|
|
How to Coach and Teach the Switching Man-to-Man Basketball DefenseA switching man-to-man defense was the main defense Coach Arad McCutchan used while I sat on his bench. Coach McCutchan brought it with him from Bosse High School in Evansville, Indiana. This was the defense used by the Bulldogs when the racked-up two Indiana State championships in a row during 1944 and 1945. This defense is an oldie, but a goodie. This defense is one in which the defensive players switch on every offensive cross, except for the player defending the pivot. If offensive guards are crossing laterally in the backcourt, a jump switch is very effective. The switching players are usually guards and forwards. If the center must switch while defending the pivot against a two-three offense, the center must call the switch, otherwise, his, or her, teammates will not expect it. If the opponents use a three out and two in, the defenders should switch on all crosses with all five players. The switching defense is extremely effective against the weave, or an offense using good guard-to-guard or guard-to-forward screens. It confuses the offense, as it looks like a zone defense. The weak-side players sag toward the middle, playing their opponents loosely. The switching person-to-person is excellent for a team that has one big player and four smaller players.
|
|
A basketball service providing tips to coaching & teaching the game of basketball to the youth of the world. Web designed & maintained by: Ken Lindsay Evansville, Indiana USA |
Diagram #13a - Against a Two-Three Offense - Offensive guards A and B exchange the ball in the backcourt. X1, guarding A, and X2, guarding B, move together as A dribbles and hands off to B who is cutting behind. X1 and X2 automatically switch with X1 picking up B who has began to dribble, and X2 picking up A. X3 is playing an intercepting angle on C, X4 defends D in the low-post on the ball-side, and X5 has floated toward the center and a little higher guarding the opposite corner. If B attempts to pass under these circumstances, there is a good opportunity to intercept this pass.
Diagram #14a - A passes to C, who moves out to meet the pass. A cuts behind C and X1 moves with A. Likewise, X3 has moved out with C. C starts his dribble and as A and C cross X1 and X3 automatically switch, X3 defending A and X1 picking up the dribbler.
