By 
The defensive techniques used in preparation for soccer games can be applied to those used in basketball. In football, the objective is to use schemes, formations and techniques that limit the advance of the ball. One technique is to identify trends and find ways to counter them. For example, in basketball, if you found a way to decrease your opponent’s shooting percentage by five percent, that could create a difference of six to eight points. That is a worthy achievement.
Let’s start by looking at man-to-man defensive techniques. One of the first determinations is your opponent’s dominant hand; either right-handed or left-handed. This is the hand that shoots and determines how you protect your man and how you obstruct the firing path. The next determination is which foot is the pivot foot. This can change with possessions and determines the tendency of the drive side, often to the side of the non-rotating foot. Another clue is the position of the hand on the ball. Shooting with your hand behind the ball indicates that you are preparing for a shot. The hands on the sides of the ball indicate that he is preparing to pass. The hand on top of the ball indicates that you are preparing to dribble and which hand indicates going left or right.
Another indicator is dribbling patterns. Players who dribble between the legs or behind the back do so in repeated patterns before shooting or driving to the basket. Knowing that tendency gives the defensive player a slight advantage, a fraction of a second to contest the shot or the dribble. The shots or units contested decrease the scoring percentage and how much depends on the agility and speed of the defensive player. It also depends on the player’s ability to read and react to the indicators.
Reading tendencies can also help to steal. By observing dribbling rhythms and patterns, the defensive player can predict where the ball is going to be and can hit that spot by deflecting the ball. Such a move requires knowing where to attack and with practice becoming instinctive rather than mental. Aiming too early allows the opponent to redirect the dribble and too late knocks the defender out of position. The point of attack is usually when the dribbled ball ascends into the opponent’s hand, where a dribble follows the predetermined pattern. Stealing the ball in this way not only builds confidence in the opponent, but also adds two points to the scoring differential. Stops an attempt to score with an average of one point per possession and allows a scoring opportunity by the defense with an average of one point per.
Team defense combines the techniques mentioned above, but adds coordinated helping movements. This could be imminent or cutting the passing lanes or even catching a standing player and obstructing the passing or shooting lanes. Other times it’s about correcting a mismatch, such as a short player defending a tall one, or an exceptional shooter facing a mediocre defender. Helping is a constant risk-reward option, as double-teaming can have positive results or it can leave an opponent wide open. Therefore, helping requires all five defensive players to work as a team. This means that when one player moves to help, the defensive responsibilities of the other three change.
How it changes depends on the skill set of your opponents. For example, a low-percentage outside shooter requires less attention than an inside center who dominates the paint by scoring and bouncing. Such a player would require special treatment including double-teaming, weakening defense, and / or denying him the ball.
A major defensive issue is dealing with screens, takeoff, and the resulting mismatches. This is where trend analysis can become a great advantage. Do you use the screen to prepare an open shot or a drive to the basket? Or do they use it as a sliding screen where the filter peels off into the basket? How you defend him depends on his tendencies and the scoring threat of the players involved. Good defense requires making calculated decisions that result in the best result.
No defensive team will be able to finish off an offense. Instead, the goal should be to limit points per possession. Defensive rebound plays in this scenario, as limiting second chances greatly reduces points per possession. While the defense has an advantage by being closer to the basket, you can increase this advantage with solid rebounding techniques. Blocking your opponent is basic, but defending potential landing spots is just as important. For example, missed mid-range jump shots land closer to the basket compared to long three-point shots. The trays and put-backs are even closer. Using this information can increase bounce rates.
Also, rebounding position is more important when facing taller, more athletic players. Blocking is not enough, one must keep the opponent off balance by maintaining contact and restricting their ability to jump.
Switching is another defensive tactic in which players pass the responsibility of protecting to another player. This could be a verbal or non-verbal exchange and is commonly used in high screen pick and roll situations. Most of the problem in this area is that the change is not final and one or both offensive players have the advantage. Players are trapped in that indecision area and offensive players are left unopposed. Communication is an essential remedy for such situations. Similarly, going to a mini-zone defense helps correct such mismatches and allows players to regroup.
In a zone defense, players are assigned an area to protect instead of a player. Players typically move in an inclined formation toward the ball with little clearance between them. This spacing reduces dribbling or shots to the basket. Therefore, the offense is relegated to passing the ball to an open man and taking mostly long shots. One strategy in this defense is to encourage shots from low-percentage shooters and play for rebounds. Another strategy is to contest shots from potential shooters, thus reducing the percentages.
Zone defense requires discipline to maintain space and move towards the ball in a decisive and confrontational manner. Here again, passing patterns soon emerge that predict goal chances and which players are likely to shoot and when. This information allows the defense to increase the confrontations in those moments. Such intense defense can be exhausting and requires moments of recovery. These can be taken on the offense by walking the ball down the court, taking time off the clock, and shooting later during the shot clock. Maintaining a fast-paced game can be regressive and detrimental to a winning cause. Therefore, attention to recovery is imperative.
On defense, you have several allies, namely the sidelines, the five-second rule, and the shot clock. When opponents get close to the sideline, it’s like you have another defender on top of them as they can only go sideways. And if you’ve used your dribble, it’s a tense moment that could lead to a turnover. Similarly, when pressed, they can backtrack out of bounds. Therefore, taking your opponent to the sidelines is a good thing and creates more chaotic moments for the offense.
Taking advantage of the five-second rule on out-of-bounds throw-ins can be critical in tight games. Taking more than five seconds results in a rotation. When the infraction has to come across the court, one can take a chance and go for a quick rotation. As such, the defensive lineup that stifles the serve must be a quick build-up of defenders. First one, then two and quickly three, all blocking all possible passing lanes creates a chaotic challenge for the passer. Does the passer risk an interception or does he have time to call a time out?
In college, the five-second rule also applies to an offensive player who is well protected by a defender and does not advance the ball to the basket. This rule eliminates a dribble that runs out of the clock with no attempt to score. Here again, when defenders suffocate the dribbler and obstruct the passing lanes, such action can result in a violation and fumble.
Being mindful of the shot clock can also produce positive results, as with five to seven seconds remaining, the offense is forced to fire. This is the time to interrupt the flow and pace of the defensive attack. By inhibiting primary shooters, more time is wasted, forcing poorer shooters to take bad shots. Such a strategy requires the defense to know the skill set of the offensive players and their shooting percentage, and then defend accordingly.
While scouting strategies are common in soccer, knowing and applying them in basketball can change the rules of the game. These strategies could emerge through studying the opponent’s statistics and videos, or through in-person observations and scouting reports. By countering the tendencies, the skill sets of the opposition, a team can gain an advantage against formable opponents. Knowing what your opponent is likely to do is smart basketball. However, you need to know what trends to look for and how to incorporate the right countermeasures into your game plan. That’s not only smart basketball, it’s brilliant too.
The author wrote a companion article on the offensive aspect entitled “Basketball: 5-player schemes promote winning ideals.”