Michael Jagacki

Video Coordinator, Hofstra University

Individual Defense Technique
3/28/20

I. Intro

● Assistant Boys Coach in HS from 2014-18

● Owner of TrueHoops AAU 2016-18
● Associate Head Coach Combine Academy under Lee DeForest
● 2019-Today Video Coordinator at Hofstra Women’s Basketball

➔ YouTube Channel Started in 2013 Focused on Defense:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxNIN5yRD42O_1M2RiY3vxw

Outline for the Presentation -

1. Defensive Systems
2. Individual Technique 1/1
3. Drills & Concepts
4. Q & A
a. Closeouts
b. Post Defense
c. BLOB Defense

II. Defensive Systems

Dick Bennett Quote - “How you defend the post dictates how you defend everything else”.

● Admitted that Post Play is not nearly as critical as it once was, but think that the lesson within that quote
is that one coverage affects all your other coverages.

● On Court Demo to Show how “Wing Coverage” Related to “Post Coverage”

Example A:
Used Tony Bennett’s Virginia Team to Show how “Taking away Baseline” from the Wing complimented
the 3/4 Front of the “Post Player”.

Example B:
Used Baylor’s Defense to Show how a “No Middle” Wing Defense was complemented by the “Work to
the Baseline” approach to the Post Player.

➔ MAIN IDEA: Coverages should help each other out.

● This applies to ​Off Ball Screen Coverage​ as well. How you defend them should put you in a position
to defend the basketball in the style your Defense emphasizes.
○ Take Away Baseline Shoulder = Virginia Style (Chase & Tag)
○ Take Away Top Shoulder = Baylor Style (Shoot the Gap)

● This applies to ​Gap Positioning​ as well. The Positioning of your off ball players also puts you in a
better position to close out on your defender & guard.
○ Left Photo - Pressure Style (Baylor) = Guard Top Shoulder
○ Right Photo - Pack Style (Virginia) = Guard Baseline Shoulder
 ● This applies to ​Ball Screen Defense​ ​as well. This is perhaps the most important aspect in today’s
offenses. We want to make life easier for the player on the basketball. Certain Types of Coverages are
going to lend themselves better to certain types of defensive systems.
○ Based on the Stances of the On Ball Defender
○ Based on the Positioning of the Post Defender

● Ball Screen Coverages -

No Middle System​: No Baseline System​:
1. Ice 1. Hedge
2. Switch 2. Drop
3. Trap 3. Trap

Switching​ - Coach Jagicki thought that No Middle Systems probably had the edge in using ​Switching​ as
an effective Ball Screen Defensive Tactic.

“Flip Your Hips” Technique​ - That has become more common in ball screen defense. Coach Jagicki is a
bit wary of using though.....his reasons.
● Reject - Gets Both Defender BEat Simultaneously
● Poor Execution
● Miscommunication
● Savvy Opponent
● Great Coach

Pairing Your Systems -

When you have linked ​Multiple Actions flaws​ in your system may emerge. For example if you defend a
certain action in a manner that puts you in a poor position to defend the next action then those flaws will be
exploited.
● Showed an On Court clip of two defenders guarding a ​Pin Down into a Ball Screen
 Let’s Say You Guard a Pin Down into a Ball Screen like this....
Pin Down = Shoot the Gap
Ball Screen = Hedge

➔ You are going to be susceptible to giving up a blow by layup.

Examples of Common Pairing Actions:

● Back Screen - Ball Screen (Chin)
● Pin Screen - Ball Screen
● Cross Screen - Down Screen (Flex)
● Iverson - Ball sCreen
● Ball Screen - Down Screen
● Flare Screen - Ball Screen

In Today’s Game -

● Figure out what you need to ​defend the most​ in order to find success in your league.

Maybe defending the Post is not the most important factor in today’s game (harkening back to the Dick Bennett
Quote). But we need to figure what is ​most important​ and then build our defense from there.

Defensive Systems Questions:

1. How do we want to guard Ball Screens or How do we want to defend the Gaps?
2. What Stance Must we Guard the Ball with?
3. Do our off-Ball coverages put the on ball defender in the proper position?
4. Do our off-ball coverages and on ball coverages help each other?

Good Questions to Ask....

● Are we putting our players in the best position to succeed?
● Are we Maximizing Great Players - and are we Elevating Weak Players?

➔ Bill Belichick Quote - Great Players can’t overcome bad coaching.”

III. Individual Technique

● As he began coaching and dove into defensive study, he was disappointed with the lack of instructional
on individual defensive technique.

Mythology & Coach Speak -

● “Defense takes Heart, effort, & guts.”
● “Don’t give them anything.”
● “Defense is 90% Heart and 10% Skill”
● “Defense is a Choice, choose to be tougher than your opponent.”
● “Great Defense is all about heart & hustle.”
 ● Coach used a ​Great Analogy about Shooting..​.... What he if gave those same instructions for
shooting technique?
○ Just Want it to go in more....
○ Just Show more Effort to Make it.....
○ He has no heart in his Jump Shot.

The Price of Admission -

1. Yes. Heart & Effort is Needed to be great at anything.
2. Effort and Heart does not Guarantee Success.
3. Defense is a Skill.
● It Needs to be Taught, Trained & Practiced
● Need to get the Most out of their Hustle

Two of Stances -

“Forward Stance”​ - your feet are wide, your back is flat and you rely on a lot of hip movement.
● Advantage - you are invading their space while keeping your hips back
● Advantage - you can get reach into the “pocket” of the offensive player
● Advantage - you can really pressure the basketball
● Advantage - you have disruptive control
● Requirement - really active feet to continually readjust your positioning
● Requirement - you are going to need to be athletic, “above average”

Other Sports where we see this.....

