Post Defense
Another important position which needs to be defended accordingly is the post. Neutralizing the opposing teams post game is so important to being successful in the game of basketball. That being said how you play post defense will vary depending on the type of team that you play. The one thing that always remains the same is that successful post defense will depend on the whole team and not just the people who are supposed to cover the blocks. Remember the name of the game is scoring more baskets than the other team and by taking away the other teams strengths you will increase your odds of winning ball games.
The phases to successful post defense are as follows:
As a coach one of the decisions you will need to make early in a game is how you are going to want to defend the low post. In order to determine this you will need to identify what type of post players the other team has. Are they scorers, are the rebounders, are they screeners, is the opposition an outside shooting team or one that relies on guard penetration. The answers to these questions will determine how the low post players will be guarded.
A good low post scorer should be denied the ball and his preferred position on the floor as much as possible. You will never play behind a player like this. Partial denial or fronting the post is called for in situations like this.
A good rebounder who is not a great scorer will allow the defender to play behind the player.
A good screener will call for a defender to play partial denial because if you know there are going to be screens and you have determined that the player setting the screens is not a big offensive threat then you will want your post defender to help on the screen by slowing the player who is using the screen down.
When the ball is caught by the post player then the defender should be in a defensive stance ready to react to a move. If the post player has his back to the basket then it is best that the defender remains in his defensive stance but remain close to his player. Once the player turns around the defender should make himself big right away and get as close to the player as possible. The defender should make a potential shot or pass as tough as possible by making himself big. Since he is so close to the basket the defender does not have to worry about the player dribbling around him much being that space is limited. He will also have help from his teammates who should be sagging towards the ball and preparing to help defend against a tough opponent. It should be noted that the best type of defense a post defender can play is by forcing the offensive player to the baseline in a more non threatening position.
High Post Defense
Defending the high post will depend on the location of the ball. The most common method of defending the high post is by partial denial with the defensive player positioning his body between the ball and the player he is covering in the high post. This partial denial will be covering the baseline in order to prevent any cuts to the basket. We do not want to cover the high post using partial denial from the top side.
Again the type of player that is in the high post will determine how you are going to play against him. If he is a screener you need to play along side of him. DO NOT PLAY BEHIND HIM. Put yourself in a good position to help defend the screen.
If he is a shooter you will need to play closer to him and take the shot away from him especially when he turns around and faces the basket.. Force him to the baseline if you can but make the shot as tough as possible.
If he is a driver then you will need to play off of him when he receives the ball and when he turns around you need to make sure that as he drives to the basket you always keep your body between the man and the basket. The further away from the basket you force him the better off you will be.
The toughest kind of player to face in the high post is a triple threat guy who can do it all. With a player like this you need to do everything you can to deny him the ball. The best way to neutralize a great player is to keep the ball away from him. If he does get the ball on the high block then be as aggressive with him as possible. Take the shot and the passing options away from him and force him to drive with his weak hand. If he still beats you then kudos to him, you move on.
Post Help
Once the ball enters the post it is important to remember that if the low post player is a good scorer then defensive help should take place. The rotation should start from the weak side with each defender leaving their player and covering each player that is closer to the basket. So if there is a weak side post defender he will leave his player and help cover the man with the ball on the strong side with the weak side wing then leaving his player to cover the weak side post player who is left open when the weak side defender begins the help defensive process.
Weak Side Post Positioning
When you are covering the weak side post then you have to follow similar instructions to when you are covering any weak side player. Specifically you should make sure that you have positioned yourself between the ball and your player and that you can see both of them. You don't have to play up close to the man you are guarding and the further away the ball is from your player the further off you can play from your player. The only thing to keep in mind is that you are close enough to him to close out in case a cross court pass is made.
Weak Side Post Cuts
One of the most important responsibilities for a weak side post player is defending cuts from the weak-side to the strong-side. When a weak-side defender is protecting the lane he needs to make sure that he impedes the path of the cutter. He does this by stepping into the path that the cutter is taking to get to the ball. By forcing the cutter to go around him the post defender has now disrupted the timing of the play and has also forced the cutter further away from the basket than he intended to be.
