The ability to play good basketball defense is more important than most players think. Good defensive skills not only will get you on the team, they'll get you into the starting line-up.
Everybody wants to shoot, and everyone wants ankle-breaking dribbling moves, and why not? It's the scorers and the moves that get the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowds, that get most of the glory and make up most of the highlight reels on the evening newscast.
And of course, scoring is important - you can't win a game without points on the board. So don't get me wrong - there's nothing bad about working to become good shooters and good ball handlers.
My point is, don't neglect defense. Teams need good defenders. If you look at every team that's won big championships and national titles, you would be hard pressed to find one that didn't have good defense - either a good overall defensive team, or at least one or two defensive specialists.
A good coach looks for good defensive players during tryouts, and spends a great amount of time at the start of preseason practices focusing on improving the team's defensive skills. So even if your offensive skills are only so-so, good defensive skills will get you noticed. And if you already have good offensive skills, having weak defensive skills can make you a liability to the team.
So, how do you improve your defensive skills?
- Understand your Role on Defense. Man to man defense is a must. Even if you are playing a zone, the principles of man to man will be applied. So know how to play man to man defense, but also realize that you have to see what else is happening on the floor in case one your teammates gets beaten and you need to help out (something else a coach looks for when choosing a team)
- Agility and Quickness. Important skills for offense, but even more important for defense. You need to be able to react to your player's moves, beat your player to the spot on the cut, have that burst of speed to pick off passes, and basically be able to hound your man until he gives up the ball. Improve your agility, your speed, your quickness, and you improve your defense.
- Be Hungry. Always be hungry for the ball. Aggression is perhaps the ability most likely to determine how well you do and how far you go. Plenty of players with good skills but no aggression have been dropped off rosters, but I will bet that few players with aggression but relatively weak skills have been cut. Teaching someone to shoot is not too difficult; teaching someone to be aggressive, to steal the pass, to run down the ball - that's more difficult. And coaches will keep you around just for showing that heart.
If you can improve in those three areas - good fundamentals, speed and quickness, and aggression - you will definitely see an improvement in your defensive game. And your team and your coach will definitely appreciate it.
We've all heard the saying: "Good offense wins games; good defense wins championships."
Every player and coach I know wants to be a champion.
Fitz has been playing and coaching the game of basketball for over twenty five years. Beside the skills specific to the game, his interests lie in developing the athletic skills that transfer across all sports - like speed, quickness, and a good vertical jump. You can read more of his advice on how to improve your game on his website, http://www.smart-basketball-training.com.
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