Chapter - 15

Man-For-Man Defense

Types of man-for-man defenses | Assigned man-for-man defense | General rules and principles | Defensive positioning | When to switch | Switching man-for-man defense | Helping man-for-man defense | Combating screens

Man-for-man defense differs from zone defense in that players are assigned specific opponents to defense rather than specific floor areas. Man-for-man defense presents a real challenge to the players, for the ability to defense an opponent is the measuring rod of defensive worth to the team. It is a more versatile defense than the zone, for opponents can be defensed aggressively at half-court or full-court or the defense may sag away from opponents and congest the dangerous area around the basket.

Types of Man-for-Man Defenses

Though defensive rules and principles may vary, man-for-man half-court defenses are of three major types:

1. The Assigned Man-for-Man Defense.

2. The Switching Man-for-Man Defense.

3. The Helping Man-for-Man Defense.

Assigned Man-For-Man Defense

The assigned man-for-man defense allows the coach to make defensive assignments on the basis of height, position, speed, and offensive ability of the opponents. The team's best defensive guard may be assigned to the opponent's best scorer. The poorest defender may be assigned the opponent's weakest- scorer. A slow defensive player may be assigned a slow opponent. Thus, matchups are facilitated and definite responsibility can be charged for scoring by opponents. Individual pride in defensive ability is more easily fostered since each player has a particular opponent to guard and can judge his performance in terms of points scored by this opponent.

General Rules and Principles

Most teams that use the assigned man-for-man defense will use general team defensive principles similar to the following:

1. Always point the ball. One defensive player must be on the man with the ball at any time he is within shooting distance.

2. Switch opponents only when absolutely necessary. This is difficult to master and requires hours of practice against varied screens and offensive maneuvers before satisfactory results can be achieved.

3. Protect the  baseline.  Except in unusual circumstances  when an opponent is a poor baseline driver, never let an opponent drive the baseline. This is a major rule of all man-for-man defenses.

4. Prevent the close shot. Good man-for-man defensive clubs seldom give up the open lay-up shot. When a driver gets by his opponent and moves for the basket, he no longer is one man's responsibility but becomes the responsibility of all defensive players. Defensive players must converge on the basket in efforts to prevent the close shot.

5. Prevent the second shot. The game can be won or lost on the back boards. It is mandatory for every defensive player to screen his man off the board in order to minimize the number of rebounds and resulting second shots the offense may obtain.

6. Keep the ball away from the pivotman. This becomes more important the closer the pivotman is to the basket. The nearer to the basket he is, the easier it is for him to score. In addition, many teams use a great number of plays involving passes to the pivotman and prevention of these passes reduces the number of offensive maneuvers that must be defensed.

CHART 160. Normal man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the guard position.

CHART 161. Normal man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the forward position.

Defensive Positioning

Normal. Charts 160 and 161 show normal defensive positions for the assigned man-for-man defense with the ball at the guard or forward positions.

"Sinking". Several offensive characteristics may require the use of "sinking" techniques when playing the assigned man-for-man defense. The opposing center may be a prolific scorer or the outside shooting ability of the opponents may be poor. Perhaps the opponent's driving game may be so effective that "sinking" techniques are needed to jam the middle.

"Sinking" tactics require no change in basic defensive principles. No change is necessary in defensive assignments. Players away from the ball simply retreat or "float" toward the basket a few steps to congest the basket area, making drives and passes into this area more difficult. Charts 162 and 163 diagram this "defensive sag" at two ball positions.

Tight or Aggressive. Offensive characteristics may suggest that the defense play tighter and more aggressively than normal. The opponent may be a poor driving team allowing more defensive gamble. The opponent may be a good outside shooting team. A weak ball-handling team will find more difficulty penetrating an aggressive defense. Many teams play their assigned man-for-man defense "tight" all of the time operating on the theory that the speed of ball movement by the offense will be reduced thereby cutting down the effectiveness of the offense. Another advantage of tight defensive play is increased difficulty in setting up offensive patterns.

CHART 162. "Sinking" man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the guard position.   

CHART 163. "Sinking" man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the forward position.

CHART 164. Tight man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the guard position.

CHART 165. Tight man-for-man defensive positioning with the ball at the forward position. The tight man-for-man usually picks up the offense at the mid-court line.

Again, no change in defensive principles or assignments is necessary. Defensive players play closer to their respective opponents and contest opponents for all passes. Charts 164 and 165 diagram tight defensive positioning with the ball at the guard and forward positions.

When to Switch

Since a general principle of the assigned man-for-man defense allows a switch of opponents only when absolutely necessary, techniques must be practiced and rules established to allow the defense to meet screens without the necessity for switching.

To facilitate players knowing when to switch and techniques to prevent the switch, the front-court is divided into three zones (Chart 166). No switches should be made in Zone C regardless of the type of screen. The offense is far enough away from the basket to allow the defense time to recover if a screen succeeds in a momentary delay of defensive movement. Defensive players should "slide through" on screens in this zone. Chart 167 illustrates the "slide through" technique against two types of screens.

CHART 166. Floor zones for the assigned man-for-man defense. Defensive players use "slide through" techniques in Zone C and never switch. Defensive players "go over the top" in Zones A and B and switch only when absolutely necessary. Defensive players attempt to prevent passes to players in Zone A.

