Fundamentals of Basketball and Basic Defense

Basketball Defense Fundamentals

Basketball Defense Fundamental #1) Basic Stance

Keep your feet positioned as wide as your shoulders with your weight balanced on the balls of your feet. If you’re flat-footed, back on your heels or have your legs too close together, it’s hard to move quickly and you’ll find offensive players dribbling right around you. Keep your knees bent slightly with your butt low. Now, make sure you have one extended high to guard shots and passes and the other hand extended low on the ball.

Basketball Defense Fundamental #2) Focus On the Waist

If you want to avoid getting faked out, focus on a part of the offensive player’s body that doesn’t move. Many inexperienced players focus on the eyes, head and legs of their opponents. Or, they watch the ball. If you watch the ball, all the offender needs to do is fake a pass, fake a shot, or fake going one way and go the other way. Don’t do this or you’ll be sucking air as the offensive player goes in for the lay-up! Remember to watch your opponent’s mid-section because they can’t go anywhere without it. If they fake a pass or shot and then do something else, you’ll be right there because you’ll see the waist go where they really intend to go.

Basketball Defense Fundamental #3) Slide Side-to-Side

Position and footwork are two of the most important aspects of playing good basketball defense. Be sure to move side-to-side (laterally), without crossing your legs. As you slide, maintain your balance by keeping your feet as close to the width of your shoulders as possible. Also, avoid letting your feet to touch as you move.

Basketball Defense Fundamental #4) Be Aware of Tendancies

Becoming a good student of your opponent will turn you from an “OK” defensive player into a great one. You want to find out whether they are right-handed or left-handed. Do they like to drive to the hoop or do they prefer making jump shots? The key is to get your opponent doing the opposite of what they like. If they like making jumpers, try to make them drive. If they like to go to the left, make them go to the right.

An important element of this strategy is good footwork. If you’re trying to make an offender dribble to the left, keep your left foot slightly in front by dropping your right foot back. Stay on the balls of your feet. If they still try to go right, you’re in position to move in front of them. If you’re successful in making them go left (your right), you can move quickly that way. Reverse this basketball defense strategy to make them go right, of course.

Basketball Defense Fundamental #5) Guarding the Offender

There are two important fundamentals to guarding players without the ball: Stay between the player and the basket and try not to turn your back to the ball. If the player you’re guarding is on the right side of the floor and ball is on the left, raise your left hand and drop your right foot back a bit. Be sure your left arm is between your offender and the ball but don’t turn completely around or else your back will be to the ball. Keep your head up so you can see your opponent and the ball at al times.

Basketball Defense Fundamental #6) Shot Blocking

When blocking shots, always use the hand closest to the basket. If a player is driving in from the right side of the basket, you’ll use your left hand to block. This allows you to use the hand farthest from the offensive player’s body and lessens the possibility of committing a foul. You won’t be reaching across the offender’s body (which would increase your chances of fouling them)

 

Basketball Defense Fundamental #7) Switching

 

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A switch occurs when two defenders switch players they are guarding in order to give each of them better defensive position. As an example, the player you are guarding goes to the left. Their teammate sets a pick and the player you’re guarding dribbles by them. Instead of you knocking the pick player over or going around them, your teammate, who was guarding the “pick” player, steps out in front of the player with the ball. You take over guarding the player without the ball and now you and your teammate have performed a switch.

Make sure that when your teammate steps out to meet the player with the ball that you keep your shoulders even with your teammate’s shoulders. If you drop back before your shoulders are at the same angle, the player with the ball can turn around and get by both of you.

 

Basketball Defense Fundamental #8) Low-Post Defense

The low post area is just to the left or right of the basket on or near the free-throw lane. This is where offensive players (usually the center or a forward) will stand waiting for the ball. They try to keep their defender behind them by spreading their legs wide and have an arm raised looking for the pass (they have their back to the basket). As a defensive player, the first thing you’re trying to prevent is the pass. Don’t try to get in front of the player. Move your body about three-quarters of the way in front with the arm farthest from the basket in the passing lane. Once the pass is in the air, drop back behind and get into good position to play defense.

Basketball Player Positions. :D

The rules of basketball do not define any specific player positions. This is different from many other major sports like football, baseball, and soccer where at least some players must be in certain positions during the play of the game (the goalie in soccer, for example). So the positions in basketball are more part of an overall strategy of the game. There are 5 traditional positions that most teams have in their offense and defensive schemes. Many players today are interchangeable or can play many positions. Also, many teams have rosters and players that allow them to try different set ups like a three guard offense, for example

The five traditional basketball player positions are:

 Point guard: The point guard is the team leader and play caller on the basketball court. A point guard needs good ball handling skills, passing skills as well as strong leadership and decision making skills. Traditionally basketball point guards were small, fast players and this is still often the case. However, Magic Johnson changed the way point guards were used. He was a big 6-8 player that used his height and size to get great passing angles. Magic’s success has opened the door for all sorts of point guards. The key to a strong point guard today is leadership, passing, and running the team.

