Contents > 2. Defense > 2.1. Player-to-Player, 1/4 Court Defense >
2.1.2. Deny Defense
(1) Q: In player-to-player, what is “deny” defense?
A: If your assigned offensive player is “one pass away” from the ball-handler, you are in “deny” defense. One pass away means your assigned offensive player is in the direct line of sight for a pass from the ball-handler (the passing lane), within about 3m from them.
(2) Q: How do we achieve the goal of forcing the lowest percentage shot when in “deny” defense?
A: Remember the lowest percentage shots are the ones that are farther from the hoop and contested. In denial defense we can achieve those by:
Hand in the passing lane: making the pass to your assigned player as difficult as possible, especially the closer they are to the hoop
Staying between your assigned offensive player and the ball-handler: not allowing your assigned offensive player to cut in front of you, again especially as they get closer to the hoop
Deterring the ball-handler dribble-drive: the ball-handler is still the biggest threat to score; if the ball-handler dribble-drives to the hoop in your direction, you must leave your assigned player briefly to deter the ball-handler if possible.
We will talk more about each of these.
(3) Q: What are the steps to achieve the goals for deny defense?
A: We can break deny defense down into three situations that your assigned player and the ball-handler will be in:
Default Deny Position: When your assigned player and the ball-handler are not moving very much
Offensive Player Cut: Your assigned player is cutting to the hoop
Ball Threat Deny: The ball-handler is dribble-driving to the hoop in your direction
We will talk more about each in the next sections.
