Defense Maneuvers ASKETBALL was a slow game that was over-balanced on the de- fense side. Today it is a fast game lopsided on the offense side. It once re- sembled a game of chess where the play- ers were pawns, moved with slow delib- eration by the master mind of the coach. To keep possession of the ball was the best defense. for FeBRuary, 1939 By Joe Reiff Today, basketball is a contest of action and thrills because the war cry has changed to, “A good offense is the best defense.” Since the country has become offense- minded, the principle of team defense then assumes a greater importance than ever before because there are necessarily more occasions to employ good defensive tac- tics in the faster game. The game calls for defensive maneuvers as well as keep- ing possession of the ball. Moreover, these defensive principles or techniques can be stressed without reduc- ing the speed of the game or lessening the action of the game. A team that can switch quickly and with little effort, a player who can guard two or more oppo- nents running down the floor at break- neck speed, or two players who can cover three or more opponents on a fast-break, can put on a show just as thrilling to the fans as any number of spectacular shots splitting the nets with monotonous regu- larity. Switching Switching, of course, refers to the act of a guard changing from one opponent, whom he is covering, to another opponent who is in a more favorable position to score. The interpretation of the rules with re- THE CORRECT WAY OF SWITCHING Illustration 1—Guard 1 backs up a step to cover 3 and 4 at the same time. Illustration 2—Guard 2, seeing he cannot cover 4, because 3 is in the way, runs to the inside of 3. Illustration 3—After the ball is passed, 1 switches to cover 4 and 2 switches to cover 3. Illustration 4—Guard 1 is now covering 4 instead of 3 and guard 2 is covering 3 in- stead of 4. THE INCORRECT WAY OF SWITCHING Illustration 5—Here 1 is covering 3 and 2 is covering 4. Illustration 6—Guard 1 is playing too close to 3; he should be a step and a half farther back. Illustration 7—Guard 2 runs into 3 instead of to the inside of 3. Illustration 8—One fails to switch, allow- ing 4 to dribble to the basket. If 1 catches 4, 3 can pivot and run to the basket for a return pass. gard to screening plays when switching is necessary to cope with the situation, have been changed from year to year. The reasons for the changes may be attributed partly to the laxity of officials, but are due, mainly to the inability of the players to react properly to the situation. Before the ball is passed to the pivot man, the guard should play him closely, should watch for possible interceptions and should make it difficult for the op- ponents to pass the ball to the pivot man. Defense Maneuvers ASKETBALL was a slow game that was over-balanced on the de- fense side. Today it is a fast game lopsided on the offense side. It once re- sembled a game of chess where the play- ers were pawns, moved with slow delib- eration by the master mind of the coach. To keep possession of the ball was the best defense. for FEBRUARY, 1939 By Joe Reiff Today, basketball is a contest of action and thrills because the war cry has changed to, “A good offense is the best defense.” Since the country has become offense- minded, the principle of team defense then assumes a greater importance than ever before because there are necessarily more occasions to employ good defensive tac- tics in the faster game. The game calls for defensive maneuvers as well as keep- ing possession of the ball. Moreover, these defensive principles or techniques can be stressed without reduc- ing the speed of the game or lessening the action of the game. A team that can switch quickly and with little effort, a player who can guard two or more oppo- nents running down the floor at break- neck speed, or two players who can cover three or more opponents on a fast-break, can put on a show just as thrilling to the fans as any number of spectacular shots splitting the nets with monotonous regu- larity. | Switching Switching, of course, refers to the act of a guard changing from one opponent, whom he is covering, to another opponent who is in a more favorable position to score. The interpretation of the rules with re- THE CORRECT WAY OF SWITCHING Illustration 1—Guard 1 backs up a step to cover 3 and 4 at the same time. Illustration 2—Guard 2, seeing he cannot cover 4, because 3 is in the way, runs to the inside of 3. Illustration 3—After the ball is passed, 1 switches to cover 4 and 2 switches to cover 3. Illustration 4—Guard 1 is now covering 4 instead of 3 and guard 2 is covering 3 in- stead of 4. THE INCORRECT WAY OF SWITCHING Illustration 5—Here 1 is covering 3 and 2 is covering 4. Illustration 6—Guard 1 is playing too close to 3; he should be a step and a half farther back. Illustration 7—Guard 2 runs into 3 instead of to the inside of 3. Illustration 8—One fails to switch, allow- ing 4 to dribble to the basket. If 1 catches 4, 3 can pivot and run to the basket for a return pass. gard to screening plays when switching is necessary to cope with the situation, have been changed from year to year. The reasons for the changes may be attributed partly to the laxity of officials, but are due, mainly to the inability of the players to react properly to the situation. Before the ball is passed to the pivot man, the guard should play him closely, should watch for possible interceptions and should make it difficult for the op- ponents to pass the ball to the pivot man. But when the man receives the ball, the guard should retreat one and a half steps so that he can cover the pivot man and also any other opponent, cutting by for a pass. There is no advantage in playing the pivot man closely after he receives the ball and, furthermore, this is conducive to fouling. There is an advantage in play- ing him loosely because, then, the guard is in a better position to switch to another opponent. Of course, this leaves the pivot man free to make a one-handed shot from the free throw lane. This, however, is not a serious threat because of the poor per- centage on shots of this kind. The guard, covering the man who is breaking close to the pivot man for a pass, should run to the inside of the pivot man and guard him. He should never follow his opponent around the pivot man or bump into the pivot man. Two Against Three A large majority of teams use what is called the standard method of two against Under this arrangement, the men three. retreat to positions shown in Diagram 1. When the center man, near the free throw area has the ball, guards 1 and 2 feint as though to charge him in order to bother him. But 1 or 2 cannot leave their posi- tions because that would allow the oppo- nent on the side to run under the basket for a fast pass and easy shot. Hence, many times the center man is allowed to take the best shot on the floor. This weakness has been successfully eliminated in a comparatively new method which, gaining in popularity, has been tried and proved to be good. The only drawback is that it is more difficult to teach. Assuming once again that the center man has the ball, as in Diagram 3, note the difference in the way the guards line up. Two is unusually the tall back guard ; 1 is usually the small, faster guard. Now the center man does not have the same opportunity to shoot that he had under the first arrangement. ; Assume that he passes to the man on “his left, as in Diagram 3. Player 2 shifts to cover the man who has the ball and 1 AN INCORRECT WAY OF SWITCHING Illustration 9—Guard 1 is playing too close to 3. Illustration 10—Guard 1 has switched too soon, leaving 3 (Illustration 11) free to pivot and dribble to the basket (Illustration 12). Guard 1 must wait until 3 passes before mak- ing a switch. CORRECT ONE-AGAINST-TWO PLAY Illustration 13—-The guard should stay between the men. He should retreat and feint as if to charge the man with the ball. Illustration 14—-The guard under the basket shifts laterally to the left to stop the dribble. Illustration 15—The left arm should be raised and the left leg extended, when block- ing a shot off the left side. The player’s back should be kept parallel to the back- board. If the ball is passed to a team mate on the guard’s right, he should shift laterally to the right. Illustration 16—The player’s back is par- allel to the board and his right arm and leg are extended. retreats in the opposite direction toward the basket as shown. One watches the ball as he retreats so that he can inter- O oD oy x Diagram 1. Standard way of playing two against three. Diagram 2. A different line-up. THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL B Diagram 3. The guards shift in the direction arrows point in A. Players’ position after for FEBRUARY, 1939 shifting are shown in B. THE INCORRECT WAY TO PLAY ONE AGAINST TWO Illustration 18 shows the guard turning his back to the man without the ball. Illustration 19—The right arm and leg are extended instead of the left. Illustration 20—When the man _hook- passes, the guard does not have enough time to get back. Illustrations 21-24—In guarding two men, the player is violating the primary principle of retreating, feinting and jockeying between them; he is charging (Illustration 23) toward the man with the ball. cept any cross-court pass. Note that the man with the ball cannot get an easy shot nor can he make a cross-court pass with- out the danger of an interception. If he passes back to the center man, 1 advances to cover him and:2 shifts to a position under the basket. Guard 1 always covers the center man when he has the ball. Guard 2 always plays under the basket when the center man has the ball. When a pass is made to either side, guard 1 faces the ball as he retreats in the opposite direction and watches for a cross-court pass. Guard 2 always covers the side man who has the ball, being careful to come out no more than 10 or 12 feet from the basket. If neither side man has the ball, guard 2 plays under the basket, so that he can shift to either side when the ball is being passed. : One Against Two The problem of a guard who must cover two men charging down upon him is mainly one of forcing the men to pro- ceed at a slower pace. The best way to do this is for him to get the dribbler to stop the dribble. The guard should stay between the men and retreat by taking short steps back- ward. His attention should be concen- trated on the dribble but he must remain in a position to drop back to the basket at all times. Many times the dribbler will stop if the guard feints as though he were going to charge the dribbler or suck in toward him. When the dribbler stops, — the guard has gained a few precious sec- onds for his team mates to come back to help him. Many times it is advisable for the guard to slap his foot on the floor as he feints his charge, because many drib- blers concentrate so much on the ball that they do not see these feints. If these movements do not give the players sufficient time to get back on de- fense, then the guard should retreat to a spot underneath the basket. If the drib- bler or man with the ball is on the left, the guard should shift laterally to the left, keeping his back parallel to the back- board, and extend his left foot and left arm to block the shot, as shown in Illus- trations 13, 14, 15 and 16. If this man, instead of shooting, hook- passes to the man on the right, the guard should shift laterally to the right, keeping his back parallel to the board and extend- ing his right foot and right arm to block the shot. The worst mistake, and a very common mistake, is shown in Illustrations 18 and (Continued on page 43) Baskethall-cHietes And Phere A Combination Fast-Break and a Set-Play Offense By Mike Houser Andrew Jackson Senior High School, Jacksonville, Fla. HE best way for a coach to keep an opposing team guessing, if he has boys that can play both the fast- break and the slow set-type of basketball, is to use a combination of the two. Fundamentally, basketball is a game of passing the ball and shooting baskets, re- gardless of the type of offense or defense employed by a team. If we can get the jump on our oppo- nents, or if we intercept the ball, we fast- break, otherwise we resort to our set plays. The plays help the boys get started a cer- tain way and aid all the players in know- ing what they should do with the ball when they get it. In Diagram 1, 5 passes to 4 who gives the ball to 5. Five passes to 1 who fakes and passes to 3. Three passes to 5 who shoots. Five, 3 and 2 follow in. The guard on the opposite side of center breaks in for a pass. In Diagram 2, 5 passes to 4 who gives the ball to 5. Five passes to 1 who fakes or passes to 3. Three shoots or dribbles in for a shot. Five, 3 and 2 follow up the play. In Diagram 3, 2 shifts to the opposite side and the play is worked as in that shown in Diagram 1. Four passes to 5 who fakes to 4 and passes to 3. Three passes to 1 who passes to 5. Two shifts when 5 fakes to 4. In the center play, shown in Diagram 4, 3 stands outside the circle. Five passes to 3 who passes, dribbles in or shoots. Four and 5 stay back. One and 2 break for the basket, when 3 gets the ball. One, 2 and 3 follow up. Diagram 5 shows the guards breaking in and the forwards coming out to screen. Four passes to 3. Four and 5 break in. Three passes to 4 or to 5, shoots or dribbles in. Three, 4 and 5 follow up. One and 2 come out and screen. Three steps out of the free throw circle. In the guard play, shown in Diagram 6, 5 goes in, fakes for a pass, spins and goes in under the basket. Four passes to 5. One and 2 follow up after 5 breaks in. Three comes out. -~---> “ aa In the play shown in Diagram 7, 4 passes to 1 who gives the ball to 4. Four dribbles in or passes to 3 or to 2. Four, 3 and 2 follow up the play. In the play shown in Diagram 8, 4 or 5 passes the ball. One, 2 and 3 fake out and break in under the basket. The ball is passed to whichever man is open and the other two follow up the play. Novelty Defenses for Special Situations By Virgil A. Kirste High School, Ryegate, Montana OACHES in Montana, where the i game has previously been played more offensively than defensively, are now becoming defense conscious with the result that many weird defenses are DIAG Ngo i oat DP pails jo a Morale A Ee / : A ar : | / \ ' 4 | / mit SUI ONG Xe. | fit + 1 [ Tf ae WY | dae ” ty * et x ; i 7 4 : @ @ DIAG. 5 DIAG.8 eee a eae ee. THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL = Se - Oetober 7, 1940 Ament our basketbal games with Wichita itteattes it is necessary that we schedule these games between the A teams and the 8 teamse There is a conference rule that prohibits our Varsity playing wUMuuitnue. mm there will be no objection, I am sures ; ! te clin wirtg, tov Aad GE Saka Hak we 001 he two games of basketball at Wichita on February 43; the first game between the 5 teams end the final game between the Varsities, or the A teamse SN ee ee em ente wnt Wink | our B team is to ire, the freshmen of Wichita, we would not be permitted to play it, but if you play your freshmen in the B game there would be. no objections is Wiisahe: Aeghals shee gts 1 bin: Wantiors exe the Emporia Teachers hed freshmen on their football team, but there was no objections therefore, I think it the better part of wisdon to Nude deo monn aes publicity should be bandied in that way | itis Stites bend inc appr tn W B team Ging ont tue definitely of the opinion that we should conform to this schemes | : Write mo your reactions and if aiaane es | we are. + peneties ay, t thisky Se dene. wp the santencts Jy zomartn to Coach Semnich and tht each of @ lotro Dane “bay vo te nnn your teak ease” eS eet eee Sincerely yoursy Director of Physical Education and Recreation | . Varsity Basketball — | FCAs October 7, 1940 Mire Francis As Guy c/o JoCe Nichols Company Kansas City, Missouri. Dear Ure Guys ire Ce Ae Fordyce, Principal uf the Westeved ‘View School, tells me that you and lit. Petra were iind enough to put Paul Turner to work for about a month early in the sumncere witicia. CU Ue Paul*s sincere thanks. | > Wlak Meetnseees ax Gta Sel Witehaa 0 bey 0 pursue an academic course, are valuable to all concerned. Sincerely yours, Director of Physical Education and Recreation Varsity Basketball Coach FCAsig THE MUNICIPAL UNIVERSITY OF WICHITA WICHITA, KANSAS October 9, 1940 Mr. Forest C. Allen Varsity Basketball Coach University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Phog: I received your letter this morning in regard to the conference rule which prohibits Varsity teams playing Freshman teamse We will put in the contract that your B team will play our B teame I just called an attorney downtown, who is pre- paring the contract, and it will be worded in that mannere Sincerely hope that when you receive “it, it will be satisfactory. In case it is not, please return it and we will fix it according to your wants. Thanks again for your kind regards and I want you to know that we will take care of the contract as you suggested. Sincerely yours, Cd Aede Gebert Director of Athletics AJG:ir October 18, 1540 Mire Frank Gray Court House Lawrence, Kansas Dear Wire Grays | This 4s to confirm Urs Jim Raportts telephone conversation with you several days mge Wigkibing bis Witibageaee