The main role of the chaser is to influence the dribbler to one side of the court and then not allow the basketball to be reversed back to the other side of the court by playing up high in the passing lane of the guard-to-guard pass. The answer is not to change your defense. A lot of teams like to put their quickest, smartest player in this position. Players love that they’re encouraged to anticipate and go for steals and deflections, it creates great transition offense, and it’s unique! The chaser must always rebound the weak-side of the zone. Players must attack the boards and find someone to put a body on. The 1-3-1 is an aggressive gambling zone and players should be going for deflections when they get a chance. This compact zone allows a big, intimidating defender to stay around the basket at all times. In the 1-3-1 Zone the wings work opposite. The 1-3-1 zone defense has the advantage of being able to apply pressure on the outside arc and high post, and allows for some trapping.The major weakness is when the offense attacks from the corners and into the low post.. The reason for this is because the 1-3-1 is vulnerable in the corners. X2 on ball and X4 sags off to middle position. As the name suggest, the 1-3-1 zone defense is set up in a 1-3-1 formation. The chaser drops down to the high post, the ball-side wing is defending the pass out to the wing, and the weak-side wing is defending the weak-side low block. The team will set up how it was shown under ‘initial setup’ above. Guys who run the defense are cool with that. Rather, it’s about getting in the face of perimeter players and using rotations aggressively to allow the defense to recover, rather than give help outright. The task of defending the paint falls to the weak-side wing player and the warrior who must pinch in and prevent any easy passes into the paint. Before we start, here’s something you should keep in mind. 3. Players setting the baseline trap must make sure not to foul. When the ball is passed to the corner the chaser is responsible for guarding the ball-side elbow. The player that fills the role of the warrior must be exactly that… a warrior. This forces the star player to pass the basketball but also allows the defense to prevent them from getting the ball back while encouraging their teammates to attack. While this is happening the center is establishing front position in the high post. The chaser is also required to be a weak-side rebounder whenever shots are taken from the wing or the corner on either side of the court. Defender X3 is on ball, X1 drops to ballside elbow, X2 denies pass back to wing, X4 drops to weakside baseline and X5 assumes a low position between ball and basket. This discourages the corner player from driving the basketball and can be a good tactic to use if there’s a dominant big on the opposition team and you want to keep the ball out of their hands. Instead of trapping the weaker players, your team can hedge closer to the star player and discourage the pass back to them. The warrior is responsible for the corners and it’s incredibly hard for them to sprint corner-to-corner on a ball reversal. Instead, you must know your athlete’s abilities and put them in zone positions that will best suit their strengths on the court. On all skip passes it will always be the weak-side wing defender closing out on the basketball… but how they close out will depend on where the basketball is skipped to. Trapping a ball handler will instantly take a team out of its offensive flow. When the skip pass is made to the corner we have the chaser able to help if the quick pass is made to the wing, whereas there is no one to help the warrior defend the corner if the skip pass is made to the wing and then the opposition makes a quick pass to the corner. that never make a mistake and defenders should take full advantage of them whenever possible. Defender X4 is on ball, X1 drops to ballside elbow, weakside wing X2 drops into the middle, base defender X3 is half way to the corner and X5 assumes a position between ball and the basket. If you’re going to teach the 1-3-1 zone defense to your team, I highly recommend that you teach both variations so that you can change over during the game. The warrior will be between the low post and the corner ready to step out if a pass is made to the corner, the center will be fronting up high on the low block, and the weak-side wing will be on the weak-side low block. Pick the wings last. This press matches up well against teams that use a three-across, or 3-up, press offense. Both wings sprint the sidelines and the chaser will usually be the person in front. When a shot is taken, the weak-side wing and the chaser are in charge of rebounding on the weak side. This requires them to be in stance and anticipating where the next pass will be made to. They must keep arms out and pressure with their lower body. What we want is for the player with the basketball to be forced to throw a high lob pass that one of our other three players can intercept. Usually, it will be one of the other two players contesting the shot so the other must close in to help out on the rebounds as well. We want the center to front the post at all times. X3 half way out and X1 sags off toward elbow. X4 denies the sideline passing lane, and X2 anticipates the pass out of the trap. To view 1-3-1 power play systems please view the power plays page. X5 protects ball side low post area. We don’t worry about the lob over the top because our weak-side wing is on the weak-side low block and should be able to intercept that pass. For the other three defenders, the chaser slides across from the high post, the weak-side wing drops to the weak-side low block, and the center battles to get across and establish positon in front on the ball-side low block. The goal of the 1-3-1 zone defense is to create turnovers. This post includes his thoughts on adjustments, rebounding, defending baseline inbounds plays, and pressing out of the 1-3-1. So if the basketball gets swung from the wing to the corner the center must quickly battle for front position on the low block. X2 denies return pass and X4 assumes a weakside rebounding position. The reason we set a soft trap instead of an aggressive hard trap is that we don’t want the dribbler to split the trap and beat us. If you decide to implement the 1-3-1 zone defense for your team, it’s imperative that you’re ready to play fast basketball! Speeds up the game – Great for teams with athletes that want to play a fast style of basketball. The center must fight to get across and establish front position on the ball-side and the weak-side wing will drop to the weak-side low block like normal. 