Defensive Stance and Foot Movement

Defensive Stance

Good defense starts with a good stance:

1. Starting with the feet, the feet should be about shoulder width apart. One foot should be slightly ahead of the other foot, so that the back foot’s toe is parallel to the heel of the front foot.

2. The weight is on the balls of the feet, but the heels of the feet are not off the ground. Weight is evenly balanced.

3. Knees are flexed to the ideal position of the player’s thighs being parallel to the floor. Most players will not get that low, but that is the optimum position.

4. The defender’s back is fairly straight, with a slight lean forward. The head is up, eyes focused on the opponent’s mid-section. The arms are bent, flexed and ready to be active. The front foot’s arm may be raised up.

5. Hands are always ready to mirror the ball. Good balance is a must. Weight should not be on the player’s toes, or heels. From this position, the defender is ready to move.

Getting in good defensive stance makes a player feel like a good defender. And as long as the offense doesn’t move, he is in position to be a good defender. Unfortunately, the offense is going to move, and the defense needs to stay between the opponent and the basket. The defender now has to move their feet.

Defensive Foot Movement

If the defender wants to move to the left, because the offense has dribbled to the right, the defender should step with their left foot while at the same time pushing off from their right. Turning the left foot so that the toe is pointed to the left will help in quickness and balance. After pushing off from the right foot, the right foot slides the same distance as the left foot stepped. This movement is commonly referred to as Step-Slide by coaches (we coaches are pretty profound and original). That movement will continue until the offense changes direction.

Now going to the offensive player’s left, the defender plants the left foot to stop, steps with the right foot, as the defender pushes off their left, and then slides the left foot. The defender has changed direction, and is now going to the right.

When an offensive player changes direction, it most likely is because the defender has cut off their progress and that is the goal of the defender to impede the progress of the offensive player. As the offensive player changes direction, he or she might gain ground toward the basket. If they do, then the defender will have to catch up with a diagonal move.

So in the example where the dribbler was going to their right (the defender’s left), and then changes direction to the left, gaining ground toward the basket, the defender should stop on their left foot. Then, pivot on their left foot, pushing off the left foot as they swing their right foot to such an angle to catch up with the dribbler. Back to the Step- Slide, now stepping with the right foot, pushing off and sliding the left. The most important point in changing direction is to stay low on the stop and pivot. It is vital to plant hard and keep those legs bent on the pivot.

When stepping and sliding, it is important that the defender does not cross their feet. or bring their feet together. My college coach “Tex” Winter used to say,“picture yourself holding a stick lengthwise between your thighs. If your feet get too far apart, the stick will fall. If you bring your feet too close together, you may hurt yourself.” So you can see these Step-Slide movements are almost simultaneous and quick. However, I think one of the best ways to teach this movement is by slow motion, slowly going over each movement of the feet. We will cover that in the drill section with such drills as the ZigZag.

Why not bring the feet together or cross them when moving? First, good balanced is jeopardized. Secondly, if the offensive player changes direction as the feet are together or crossed, the defender would be in real trouble trying to change direction as well. It takes longer to change direction if the feet are together or crossed than if proper foot movement is used. There is a very good chance balance will be hurt, too. One last thing to remember. While I am a stickler for fundamentals, let’s not forget that the primary objective of the defender is to stay between their opponent and the basket. If the defender has to run to do that, then run!!

Off the Ball Movement

When I see a team where the off the ball defenders are playing with their legs bent, I know that team is well coached, and is a good defensive team. The off the ball defenders don’t have to be as low as the on the ball defender, but they should be in the Basic Basketball Stance, ready to move. Legs bent, head and eyes up, always seeing man and ball. With every ball movement, be it a dribble or a pass, all defenders should move in relation to the ball. With every movement the off the ball offensive player makes, their defender should move accordingly. Obviously, the defender needs to keep those knees bent in order to keep up with all this movement. We will cover specific situations, and how to defend them later in this Defensive section.