Man to Man Defensive Principles

In it's simplest form, basketball is about making shots while keeping the other team from doing the same.  Many coaches spend a lot of time in practice teaching skills related to the offensive side of the game but don't spend the same amount of time on the defensive side.  Think about it.  In basketball you not only need to score but you also need to find a way to keep the other team from scoring.  That statement tells us that defense is just as important as offense and as such it would be wise to make sure you spend as much time in practice on your defensive principles as you do on your offensive ones.


The best defense to teach kids from a young age is a man to man.  Man to man defense is the one defense which enforces the key defensive principles that all basketball players need to learn and know throughout their basketball playing lives.  Everything from how to keep a player in front of you, how to deny a pass to the wing or post, or how to box out for a rebound are principles that need to be learned in order to run a successful defense.  The benefit to this in the long run is that learning this defense and it's principles teaches kids fundamentals which could be applied when using any other defense whether it's a zone, or a trap.

The principles involved in running a successful defensive scheme should be practiced over and over again until they become a permanent fixture in your teams minds.  In young players these principles need to be taught one at a time and used as building blocks to your defensive scheme.  Your goal is to have the team applying all of your defensive principles by the end of the year.

With this in mind, one might ask what are the defensive principles that need to be taught.  I will list them in order below:
  1.  Philosophy
  2. Teamwork
  3. Communication
  4. Keeping your man in front of you
  5. Pressuring the ball
  6. Taking away the players one pass away (deny)
  7. Weak side positioning
  8. Post Defense
  9. Rotations/Double Teams
  10. Defending off ball screen
  11. Defending ball screens
  12. Defending dribble penetration 
  13. Defensive transition
  14. Defensive rebounding
  15. Getting the loose balls
Each of these principles will be covered with their own post so stay tuned.

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