Moving from Position to Position When Playing the Post
The one thing you need to keep in mind when you are playing or coaching post defense is that you need to work. The key to covering the post is positioning but because your battling for such a small area it is a lot tougher than it sounds. A lot about playing successful post defense is what you do before the player you are covering catches the ball. In addition to this, you need to be familiar with where the ball is on the floor and what the opposition wants to do with the ball in terms of post play.
Some basics that you need to keep in mind is the following:
The most successful defense is one where the whole unit plays together. Successfully guarding the post is no different. Just because you may be guarding a perimeter player does not mean that you are not contributing to successfully guarding the post.
Some of the things that your perimeter players can do to defend the post is:
Protecting the post is a very important part of a successful defense. A lot of how you are going to approach defending the post will depend on the team you are playing against. If the team you are playing against has a big post presence then you will approach things much more different as opposed to when you play a team that uses their bigs for screening purposes. The one common characteristic that all successful defensive concepts have is the whole team being in sync and playing as one.
The phases to successful post defense are as follows:
- 4 ways to guard the post.
- Low post defense.
- High post defense.
- Post help.
- Weak side post positioning.
- Moving from one position to another as the ball moves around the perimeter.
- Teamwork
- Front the post - this method is the most aggressive and is used when you are playing against a high scoring post player. The objective here is to keep the player away from the ball. By playing this way you are basically placing your whole body between the ball and the player you are guarding. You will be facing the ball but you will have your body close enough to the player you are guarding that you will feel when the he moves from the block. With this position you are very susceptible to the lob pass so you will need to have weak side defenders ready to defend against the lob. This position will be used when denying an entry pass from the wing or baseline against a good scorer.
- Partial denial bottom side - this method will be used when the ball is trying to enter the high post. It will also be used when the offensive post player is a good scorer but not the main scoring threat. To properly use this position you will need to have your body between the player you are covering and the baseline. Most of your body should be in front of the player you are covering with your head in front of the post player's shoulder. You will be extending your front hand out and in front of the player you are covering reducing the area that the passer will have to make the pass.
- Partial denial top side - this method will be used when the ball is in the low post. You want to force the entry pass to enter as close to the baseline as possible. when using this denial technique it is best to make sure you don't get sealed off too high thus allowing the drop step to the basket to hurt you. Positioning for this method is very similar to partial denial baseline but instead of placing your body between the post player and the baseline you are covering the post by positioning yourself above the player you are covering.
- Behind the post - this method will be used against a good rebounder who needs to be kept off of the boards. This position will leave you the most vulnerable to a big scorer. You should never be caught behind a low post scorer. The defender should keep his knees bent and be in good defensive stance when the ball is entered. When the shot goes up from anywhere the defender should be prepared to pivot into box out position for the rebound.
As a coach one of the decisions you will need to make early in a game is how you are going to want to defend the low post. In order to determine this you will need to identify what type of post players the other team has. Are they scorers, are the rebounders, are they screeners, is the opposition an outside shooting team or one that relies on guard penetration. The answers to these questions will determine how the low post players will be guarded.
A good low post scorer should be denied the ball and his preferred position on the floor as much as possible. You will never play behind a player like this. Partial denial or fronting the post is called for in situations like this.
A good rebounder who is not a great scorer will allow the defender to play behind the player.
A good screener will call for a defender to play partial denial because if you know there are going to be screens and you have determined that the player setting the screens is not a big offensive threat then you will want your post defender to help on the screen by slowing the player who is using the screen down.
When the ball is caught by the post player then the defender should be in a defensive stance ready to react to a move. If the post player has his back to the basket then it is best that the defender remains in his defensive stance but remain close to his player. Once the player turns around the defender should make himself big right away and get as close to the player as possible. The defender should make a potential shot or pass as tough as possible by making himself big. Since he is so close to the basket the defender does not have to worry about the player dribbling around him much being that space is limited. He will also have help from his teammates who should be sagging towards the ball and preparing to help defend against a tough opponent. It should be noted that the best type of defense a post defender can play is by forcing the offensive player to the baseline in a more non threatening position.