1. If the basketball is skipped to the opposite side of the court, it’s crucial that the weak-side wing player remembers how to guard skip passes by banana cutting out and taking away the direct pass to the corner. Rebounding can be a weakness since a wing defender is the primary weakside defensive rebounder when shots are taken from the wing or corner. Therefore, you can always get quicker” – Don Meyer. The fewer people who know about it, the better off they are. Defender X3 is on ball, X1 drops to ballside elbow, X4 denies pass back to wing, X2 drops to weakside baseline and X5 defends low post area. As the dribbler crosses the half-court line, the ball-side wing will step up and set a soft trap a couple of feet from the offensive player. Rebounding can be a weakness since a wing defender is the primary weakside defensive rebounder when shots are taken from the wing or corner. But the rotations are the same.). Specifically, the corners and high post. Strengths of the 3-2 Zone Defense. 1. The wing player must close-out to the ball by making a banana cut so that they first cut off the direct pass to the corner before closing out with high hands to the player with the basketball. That’s the danger pass and is one of the vulnerable spots of the 1-3-1 zone defense. From this point, that chaser will start pressuring the basketball to one side of the court. Skip passes to the corner. Skip passes are a difficult action for the 1-3-1 defense to cover, but it can be done. If the zone is set up correctly, when the ball is on the opposite side of the court, the wing defender on the low block will be the only weak-side defender. This gives the defensive team plenty opportunities to read the pass and get deflections or steals. The 1-3-1 zone player alignment makes it excellent for trapping since This zone offense is predicated on moving the ball, attacking the defense's weak spots, and exploiting mismatches in the low post. DIAGRAM 3: Ball reversal vs. a 1-3-1 zone. 3. 5. If the right wing is up, the left wing should be down. But if we do happen to get into the situation of the center playing defense behind on the low block, the warrior must dig at the basketball until it’s passed out of there. Players will occasionally be caught out of position. Similar to the three half-court traps we talked about for the half-court corners, there are two other alternatives to the hard corner trap that you can use. 3. And the opposite wing will fall back to the weak-side low block. Will your team trap in both the half-court and baseline corners? In a 1-3-1 zone, when the ball is on wing or in corner, the weakside wing drops to the baseline and has primary rebounding responsibility. The ball must never be dribbled down the middle of the court! As usual, they close out with high hands and with 10 toes towards the sidelines, staying directly in the passing lane of the guard-to-guard pass. Here’s 5 facts about the 3-3-5 Defense that coaches need to know (whether you run it or not)… #1 – The 3-3-5 Defense is versatile enough to defend any offensive attack. Small guards are not used to passing over tall players. We don’t get steals directly from the players trapping. As soon as the pass is made, the warrior must sprint the baseline and get to the corner as quick as they can. They must stay in the passing lanes and force the opposition to make high lob passes and slow bounce passes. Rebounding – As with any zone, rebounding is an issue since players aren’t on direct opponents to box out. Let’s set the record straight. You must have a big player that’s willing to battle for position at all times because that’s what they’ll be doing. Hard trapping might lead to a few more easy baskets for the opposition since the defense gambles more, but it can result in more turnovers which has the potential to change a game. This causes one of the rare times where we will end up with three players defending the basketball making it extremely difficult for the player with the ball to find an open passing angle. The 1-3-1 zone is an effective defense that can be used in the half or full court. Read part 1 here: 5 Advantages of Running the 1-3-1 Defense Once you have decided to incorporate the 1-3-1 defense into your playbook for next season, there are several keys to running it successfully. The three-quarter court zone is called ’23’ and is the aggressive version of the 1-3-1 zone defense. The soft trap is simply being in the passing lane from the corner to the wing and not allowing an easy pass out of the corner. Whether the offensive player picks up their dribble or not, all we want to force with the soft trap is to force the dribbler to throw a lob pass over the trap that we might be able to deflect or steal. When the warrior gets there, they can bump the wing player back up to their normal position. 