of the defensive players should be stressed.
This is the formation that I use always
against fast breaks. It will be noted that
the most vulnerable point of the basket is
protected, namely, directly in front, and
the two defensive players shift to meet an
offensive three-man thrust.

Whether the offense attempts a shot or
a pass, the defensive players will always
shift the spearhead of their defense in the
direction of the ball. These men will con-
stantly be shifting positions in their en-
deavor to stop all offensive shots. Further-

more, both of the defensive players will be -

using every talent at their command to
hurry and confuse the offensive ball-han-
dlers. Naturally, the guards must be
taught to expect the offensive men to
shoot, but when a shot is made by the
offense, then the defensive men are in an
ideal position to recover the ball. It must
be stressed that the three men are to drib-

ble, pivot and pass, to jockey the two de-

fensive men out of position.

The coach handles the ball on each try,
and during the interim, he lectures the de-
fensive men on teamwork, in shifting for
rebounds, and strategic defensive moves.

The two guards are constantly hounding
the three opponents and the ball. Their
facial expressions should reveal their mili-
tant. attitude. As the rear defensive guard
shifts over to block a shot, the front de-
fensive guard shifts slightly back and
away as he menaces the front offensive
man and discourages his idea of a return
pass. When the two defensive guards are
drawn out of position, they will re-form
in the anterior-posterior guarding position
as quickly as possible.

The weaknesses of two defensive men
against three offensive men are in the cor-
ners to the right and left of the rear de-
fensive. guard. If the ball is passed from
the offensive man out in front to either
one of the two offensive men in the cor-
ners, the rear guard shifts toward the of-
fensive man who is able to receive the ball
in the corner, and the front guard slides
back equidistant between the two guards’
former positions. In using this formation
as a defense against the fast break, the
front man parries a thrust in front of the
basket, and the rear guard underneath the
basket shifts to meet the oncoming offen-
sive man with the ball, while the third
defensive man moves in on the weak side
away from the ball, thereby setting up the
third stage of defense in three defensive

men in a triangular position, one in front. .

of the basket and two on either side.
The third stage, five on three (Diagram
3). Five offensive men are waging a scor-
ing attack against three defenders. The
defensive men are arranged in a triangular
formation with the front defensive player

in the apex position and the other two de-.

fensive players in their regular guarding
positions. This is the defensive formation
assumed, when the third man comes in
from the weak side after a fast break to

34

 

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reinforce the two defensive men who were
in an anterior-posterior position. When
more than three offensive men attack, the
The
most vulnerable positions of the basket
attack are those in which these three de-
fensive men form their triangle.

The coach handles the ball and hands it
to the attacking five men who start down
from the center of the floor with the de-
fense line-up in the triangular position.
Five trials are used in this competitive
fundamental drill the same as in the
others. If the offense scores one basket
out of the five, the score is a tie. If they
score two or more, the offense wins, and
if the defense shuts the offensive out with-
out a basket, the defense wins.

As the offensive men begin their scoring
attack by passing the ball about vigorously
from one to another, the defensive men
shift accordingly, ever aware of the vul-
nerable points of attack. Each of the de-
fensive men evinces alertness, courage, and
confidence. They all stamp their feet and
menace continuously with their arms in
fighting attitudes. In their desperate at-
tempts to make their opponents muff the
passes, and ultimately to recover the ball,
they shift back and forth, and to the side,
and stamp and yell. Thus, by stimulating
the auditory and optic nerve centers of
the offensive goal smiths, unfavorably,
these outnumbered defenders are render-
ing them less potent than before. A des-
perate and determined three are these de-
fensive-area basket-musketeers.

The defense must know that the offen-

‘give men near the basket are creating the
- most perilous situation, and that it is upon

these men they must concentrate. Should
one of the offensive men out in the court
attempt a shot, the defensive man nearest
him, while feigning calmness for the mo-
ment, will be checking with himself for
reassurance that he has covered all loop-
holes for passes, by or through his own
defensive area, and to an offensive team
mate under the basket.

Then, just as this offensive forward
raises the ball in the act of shooting, this
defensive man will feign a gigantic at-
tempt to jump at him, at the same time
emitting a startling yell that often brings
the desired results. His bent arms will fly
up threateningly, and his bended knees
will clamp his feet to the floor, emphatical-
ly and noisily.

Through the hundreds of thousands of
years that men have been clutching at
each other’s throats, instinctive fears have
been built up in every individual. It is not
easy for this high-strung offensive man to >
inhibit these disturbing stimuli.

As the ball leaves. the offensive man’s
hands, the defensive man will whirl and
swing back at top speed toward the basket
for rebound work. They know that the
law of averages is against the success of
the long shot and that they, by recovering
the ball, may profit thereby.

THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL