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.