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When the basketball is passed to the middle, your Middle Player steps up to guard the ball.
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The weak-side Top Players is still at the elbow guarding the high post area. With the ball in the corner, the ball-side Top Player denies the offensive player on the wing to prevent any passes out of the corner. They can shift over to the middle of the lane as help defense for any offensive players trying to attack the low post or lane area or stay in a rebounding position on the other side of the court. As that happens, your Middle Player shifts to ball-side block to front the low post area while your weak-side Bottom Player has options. When the basketball is moved to the corner, your ball-side Bottom Player will go out to guard. Your Middle Player will maintain a position between ball and basket watching for any offensive players trying to gain position in the low post, cutting to the middle, or dribble penetration. As that happens, the opposite Top Player will shift over close to ball-side elbow to guard the high post area.īall-side Bottom Player will shift out towards the corner and weak-side Bottom Player will establish a weak-side rebounding position while also being ready to help if needed.
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When the basketball is moved to the wing whether it’s passed or dribbled, the ball-side Top Player will guard the ball. The bottom three players stay in the same positions regardless of where the ball is located at the top of the key. The player who is on ball-side will shift to guard the ball while the other player will shift to cover the high post area. If the basketball is slightly on one side of the court at the top of the key then the only players who really shift are Players 1 and 2. Player 1 and 2 are at the elbows, Player 3 and 4 are just above the elbows, and Player 5 is in the middle. When the basketball is in the middle of the court at the top of the key then your players are in their starting positions. Your bottom players are going to always start in the same spot.
Defense zone basketball free#
If you want your zone to be extra compact then your top guards start at the free throw line and your center plays more in the middle of the lane whereas a less compact 2-1-2 may have top guard pick up at the three-point line and the center start at the free throw line. These starting points may vary slightly depending on how compact you want your zone to be. Player 3 and Player 4 start just above the low blocks while Player 5 starts in the middle of the lane.
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These players can vary depending on your line-up on the floor, but typically, the two top players are your guards, the two bottom players are your forwards, and the middle player is your center.Īs you can see, Player 1 and 2 start between the elbows and three point line. Essentially, your top two players are playing man-to-man defense while your bottom three players are play a triangle zone. Your defense is set-up in the shape of a “X” with two players up top, one in the middle, and two on the bottom. The 2-1-2 Zone Defense is a compact zone designed to protect the middle of the paint by utilizing the strengths of man-to-man and zone defenses. When you’re done reading, you should have a better understanding of the 2-1-2 Zone Defense and if it’s a right fit for your team. In this article, we’re going to focus on the 2-1-2 Zone Defense and its strengths and weaknesses, who might use this zone, and go into more detail of positions and rotations. Some teams may play a zone defense the entire game while others may implement it for a single possession to cause chaos on the defensive end. The goal of a zone defense is to disrupt the offense and force them out of their game plan. Changing from a man-to-man defense to zone means players focus on guarding a specific area of the court rather than a specific player. A zone defense can be exactly what a team needs to neutralize their opponent.