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Fly with the Ball

 

This is may be the most important rule in the entire system. All players have to be ready to quickly switch from being a strong side defender to being a weak side defender. Everybody has to “fly with the ball” as soon as an offensive player makes a pass.

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Take Away Shots

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As x5 starts to defend against 1, the top priority is to take away the three-point shot. The idea is to force guard to drive inside, where the defense has the ability to help or switch.

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Force Weak Hand

 

The next priority for x5 is to force 1 to dribble the ball using their weaker hand to minimize the driving advantage. This also serves to create an understanding which is the strong and weak side for other defensive players. In the video below we see near perfect work by 5 in executing rules 5 and 6.

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Front the Post

 

x1 has to front 5, if 5 he tries to pass the ball in the post. x1’s responsibility is to eliminate direct pass opportunity and force high arcing pass, which allows weak side defenders to be on time in help situations. Also, front position allows x1 sometimes  to switch out of a mismatch in driving situations.

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Pack the Paint

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As x1 fronts the post, other defensive players must immediately start packing the paint with one foot inside the lane, protecting x1 and forcing weak side passes.

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Switching Principles