 

 

Shooting guard: The shooting guard in basketball has the main responsibility of making long outside shots including the three-point shot. The shooting guard also should be a good passer and able to help the point guard with the ball handling. Shooting guards are often the top scorer on a team. Perhaps the best shooting guard in the history basketball was Michael Jordan. Jordan could do it all, from scoring to defense to rebounding. It’s this versatility that makes a great shooting guard, but all shooting guards should be able to extend the defense with their outside shot.

 

Small forward: Along with the shooting guard, the small forward is often the most versatile player on the basketball team. They should be able to help with ball handling, make an outside shot, and get rebounds. The small forward is often a great defensive player as well. The combination of height and quickness can allow them to defend a number of positions and take on the best scorer on the opposing team. On many teams today the small forward and the shooting guard are almost the same position and are call “wing” players.

 

Power forward: The power forward on a basketball team is usually responsible for rebounding and some scoring in the paint. A power forward should be big and strong and able to clear out some space under the basket. Many great power forwards in the game today do not score a lot of points, but lead their team in rebounds. Power forwards are often good shot blockers as well.

 

Center: The center is usually the biggest or tallest member of the basketball team. In the NBA, many centers are 7 feet tall or taller. The center can be a big scorer, but also needs to be a strong rebounder and shot blocker. On many teams the center is the final line of defense. Many of basketball’s greatest players (Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem, Shaq) have been centers. A strong center presence was long considered the only way to win an NBA championship. In modern times, many teams have won with other great players (Michael Jordan), but a strong center is still a prized basketball position on any basketball team.

 

Bench: Although only 5 players play at a time on any basketball team, the bench is still very important. Basketball is a fast paced game and players need to rest. A strong bench is key to any basketball team’s success. In most games at least 3 players from the bench will play a significant amount of time.

 

Defensive positions:

 There are two main types of defensive basketball strategies: zone and man-to-man. In man-to-man defense each player is responsible to cover one player on the other team. They follow this player wherever they go on the court. In zone defense, players have certain positions or areas of the court they cover. The guards usually play at the top of the key with the forwards playing closer to the basket and on opposite sides. The center usually plays in the middle of the key. However, there are a wide variety of zone defenses and combinations of zone and man-to-man that basketball teams play. Teams will often switch defenses around during a basketball game to see which works best against a particular opponent.

 

Welcome to this blog ( Introduction,’ What is Basketball ?’ ).

How to Play Basketball : A Pro / Beginner’s Guide

Play Basketball : A Beginner’s Guide

Basketball is one of the most popular sports of all time. However, if you aren’t a sports fanatic or come from a country where basketball is not a prized activity, you might need some beginner’s steps.

Follow these steps and you will be matching skills with long time players before long.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. LEARN TO DRIBBLE THE BASKETBALL.

This essential skill of playing basketball is the beginning point. Take a basketball and practice bouncing it on the ground. You have to bounce the ball once for every two steps you take. Take three steps without bouncing and you ‘walk’ or ‘travel’ which forfeits the ball.

Try running and bouncing the ball ahead of you, standing still while dribbling back and forth between two hand, and dribbling between your legs and around your back.

2. LEARN TO PASS THE BASKETBALL.

Passing the ball is key to exposing the other team’s defense and getting open shots. Get a friend to help you practice passing the ball directly, through a bounce, and around imaginary defenders.

Chest pass- a two-handed pass beginning from your chest aimed toward the teammates chest.
Bounce pass – a one or two handed pass that uses the bounce to evade defenders and ease catching.

3. LEARN TO SHOOT THE BALL WITH GOOD FORM.

Good shooting form balances the basketball on one hand using the other hand as a guide. The supporting hand starts above the head bent backward and cupping the ball. Extend the arm and flick the wrist so that the ball is release at the apex with a back spin. Practicing this form will increase your accuracy in shooting.

Add jump shots, lay-ups, three point shots, and free throws to your shooting repertoire to increase your skills.

4. MASTER BASKETBALL RULES.

Be sure you understand what constitutes illegal bodily contact (a foul), how long you can hold the ball without moving, and other illegal moves. If you know what you cannot do, then you can have free reign to creatively play within those bounds.