➔ Football (Defensive Backs)

NBA Players he showed video clips of.....

➔ Avery Bradley
➔ Kobe Bryant
➔ Patrick Beverly
“Upward Stance” ​- your feet are still wide, just a little knee bend, and your back is straight up and down.
● Advantage - Allows for a wide reach....getting those “poke steal”
● Advantage - Better at containing the dribble
● Advantage - the better stance for less athletic players
● Can be used as a pressure stance and a gap stance
● Requirements - understanding and practice

Gregg Popovih Quote - Just keep backing up.

● You just want to make sure that every single shot they take is contest, don’t give up easy shots

Other Sports where we see this.....

➔ Soccer (lots of movement but not hunched over)

NBA Players he showed clips of....

➔ Scottie Pippen
➔ Tony Allen
➔ Kawhi Leonard
➔ Andre Iguodala

Wrap Up Coaching Thought....

● The Stance is the Building Block of Defense.

IV. Developing Through Drills

● Keep your Drills simple so you can maximize teaching and focus.

● Add a Live Component as early and as often as possible. (Reaction & Anticipation are needed)
 ● Use Progressions in your Drills...
○ Technique
○ Guided Instruction
○ Live Repetitions

➔ Choose Drills that we can progress through over time. Don’t choose drills that solve issues for today.

● Rep 1/1 Situations as much as possible

○ Make sure to include Individual Development and Team Development

“Is the time we focus practicing our help rotations on par with the time we spend developing our
individual defense?”​ **Like this Thought

Defensive Drills -

“Beverly Slides” - Simply working on explosiveness in their first two slides.

● Can use cones
● Coach recommends working on no more than 2-3 slides (More Game Like)

“1/1 Mirror” - We are adding a live component while continuing to work on squaring our man up in our stance.
● Set up Two Cones “About Free Throw Length Across”
● One Player is on Defense, One player is the “Offensive Player”
● Goal is to “Break Out” of the Defensive Player’s stance
● Count 1 Points for each time an Offensive Player can do this
● Go for :15 to :20 seconds
Then they progress into a ​Closeout > Slides.​ .... Working on both components; Closeouts & Defensive Sliding.
● Guard Square and Guard Laterally
● Can add a ball as well to work on Offense Ball Handling
● Can even add a “Drew Hanlen” Component - Where you can Shoot at any Time, or work on hesitation
dribble to blow by.

“1/1 Close the Gate” - 1/1 at the top of the key working on beating the offensive player to a spot and squaring
them up.
● Focus in on not opening their hips
● Don’t overcoach the drill
● Simply beat them to a spot and Square them up
● Focus on Improvement with each rep
 ➔ Next Level - Allowing the Offensive Player to “Jab Step”.
➔ Next Level - Add a Closeout to the Drill, then defend the basketball from there.

● Great Drills allow the players to look good throughout the drill. - Coach Jagicki

“1/1 Tracing the Basketball” - Working on the concept of not allowing the basketball to be comfortable. Players
should have active hands, keep good distance from the offensive player.
● Offense - Jab Step Forward
● Offense - Pivot Backwards
● Offense - Raise Ball over your Head and Swing it Down Below
● Defense - Trace the Path of the ball, while also adjusting your stance forward and back.
“1/1 On Ball Stunts” - we are taking away space and then giving them space. We want the offensive player to
know that we are guarding them.
● Stunt at the ball to keep them uncomfortable
● Take Mental Notes about how they will typically react
● One Hand Up and One Hand Back Tracing

➔ We don’t want “Comfy Quarterbacks”.

Practice Thought -
They practice steals and charges.
● Suggested using pads or dummy offense, but still working on the skill.
● Add to the tool bags of the Defensive Players, they need to know if they can do it.
● “Wide Steal” (Upward Stance Clips)
● “Forward Reach Steals” (Forward Stance Clips)

“12 Seconds of Hell” - they are working their stance, constantly moving their feet and readjusting their stance.
● 4 Seconds of Pivots
● 4 Seconds of Dribbling
● 4 Seconds of Dribbling

➔ CHANGE?! Perhaps a Drive at the end to wrap up the drill with a live element.

“1/1 Box” - Two players in a designated area, set a certain amount of time and the offensive player can earn a
point if they create more than an arm’s reach of separation from the defensive player.
● Defensively the GOAL is Maintain ARMS REACH distance
● Offensively you are working on ball handling and trying to create SEPARATION
● In his drill they used the LANE as their designated area

“1/1 Lane” - You are playing 1/1 from the baseline to the top of the key. Then running it back 1/1 at the hoop.
 ● Must Play within the “Lane Lines”
● Defense - Get as many “turns” as possible
● Offense - Get by the Defender without having to turn
● REWARD - The Defensive player earns “dribbles” on his possession based on the amount of times he
turns the offensive player on his turn.

➔ For Example if the Defender gets 3 “Turns” he gets 3 Dribbles on his offensive possession.

“1/1 Pest” - this is a wrinkle to a traditional full court zig zag drill. This can teach players to pressure the
basketball, take some chances, while also knowing their limitations. (Add Competitiveness)
● WRINKLE - if you can get a deflection, you switch from Off to Defense
● Adds a level of competitiveness to the drill

V. Closing Thoughts
● Defensive Anchors (Rim Protectors & Perimeter Protectors are both important)

● Do we Value our better defenders properly?

○ Frank Dehel Study on Playing Time of (Off Specialists vs Def Specialists)
○ Study Concluded that Coaches play Off Specialities 4 Min More Per Game
○ Are those Biases Correct

● Practice Habits
○ Spent so much time teaching Rotations, X’ing Out, Help Defense, etc
○ Wouldn’t there be more value in teaching on ball defense?

● Great Defenders have Great Technique

○ Technique + Great Heart/Effort = Success