast-break, and break every time they get the ball. To stop this team, try this defensive approach (diagram A).
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Assign two guards to stay back on defense. When the shot goes up, the three "big-men" crash the offensive boards, while two guards retreat to the mid-court line, one on each side of the center circle. The guard on the ball-side will pick up the dribbler and try to stop the ball. The other guard retreats back to the opponent's paint area to prevent the lay-up.
When the opponent gets the rebound, one of our re-bounders should try to "jam" and pressure the re-bounder in order to prevent, or slow down, the outlet pass. The other two players should sprint back on defense.
Defending the paint area.
Again, we want to prevent the easy lay-up. All players should sprint back on defense and run straight to the paint area to protect the basket. One player should stop the ball, to avoid dribble penetration. Once the fast break is stopped and the "big-men" are back in defensive position, then the defenders can move out of the paint to pick up their man assignment, or zone position.
Defending against 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 fast break attacks.
If the opponent is successful in running a fast-break, your transition defense may be confronted with a 2-on-1, or 3-on-2 situation. In these situations, your defense should be taught to first prevent the lay-up. We have a standard rule... "get as low as the lowest offensive player." This means that if the offense has a player under the basket, a defender must be down low.
If the opponent chooses to shoot the outside jumper, give it to them. It is a lower percentage shot than the lay-up, and you avoid getting a foul, and you may get the rebound, or delay the offense long enough for your teammates to arrive on defense. Often I see high school players make the mistake of coming up away from the basket and challenging the ball, only to get beaten by an easy pass to another player under the basket for a lay-up (see diagram). Again, the defender must stay back and "gap" the offensive players, that is, try to straddle and cut off the passing lanes to the easy lay-up.
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3-on-2 defense
See the diagrams below. When we have a 3-on-2 situation, we stack the two defenders as shown. The top defender should stop the ball and yell "ball, ball, ball!" The bottom defender should sprint out and take whoever gets the first pass. As the pass is made, the top defender should then immediately drop back in the paint, following the rule "get as low as the lowest offensive player". If you can make them pass a couple times and delay the break, the rest of your team should be able to sprint up the floor in time to help. We drill the 3-on-2 defense when running the 11-man or 7-man drills and the 4-on-4-on-4 drill.
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With the above strategy and understanding of transition defensive assignments, and with good team hustle, you go a long way in stopping, or slowing down the fast-break.
Some teams are very proficient at the fast-break, and break every time they get the ball. To stop this team, try this defensive approach (diagram A).
[Only Registered Users Can See Links]
Assign two guards to stay back on defense. When the shot goes up, the three "big-men" crash the offensive boards, while two guards retreat to the mid-court line, one on each side of the center circle. The guard on the ball-side will pick up the dribbler and try to stop the ball. The other guard retreats back to the opponent's paint area to prevent the lay-up.
When the opponent gets the rebound, one of our re-bounders should try to "jam" and pressure the re-bounder in order to prevent, or slow down, the outlet pass. The other two players should sprint back on defense.
Defending the paint area.
Again, we want to prevent the easy lay-up. All players should sprint back on defense and run straight to the paint area to protect the basket. One player should stop the ball, to avoid dribble penetration. Once the fast break is stopped and the "big-men" are back in defensive position, then the defenders can move out of the paint to pick up their man assignment, or zone position.
Defending against 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 fast break attacks.
If the opponent is successful in running a fast-break, your transition defense may be confronted with a 2-on-1, or 3-on-2 situation. In these situations, your defense should be taught to first prevent the lay-up. We have a standard rule... "get as low as the lowest offensive player." This means that if the offense has a player under the basket, a defender must be down low.
If the opponent chooses to shoot the outside jumper, give it to them. It is a lower percentage shot than the lay-up, and you avoid getting a foul, and you may get the rebound, or delay the offense long enough for your teammates to arrive on defense. Often I see high school players make the mistake of coming up away from the basket and challenging the ball, only to get beaten by an easy pass to another player under the basket for a lay-up (see diagram). Again, the defender must stay back and "gap" the offensive players, that is, try to straddle and cut off the passing lanes to the easy lay-up.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links]
3-on-2 defense
See the diagrams below. When we have a 3-on-2 situation, we stack the two defenders as shown. The top defender should stop the ball and yell "ball, ball, ball!" The bottom defender should sprint out and take whoever gets the first pass. As the pass is made, the top defender should then immediately drop back in the paint, following the rule "get as low as the lowest offensive player". If you can make them pass a couple times and delay the break, the rest of your team should be able to sprint up the floor in time to help. We drill the 3-on-2 defense when running the 11-man or 7-man drills and the 4-on-4-on-4 drill.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links]
With the above strategy and understanding of transition defensive assignments, and with good team hustle, you go a long way in stopping, or slowing down the fast-break.