| 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 like Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter, 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.
Improve Your Defense, Improve Your Speed
and Agility, Improve Your Skills
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that running
is perhaps one of the most important areas of the game. 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.
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.
Be A BIG Defender
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 [just ask Nate Robinson and Yao Ming],
easily making you a better defender. However, this is something
very similar to staying light on your feet, in that the defender
may find himself not doing it and will often have to remind
himself to do it until it becomes second nature. Once it does,
the opposition will have a harder time passing and shooting
over you and will keep the ball away from the opponent you’re
guarding.
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 and will separate you
from the other players on your team that are focused on other
facets of the game.
Be A Student of Basketball Defense - Watch
Hoops Video
While learning to get the most out of your speed and size
are important factors in developing a solid defender, watching
video tape and studying the game is perhaps the most important
attribute in a great defensive player. For instance, Washington’s
Gilbert Arenas, the NBA’s most improved player in 2003,
dedicates himself to watching hours of the best players in
the NBA and learns their patterns and tendencies, in order
to take advantage of them come game time.
For those that think that watching video of the opposition
does nothing in terms of skill development, consider this.
During a pre-season game this year, Arenas held Lebron James
to a measly 12 points after watching a few of the best games
James played last season. While he only scored three points
himself while James was on the court, the Wizards won the
game, thus making the hours of video tape watching a worthwhile
endeavor.
Despite the value of watching video however, it is in no
way, shape or form a substitute from hard work and physical
conditioning. In effect, it is meant to be the virtual cherry
on top of the sundae that you want your game to eventually
develop into. Being a student of the game will not get you
into the pros, but it will make you understand the game better,
making you a better team player. In the end, great teams thrive
on the passion of solid team-first players and studying the
game as often as possible will make you a commodity that many
teams may not want to part with.
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. Things as elementary
as staying light on your feet, staying big and watching video
will give you the opportunity to do that and much more.
By Patrick Hickey Jr.
Sports
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