High Post Defense
Defending the high post will depend on the location of the ball. The most common method of defending the high post is by partial denial with the defensive player positioning his body between the ball and the player he is covering in the high post. This partial denial will be covering the baseline in order to prevent any cuts to the basket. We do not want to cover the high post using partial denial from the top side.
Again the type of player that is in the high post will determine how you are going to play against him. If he is a screener you need to play along side of him. DO NOT PLAY BEHIND HIM. Put yourself in a good position to help defend the screen.
If he is a shooter you will need to play closer to him and take the shot away from him especially when he turns around and faces the basket.. Force him to the baseline if you can but make the shot as tough as possible.
If he is a driver then you will need to play off of him when he receives the ball and when he turns around you need to make sure that as he drives to the basket you always keep your body between the man and the basket. The further away from the basket you force him the better off you will be.
The toughest kind of player to face in the high post is a triple threat guy who can do it all. With a player like this you need to do everything you can to deny him the ball. The best way to neutralize a great player is to keep the ball away from him. If he does get the ball on the high block then be as aggressive with him as possible. Take the shot and the passing options away from him and force him to drive with his weak hand. If he still beats you then kudos to him, you move on.
Post Help
Once the ball enters the post it is important to remember that if the low post player is a good scorer then defensive help should take place. The rotation should start from the weak side with each defender leaving their player and covering each player that is closer to the basket. So if there is a weak side post defender he will leave his player and help cover the man with the ball on the strong side with the weak side wing then leaving his player to cover the weak side post player who is left open when the weak side defender begins the help defensive process.
Weak Side Post Positioning
When you are covering the weak side post then you have to follow similar instructions to when you are covering any weak side player. Specifically you should make sure that you have positioned yourself between the ball and your player and that you can see both of them. You don't have to play up close to the man you are guarding and the further away the ball is from your player the further off you can play from your player. The only thing to keep in mind is that you are close enough to him to close out in case a cross court pass is made.
Weak Side Post Cuts
One of the most important responsibilities for a weak side post player is defending cuts from the weak-side to the strong-side. When a weak-side defender is protecting the lane he needs to make sure that he impedes the path of the cutter. He does this by stepping into the path that the cutter is taking to get to the ball. By forcing the cutter to go around him the post defender has now disrupted the timing of the play and has also forced the cutter further away from the basket than he intended to be.
Moving from Position to Position When Playing the Post
The one thing you need to keep in mind when you are playing or coaching post defense is that you need to work. The key to covering the post is positioning but because your battling for such a small area it is a lot tougher than it sounds. A lot about playing successful post defense is what you do before the player you are covering catches the ball. In addition to this, you need to be familiar with where the ball is on the floor and what the opposition wants to do with the ball in terms of post play.
Some basics that you need to keep in mind is the following:
- When covering a player that is a scoring threat and he is on the low block you should never reposition yourself behind the player. For example, if the ball is on the wing and you are covering using top side partial denial and the ball moves to the baseline, you need to try to get to baseline partial denial or fronting the man but do not reposition by going behind the scoring threat but rather go in front of him. Always make the entry pass as difficult as possible. Remember the best way to negate a scroing threat is to keep the ball out of his hands.
- When covering a player that is a scoring threat identify the spot where the player wants to get the ball and beat him to this spot. He will try to do anything to get there cause that is where his comfort zone is so it is your job to keep him from it. Many times pushing a player even a foot off of his preferred spot can throw him off.
- Try to avoid playing behind a post player at all costs regardless of whether they are in the high or low blocks.
The most successful defense is one where the whole unit plays together. Successfully guarding the post is no different. Just because you may be guarding a perimeter player does not mean that you are not contributing to successfully guarding the post.
Some of the things that your perimeter players can do to defend the post is:
- Contest the entry pass.
- Help by double teamming a post scoring threat if you are on the weakside.
- Force the ball away from the side of the floor a post scorer prefers to get his touches.
- Remember to avoid double teaming with strong side players. Try to always have the double team come from the weak side.
Protecting the post is a very important part of a successful defense. A lot of how you are going to approach defending the post will depend on the team you are playing against. If the team you are playing against has a big post presence then you will approach things much more different as opposed to when you play a team that uses their bigs for screening purposes. The one common characteristic that all successful defensive concepts have is the whole team being in sync and playing as one.
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