Man to Man Defense:
Basic Fundamentals and Practice Drills

Man to man defense is probably the most important skill a player can have. Good shooting, drives through the key, spectacular passing, and of course, a nice dunk will always get the headlines, the glory. But solid man to man will win the game. Poor man to man will almost always lose the game for you.

Not that there isn't a place for zone defense or special defensive plays - presses and combination defenses - but even when these defensive strategies are being used, players need to be utilizing man to man defensive principles in order to play strong defense. I always start off teaching man to man, and in fact, the first few games of the season - especially pre-season exhibition games - we only run man to man for the entire game.

Simply put, with man to man defense each defensive player matches up with an offensive player and tries to stop them from scoring. One of the most important aspects of man to man defense isn't about stopping the man from scoring, but rather stopping the man from getting the ball - i.e., denying the ball.

But we'll leave that for another page - check out the Deny and Help Drill for a good practice drill for denying the ball. Here we'll deal with the basic fundamentals of movement when playing man to man defense.

To move quickly and easily in any direction, to react fast to the offense's moves and to get in position to stop them, players need to play "D" in proper defensive stance:

• stay low, bent at knees, back straight
• weight evenly balanced on the balls of the feet, feet shoulder width apart
• hands up, chest high, one hand up for shot, the other in passing lane

• the defensive player is almost always between his man and the basket - unless the low post player is fronting his man, but even then he shold have his back foot wrapped around the offensive player
  
  
• never reach for the ball - on rare occasions this might result in a steal, but usually what happens is either a foul or the offensive player beats the defensive player
  
  
• watch the offensive player's chest, especially if he is quick and hard to stay with. The offensive player can fake you with a head fake, eye fake, arm or shoulder fake, or a jab-step, but his chest will always go only in the direction that he is going.
  
  
• if the offensive player is:
  
  
  
  • very quick, a good dribbler, and outside his normal shooting range, the defensive player should back off a few steps. This space will give the defender time to react, so that the offensive player will not get around him.
    
    
  • a good outside shooter, but can't dribble very well, stay up close and keep the pressure on.
    
    
  • right-handed and always goes to the right, over-guard the right side and force him to the left. Same goes for the other side.
    
  
  
• when approaching the offensive player, the defensive player must do so in a controlled manner, with feet in a T stance and one hand raised against the shot
  
  
• When the shot goes up, the defensive player responsible for the shooter should yell "shot!" and all defenders should box-out their men, go for the rebound, and get the fast-break going. One caveat here - if the defensive player yells while the offensive player is in the process of shooting, the defensive player could get tagged for a technical foul.

Focus:

When moving on defense, players should slide their feet sideways, using quick, short steps, without crossing their feet. Don't hop.

Practice Drill: Slides on the Lines

• Players line up at one corner, one behind the next
  
  
• At the first whistle, the first player in line begins to slide along the sideline in proper defensive stance
  
  
  • Players must remain low, in proper defensive stance, throughout the drill
    
  
  
• When the first player reaches half court, the next player in line begins to slide
  
  
• Players follow the sideline up, then the baseline to the key, slide around the key, along the baseline and down the other sideline, and then baseline, key, baseline to the corner they started from
  
  
  • Note: when the players are sliding up and down the key, they should be sliding in the "swordsman's stance" - feet in a T position, one hand raised ahead of them - as if they are approaching and then backing away from their opponent who is about to shoot
    
  
  
• Run this practice drill 2-3 times in a row, with players being able to rest in between while they wait for their turn

Practice Drill: Slide on the Whistle

• Players scatter around half court area, with space between them and the players on either side of them.
  
  
• At the first whistle, everyone gets in proper defensive stance.
  
  
• At the next whistle, players slide in the direction the coach points - left, right, forward, or behind - with the coach switching directions every couple of seconds.
  
  
  • Players must stay low - they cannot rise and fall as they move, but must stay in proper defensive stance.
    
  
  
• Run this practice drill for 30 seconds to 1 minute, 3 times with a 15 second break in between.

Practice Drill: Stutter Step

• Players spread out, as in the slides drill.
  
  
• Players are in good defensive stance position.
  
  
• On the whistle, all players start the "stutter-step", rapidly moving their feet up and down on the balls of their feet. They must remain low, in good defensive stance throughout.
  
  
• After about 5 seconds, the coach blows the whistle again and the players execute a quick one-quarter turn to the left, returning to face front and resuming the stutter step.
  
  
• At the next whistle, they make a one-quarter turn to the right.
  
  
• At the next whistle, players jab one step forward, raising one hand as if defending against a shot
  
  
• At the fourth whistle, players drop for a push-up
  
  
• Then you repeat all again - one-quarter turn left, one-quarter turn right, jab forward, push up
  
  
• Run this practice drill for 45 seconds to 1 minute, 3 times with a 15 second break in between.

Man to man defense is an essential skill that every player needs to know and be able to use. Every coach wants a few good shooters, a good ball carrier or two, a couple good rebounders. And we train players in these areas according to their abilities and drive - a player who desperately wants to be a good shooter is given extra drills and will practice them and become better; a player that towers over his teammates is given extra rebounding focus.

But every player, regardless of skill and motivation, needs to be a good defender. Every player needs to have solid man to man defense if the team is going to win; otherwise, your opponent will find the weak spot and capitalize on it.