6. When a cross court skip pass is made along with a quick pass to the corner, the middle and baseline defenders exchange roles with the baseline defender X5 trapping and X4 defending the low post area. Ball in Corner X2 or X4 pressure the passing lanes to wings. Everyone must crash the boards – Since zones are susceptible to offensive rebounds, every player must crash the boards hard when a shot is made and get the rebound. The coach must be constantly reminding the players to get their hands up! This is mainly due to the positioning of the top and wing defenders within the zone. Some coaches use the 1-3-1 as a defense to switch things up, while others will use it as their primary defensive scheme. The 1-3-1 zone defense doesn’t have specific spots where certain positions must play. In fact, its basic form is the least use. How To Play Zone Defense – The Strengths & Weaknesses of Cover 2, Cover 3, & Cover 4 Essentially in football there’s two types of defensive coverages when defending against the pass. Ball in Corner This is very similar to the disruptive nature of the 1-3-1 zone defense (In fact, these two defenses are very similar when you dig down into the details). They want the dribbler to question whether they can throw a lob over the top without them getting a hand on it. In this highly organized presentation, you will learn what the zone is trying to accomplish, offensive strategies to exploit these defensive tactics, effective set plays versus the 1-3-1, and a collection of practice drills to prepare your team for this zone. This is a good zone defense to use if the opposing team has a combination of good guards and post players. Your team will know what to expect and how to defend the limited variations. X3 on ball and X1 covers high post area. Ball in Corner 3. Along with the chaser, they’re in charge of getting weak-side rebounds. A couple of tips for the wing player stepping up to trap the basketball with the chaser: 1. The center position isn’t easy. Ball on Wing The 3-1-1 zone press features three defenders across the free throw line area, one just beyond the 3-point line in the center, and one down-court in "prevent" (see Diagram A). X4 on ball and X2 sags off to middle position. There are four positions on defense which we’ll now walk through. The ball-side wing will close out to the corner with high hands and the wing and warrior will set a hard trap in the corner. A tall, lanky player can also be placed at the top of the 1-3-1 zone, especially against small offensive guards. In the 1-2-2 Zone, the two baseline players work in unison as if there is a line tied to them. In keeping their rule of staying between the ball and the basket, the center will drop down and front the ball-side low block. When are you going to use the 1-3-1 zone defense? The wing that was on the weak-side must now come up and pressure the basketball the same way the other wing just was. 3. Rebounding should be a massive emphasis when running the 1-3-1 zone defense. Ball Out Front 2. X5 protects the basket. Takes time to learn – If you’re not using the 1-3-1 as your main defense then you have to question whether it’s worth the limited practice time to spend teaching it to your team. Discover the strengths and weaknesses of the 1-3-1 Zone Defense along with the starting positions, basic rotations to create turnovers and stop your opponent. They are forced to adjust and play much differently than they’re used to. If the wing defender catches the ball close to the three-point line the wing defender defends them on the hip closest to the baseline gradually pushes them out while not allowing them to survey the floor. If the pass has been made there, they must do their best to contest the shot without giving up the baseline drive. In the diagram above Two’s (2) zone has been shaded to indicate the area the player must defend which in the 2-1-2 Zone Defence. And the weak-side wing player drops back to the weak-side low block. Since this is often out of sight of the chaser, it’s imperative that the weak-side wing is communicating and letting them know if there’s anyone cutting through the key. In the half-court zone, the defense traps only in the baseline corners of the half-court. 2. One of the biggest questions I get asked about running the 1-3-1 zone defense goes something like this…, “But what if our team isn’t quick enough to play the 1-3-1 zone defense?”, For those coaches currently battling the same thought, I want you to check out this quote from one of the greatest coaches basketball has ever had…, “Positioning, anticipation, and technique create quickness. Remember, the center must always be between the basketball and the basket. On skip passes to the corner the weak-side wing player on the low block will sprint out to corner player making sure to not allow the offensive player to drive baseline. The first thing we must talk about is the difference between the three-quarter court 1-3-1 zone defense and the half-court 1-3-1 zone defense. Like on zone defenses the 1-3-1 zone requires active defenders with arms stretched out and all five players moving as a unit on all passes. Initially, our 1-3-1 zone was intended to serve as a half-court trap in a multiple defense package. Instead, both defenders should trace the ball with both hands, keeping their elbows together to prevent being hit by an errant elbow, forcing the opponent into making a lob or bounce pass. Everyone else on the court defends the same way. The center will stay fronting the low block, the weak-side wing will stay on the weak-side low block, and the chaser is still covering the high post. Zone defense 1-3-1 mempunyai kelebihan dapat memberikan tekanan di area perimeter dan high post, serta memiliki beberapa kesempatan melakukan trap. Defenders should pressure the ball handler, but do not foul. The offense has to adjust to your defense – When running the 1-3-1, it’s so unique and different to most defenses that opposition teams can’t run their regular offense. Tough to figure out. When the trap was broken, our players were instructed to fall back into another half-court defense, such as a 2-3 or 3-2 zone. There are two ways of playing the inbounds pass. Let’s refer back to rule #3 – Everyone must crash the boards. Skip passes to the wing are a little harder to defend than skip passes to the corner. 