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The skill we look for defense will be in a small forward are several. Generally, the small forward is the best physical talent on the floor. Many times, the small forward is the go to person. Therefore, to defend that type of person, you must be quicker foot, physically strong and be able to make good mental decisions.
You have to have excellent perimeter and post defense skills. Now, shooting, Garner said we have to have good contaminant skills, true? Small forward has to have excellent, advanced defense of skills. You have to know how to deny the ball. You have to know how to front the post. You have to know how to keep people in containment. You have to be able to do these things. And most of defense is mental toughness and just learning how to challenge people.
There are two levels are defense when you play basketball. Level one is when you protect the basket. So you are here, the guy you are covering is there, you are here, you want to protect the basket by not letting this guy by you. You want to always stay in front of him. Does that make sense to you? You box out if the ball is away and so on this side, you are in a help position where you can see your man and the ball. You are pointing it both. That is level one defense, protecting the basket.
Level Two Defense is more intense. And you got to have to know how to play Level Two Defense because let us say you are covering your scorer and you are here and these players are much quicker than you even though you need to have good athleticism. Do you want these players to get the ball in their hands if they are much quicker than you? No because the dilemma you run into is now, you have to react what that player wants to do not you? What you would rather have to happen is have that player react to what you want them to do.
So now, you got to turn your effort up or not. So you have to deny the ball. You have to out a hand out here on this guys hip and hold him so he cannot go back door. Is that holding? Yes if you get caught. You cannot grab somebody’s shirt but you can put a hand with your palm open on their hip when they want to go this way. Stop their progressing change of position. We will talk about that when you are on the floor on defense. That takes some mental toughness. You have to be physically and mentally aggressive to play Level Two Defense.
Level Two Defense is when you attack your offense of opponent. You deny the ball. If your opponent catches the ball on the perimeter, that means, you lock your feet in on both sides so that their feet are here. And you climb right in and you find out what kind of gum they are chewing. That is hard to do sometimes is it not? It is because it takes you out of your comfort zone.
Most people, when they communicate and they have a day to day conversation are not doing it like this. How is your day going? “Good.” Right? A little out of your comfort zone. That is what Level Two Defense is.
Now I will tell you one of the great secrets of defense of all time, when you are on the perimeter and you are playing a quicker player, and I learned this the hard way, most of the things I have learned, I have learned through embarrassment the hard way. You are playing a quicker player but you want to play defense on them. Lock him in, make him give the ball, they are either going to pivot away.
So if I am here, I am either going to pivot it away or I am going to try to drive by you. But because you have my feet locked in, I ma going to have a heck of a time trying to turn the corner. See what I am saying? Lock in and “Hey, hey!” and startle him because it just shakes him up. Nobody plays pick up games and practice “Hey, hey!” and you are right there all the time. It does not happen too often does it?
Play Level Two Defense and attack your opponent. That is how you do it.
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