Fundamental defensive principles require a basketball team to always stop the ball and first defend the paint -- the area inside the lane lines from the baseline to the free-throw line -- and then the perimeter. However, when an opponent catches fire shooting from the perimeter, a defense cannot simply sit back in the lane to guard against layups and establish a rebounding position. Defenses must make the extra effort to take away open shots from all angles, even at or beyond the three-point line. Strong perimeter shooting makes the job harder, but with hard work and discipline, a defense still can stop a sharp-shooting team.
Step 1
Pressure opponents' best shooters on defense before they receive the ball. To play this method of "deny" defense, in which defenders aim to prevent offensive players from receiving the ball in a scoring position, a defender always must execute the basic defensive principles of remaining between the player he guards and the basket, as well as between the player and the ball, at all times. When the offensive player cuts, the defender must move with him to deny his passing lane. By denying the offensive player the ball near the basket, the defense forces shooters farther away from the basket into areas where they are less likely to score.
Step 2
Remove an offensive player's breathing room by executing proper close-outs on the perimeter. A defender closes out on an offensive player with the ball by sprinting toward the player with short, quick steps and staying in a low, balanced position that will allow the defender to make herself as big an obstacle as possible. Close out to within an arm's length of the offensive player and use active hands to pressure the basketball, holding the hand on the side of the ball high in the air to deny a shot and the opposite hand out to the side to swipe upward at a dribble or pass.
Step 3
Rotate all defenders not guarding the basketball to the side of the court on which the offense possesses the ball. Rotating the defense to the basketball will allow teammates to stop the ball and challenge a shot if another defender gets beaten by an offensive player's dribble or pass. Defenders guarding a player on the side of the court opposite the ball should play on the "help side," keeping at least one foot in the lane to allow them to rotate, while also positioning them near their original defensive assignment.
Step 4
Challenge shots taken by an opponent by leaping into the air and raising both arms and hands once the offensive player jumps into his shot. Challenging the shot forces the offensive player to adjust to the defender and change his shot's trajectory, breaking his normal shooting routine. However, a defender must not be fooled by a shot fake, and only should leave his feet to challenge a shot once a shooter is in the air. A defender also must avoid swatting toward the ball or the shooter, which could warrant a foul.
Step 5
Rebound every shot your opponent misses and refuse to give up second-chance shots. The most effective opportunities for long-range shots are typically after offensive rebounds, when defenders are positioned in the lane and have to scramble to the perimeter to cover open shooters. Defenders can turn into rebounders by boxing out offensive players, turning from the close-out position facing the shooter toward the basket, remaining low in a balanced stance and extending arms horizontally to prevent an offensive rebounder from finding a path to the basket. Once a missed shot falls off the rim, a defender should pursue the basketball and catch the rebound as high in the air as she can, holding the ball under her chin as she lands on the court.
Tips and Warnings
- Learn which players are an opponent's best shooters by studying game film and by observation during the game. Call out to teammates on defense which players are the best shooters, and then prepare to guard those players most aggressively while backing off offensive players who are less of a threat to shoot.
- Never foul a jump shooter -- that is one of the cardinal rules of defense. Contest shots, but don't swat at the ball and send a shooter to the free-throw line, where a cold shooter can get hot and an already hot shooter can score extra points.
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