1. As always when running a zone, your team will always be at a disadvantage after a shot since players must find a player to box-out. 4. Pick the chaser first. Baseline defender protects the basket. One thing to note is that the 1-3-1 zone defense doesn’t like when the ball is on the wing close to the three-point line. The 1-3-1 zone defense has a very different concept to most defenses. However, the post is in position to stop dribble penetration. X5 stays near the basket. This means we will double with the chaser and the center player. There will be many more deflection opportunities, but your team will also allow more open shots and easy baskets. Many variations and adjustments – As you’ll see further on in the article, the 1-3-1 has plenty of variations and adjustments that will allow you to easily adjust to different teams and counteract their strengths. Overview of the Full Ice 1-3-1. Three in a line is a 1-3-1 zone that keeps the "Big" around the basket. 1. We want to push them out off the three-point line and get the back closer to the half-court line. 1-3-1 Zone is probably the most versatile zone defense since it is very favorable and conducive to matching up and trapping. For the three-quarter court press, we make this the foul line. Most teams will go to a 2-1-2 offense. The ‘pick-up point’ is the point at which the chaser will start pressuring the basketball. To be clear, this is not a 1-3-1 power play system. Also, after the skip pass, the chaser must help out immediately by being ready to guard the ball-side wing player if it’s passed there from the corner. X1 denies pass back out of the trap, and X3 drops to baseline. The chaser should be active and bouncy at all times. There are a few areas that can be exploited – The 1-3-1 zone defense is weak in a couple of areas. Changes tempo of the game – This is a fantastic defense to implement mid-game when you want to change the tempo or need a couple of quick steals. For example, if the top defender or one of the wing defenders intercepts a pass, then a 3-on-1 fast break is very possible at that point. In my opinion, the chaser is the most important position in the zone. If defending the corner with the wings becomes a problem, the corners can readily be trapped using the wing and middle defenders. This system will allow your team to outnumber opponents low in the defensive zone and be extremely aggressive in the offensive zone. What kind of traps are you going to use for each corner? If performed correctly, this will usually lead to a steal or deflection. Clair Bee coached at Rider from 1928-1931 and then at LIU-Brooklyn from 1931-1951. Defender X1 is on ball, X4 and X2 cover wings, X3 is front of basket and X5 defends the high post area. The ball-side wing will be up the line denying the pass while the warrior will be pressuring the ball and forcing the corner player to put the ball on the floor and drive towards the middle, or to throw a long lob pass over the defense. the traps incorporate "Primary Trap Zones" (Corners) where two out of bounds lines come into play. Pick the center second. They will do this by angling their body so that the dribbler has no choice but to dribble up the sideline. If you use this tactic, your team must be all on the same page and understand what you’re doing. Easy to prepare for the opposition – There are only a couple of ways to attack the 1-3-1 zone defense. On the high post, on the low post, everywhere. 2-1-2 Zone Defence Diagram 2 Because of the normal positioning of the players the 2-1-2 Zone Defence will need to have specific rules for initially guarding an offense that has a player filling the point position. If you decide to push the dribbler to a specific side each time, then your smaller wing should be on the side you’re influencing the dribbler to and your bigger wing should be on the weak-side for better rebounding. As a result, any dribble penetration will actually end up in a trap. And the weak-side wing player will stay on the weak-side low block. If your team is too slow, the opposition will get many open shots. This means the chaser must stay in-line with the basketball with 10 toes towards the sideline, playing directly in-between the guard-to-guard pass. Defensive pressure can be applied to the point guard and a zone defender will always be available to cover a low post offensive player. To counteract this action, the wing player must perform the same cut that they make when there’s a guard-to-guard ball reversal…. These hard and soft trap optiions can easily be alternated keeping the offensive players off balance. Your team will give up easy baskets – When you’re running an aggressive defense like the 1-3-1 and players are diving for deflections all game, you must be okay with giving up easy baskets from time to time. The 1-3-1 zone defense can be adjusted to suit any basketball team that wants to use it. Determine which of the defensive wings is … Remember, if one wing is up, the other wing is down. The wings are on the outside of the zone and are responsible for trapping in both corners, defending the ball when it’s passed to the wing on their side, and guarding the weak-side low block when the ball is on the weak-side. When the basketball is on the wing we’re setting a soft trap with the ball-side wing player and the chaser. While in most defenses you always have a player defending directly between the opponent with the basketball and the basket, the 1-3-1 instead cuts off normal passing lanes and forces the offensive team to throw lob passes over the defense, pass slow bounce passes around the defense or attack off the dribble.