CHART 167. The "slide through" technique. On the left, 1 passes to 2 and sets screen. As 2 dribbles off screen, defensive player Xx steps back and allows defensive player X2 to slide through and remain with his opponent. On the right, 3 uses dribbling screen for 4. As 4 comes outside 3, defensive player X3 steps back to allow defensive player X4 to slide through and remain with 4.

Zones A and B represent more dangerous areas of the court and switches may be made in these areas if necessary. Defensive players must "go over the top" of screens in these areas and, if the switch is necessary, it is clearly "called" by the player guarding the screener who usually is in the best position to see the necessity for the switch. The technique of "going over the top" is diagrammed by Chart 168.

Zone A represents the pivot area. Defensive players guarding opponents in this zone should play between opponents and the ball to prevent the ball from being passed into this dangerous area.

Instead of using floor zones, some teams using the assigned man-for-man defense switch on predetermined situations. An example is the team that switches on any screen in which the ball is involved. The switch is never made on screens away from the ball.

CHART 168. "Going over the top" of screens. On the left, 1 forms dribbling screen for 2. As 2 cuts off screen, defensive player X2 fights over the top of 1 and between 1 and 2. On the right, defensive player X3 cuts between 3 and 4 as 3 cuts off 4's screen. If defensive players go behind screens this close to the basket, the offensive player can stop behind the screen for a good shot at the basket.

Switching Man-For-Man Defense

Though the switching man-for-man defense does not allow personnel match-ups of the assigned man-for-man, the clear-cut rule of switching on all screens and criss-crosses reduces some of the effectiveness of the screening offense and provides a definite rule for meeting all types of screens. In addition, players do not have to cover as much territory and taller players can more easily be kept near the basket for rebounding duties. Since switches reduce the amount of defensive player movement, the defense is occasionally mistaken for a zone defense particularly if offensive player movement is poor. Clever teams who use the switching man-for-man defense sometimes begin games in a zone defense and after two or three offensive attacks, switch to the switching man-for-man without detection.

Defensive responsibility is more difficult to place than in the assigned man-for-man for to the question, "Why did you let Brown score twenty points," can come the answer, "he didn't get them off me, he got them off Joe who had switched on to him."

Defensive Principles

Defensive principles for the switching man-for-man are generally the same as those listed for the assigned man-for-man with the exception of the switching principle. The switch principle for the switching man-for-man defense is: Switch opponents on all screens and crosses by opponents whether the switch is necessary or not.

Defensive Positioning

Defensive positioning on the switching man-for-man is the same as for the assigned man-for-man. Normal, "sinking," or tight positioning may be used though most switching man-for-man teams favor "sinking" tactics.

Helping Man-For-Man Defense

The helping man-for-man defense, used so successfully by America's master defensive strategist, Hank Iba, operates on the never-switch theory. To prevent the necessity of switching on screens, the defense employs "helping" techniques commonly referred to as the "fake switch." The defensive man guarding the screener switches momentarily to the dribbler coming off the screen, stops his dribble, and then returns to his own opponent. The "fake switch" technique is diagrammed in Chart  170.

CHART 169. Switching technique. 1 passes to 2 and sets screen. As 2 dribbles off screen, Xx switches to defense 2 as X2 switches to 1. On the offside screen away from the ball, X3 switches to 4 coming off the screen

while X4 switches to 3.

CHART 170. The fake-switch. As 1 dribbles off screen set by 2, defensive player X2 steps out to stop dribble by 1 while Xi fights over top of screen. After stopping dribble, X2 hustles back to his man. Defensive players guarding 3, 4, and 5 have sagged into the lane to be in position to help and to make screens on them more difficult.

Defensive Principles

Defensive rules are basically the same for this defense as for the assigned man-for-man and the switching man-for-man with the primary exception of the never-switch rule.

Defensive Positioning

Since helping principles are involved to prevent the necessity for switching, defensive positioning requires the use of "sinking" tactics. Players away from the ball sag toward the lane to be in position to help out defensively and to make screens on them more difficult (Chart 170).

Combating Screens

To aid in combating screens and to make defensive assignments more concrete, the front-court is divided into zones similar to those shown by Chart 166 for the assigned man-for-man. In Zone "C," the "slide through" technique is used. In Zone "B," which is from 15 to 22 feet from the basket, defensive players fight over the top of screens. Tight pressure is maintained on the ball at all times in this area. Defensive players guard to the offensive man's outside shoulder to make him drive toward the middle. Zone "A," within 15 feet of the basket, requires defensive players to front the offensive players to prevent passes into this area.

Players must talk a great deal to indicate to defensive teammates guarding the ball where the "help" is. For example, with the ball at the left guard position as shown by Chart 171, defensive player X3 will call "help right" while defensive player X2 will call "help left." With one side of the floor cleared as in Chart 172, defensive player X2 will call "help left." When no "help right" is called, defensive player Xi will know that he must play more to the outside to drive his opponent into the area in which he has help. Talk is also necessary to help defensive players "go over the top."

CHART 171. 1 has the ball. X3 calls "help right" and X2 calls "help left" to indicate to Xj where his defensive help is.

CHART 172. 1 has the ball. X2 calls "help left." 3 has cleared so no "help right" is called. X1 overplays his opponent to the  outside to force any drive to be made  toward the side from where he may re- ceive immediate help.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...