As youth players, we all dreamed of hitting that winning three-pointer. That roof-raising, crowd-igniting buzzer-beater that would put us down in club history as one of the all-time greats. And, let’s face it, as we get older, we still dream of hitting that shot.
But, with age, we also realise that winning in basketball isn’t just about hitting three-pointers – you have to be able to hold off the opposition attack, too. Because, in reality, we really shouldn’t have to score a buzzer-beater to win an important matchup – it should be more comfortable than that.
With this in mind, we are going to run through some of the imperatives of improving your team’s defensive mindset as a way to create a stronger defense in general:
First, teach the importance of defense
Grab your best Adelaide 36ers basketball and get the team together. It’s time to emphasise the imperative nature of defense and why your players should consider it a top priority for winning important matchups. Reverse the old adage that “the best defense is a good offense” and make it that “the best offense is a good defense” because there is no winning any games with a weak defense.
Your defensive lineup needs the ability to handle what could be a very sharp opposition. What’s more, they need to be able to win back possession and quickly transfer the ball into an attacking position. Therefore, the first thing to do to improve your team’s defense is to instill an awareness of its importance.
Establish your defensive setup
Once your team understands the importance of defense it’s then time to set up their defensive structure. To do so, you and your team have to decide what style of defense will work best for your game. Will you play man-to-man, ensuring the offensive players can’t get a clean break from your defenders’ intense matchups? Or, will you go the zone route, where each one of your players will have a watchful eye over a particular part of the offensive third?
Regardless of your strategy, it’s important to understand your team’s defensive strengths and how they will transfer onto the court. Are they sharp, agile and able to stick with the offensive players? Or, are they on the strong and tall side, making them more adept at guarding specific areas of the court? Either way, understanding your team’s defensive capabilities is essential to creating the defensive strategy that will overwhelm the opposition’s ability to score on every attack.
Focus on defensive skills
There is a lot of skill that goes into high quality defense so it is important to focus on elements like stance, footwork, positioning and more to enhance your team’s defensive prowess. What’s more, it’s important to shut down your opposition’s movements before they can create the space for a shot. With this in mind, it’s important to emphasise ball pressure and containment, ensuring the opposition have fewer opportunities to find their teammate in a scoring opposition.
Finally, it’s important to review your team’s defensive performance with every game and see what can be done to further optimise it. If you notice a weak spot in their defensive play then you will need to devise a strategy and training schedule to improve it.
Opposition players can quickly pick up on defensive weak spots and you don’t want to find your team succumbing to a particular one with every passing match!
