Defending The Post

When some players, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for example, catch the ball in the post; it’s a done deal.

All of us, at some stage or another, have faced a similar situation. The player was simply too big, strong, talented or whatever it may be that whenever they caught the ball in the post, you had little chance of stopping the ball from going in the basket.

So what are we to do?

Well, I think it all begins with a key misconception of how to guard the post. For most people, defense starts when the offensive player catches the ball. From the way I look at things, this is just all wrong!

Defense starts way before the catch! It should start the instant your player enters the 3 point line.

Every inch further you keep your player away from the basket, the harder for them to score. Defending the post should be a constant battle for position. Too many times are good post players allowed to wander down to their favorite spot on the court and catch the ball where they want to catch it. Why not take them out of their comfort zone?

The second aspect of defending the post is excellent ball pressure, making it harder for the post player to receive the ball. This again emphasizes my main point- post defense begins way before the catch!