How to Guard in Basketball

Step 1

Guarding in basketball is one of the most fundamental and important skills in the game. Since I have talked about man to man defense in another post, I will reflect on the principles of zone and press defense.

Step 2

A universal principle when thinking about guarding the basketball and guarding your hoop from the opposing team is this: always make sure you stay between your opponent and the hoop. If you make sure that you stay between your man and the basketball then your opponent will have a difficult time scoring.

Step 3

A second principle is to know where the basketball and your man are at all times. Whenever the player you are guarding does not have the basketball, make sure that you know where they are so that they don't cut to the rim without you knowing.

Step 4

A third principle is to always be ready to help a teammate whenever your opponent doesn't have the basketball. The goal is when you are in "help side" is to make sure that you form a triangle between the ball, yourself, and the offensive player you are guarding. Sometimes this imaginary triangle will be shallow and other times it will be deep, but if you can draw a triangle between these three pieces then you will always be able to see both your man and the ball.

Step 5

Since effective guarding always involves quick lateral movements, the strength of your hips is important. You can use exercise bands to strengthen your hips by wrapping them around your ankles and practicing defensive slides which will strengthen your hips.