Developing the Inside Player

Developing the Inside Player
By: Kevin Gallagher
Head Basketball Coach
La Salle University, Retired

A neglected part of a young player's game is the part that occurs within eight feet of the basket. Few players know how to play with their back to the basket. Fewer still know how to play defense in the same circumstances. Many players fear contact and shy away. It is human nature to avoid the things that we do not understand. We form mental blocks with regards to those things. Many young players play with no spirit. This comes from a lack of confidence and lack of any idea of what they are supposed to be doing. This could be because they have not received the proper instruction. They stand around, knowing that they should be doing something, but they are not sure what it is that they should be doing.

It is interesting and rewarding to notice the progress from this stage to the level of a top-notch player because someone has taken them aside and shown them the proper technique. Success in the post-position comes from a "confidence in one's body". That is to say, they no longer fear contact but look for it. Not only centers but also all players must learn to play with their backs to the basket. Young and inexperienced players always seem to move away from defenders when the defenders try to get close. This stems from a lack of confidence in one's body. Once a player gets comfortable with this concept, he will want to get close to the defense and use this closeness against his opponent.

To arrive at the finished product, a player must spend many hours developing and refining his skills. A coach can save many hours by teaching proper technique and refining it. But the player must do himself the bulk of the work himself. The best time saver is organization. The following outline breaks down the basics involved in proper post play:

We all have a tendency to take the small things for granted. Many players do not know how to get open. It is very easy for a strong defender to dominate a player like this. (By strong it is not meant physical strength but good defense.)

An idea to remember is that an offensive player must get close to the defender to get open. By getting close, the offensive man will cut down the defender's reaction time and thus make his fakes more effective. The easiest move is to run at the defender, face one way and cut to the ball. (This is done when the offensive player is on the weak side and coming to the ball side.) Another weak side move is the spin move. The offensive man runs at the defender and when he can get close enough, he turns and leans his back against the defender. Then he uses the defender to spin the opposite way and cuts to the ball.

The simple technique for the player who is already strong side is to turn, as if he is going away from the ball, and roll back to the ball. Once he has an open position to the ball, he must hold that position with his body and by keeping his forearm up to hold off the defender. Please note that there is a fine line between pushing off and holding your position. Your player will learn the difference with practice.

Next the post player must learn to receive the ball. Normally, a pass receiver must meet the ball when it is thrown to him. In the post, it is imperative. What I tell my players is not to meet the ball, but go through the ball! (i.e. don't just step to the ball; jump through the ball and come to a jump stop.) He must leap at the ball with both hands extended, expecting contact. As he receives the ball, he must come to a jump stop and be careful not to establish a pivot foot just yet.

Once a player has the ball, he must next know what to do with it. A simple rule is to have the post player feel for contact. That is to say, can he feel the defender's body (e.g. arm or hand) on him. If so, he knows where the defender is and can use that information to make a move. Another tip is to have the player look down at his feet. If he cannot see the feet of his opponent (and could not feel contact from the defender leaning on him), he should turn and face the basket. At this point, the offensive moves that should be used are the moves that are in any players' arsenal. He can shoot the jump shot or drive. If he chooses to drive, he has the option to take a simple lay up. If the defender is right up on him, he can come to a jump stop and power up for a lay up. If the offensive player chooses to run from the on rushing defender, he can take a reverse lay up. If he cannot get past the defender, he can take a jump shot or a hook shot. This is an easy shot to take and protect the ball at the same time.

When a player cannot turn and face the basket and use one of his driving moves, it is because the defender is too close. This was determined when the ball was received and the post player felt contact or looked down and saw the defender's feet. This makes it easier to drive. He must use a spin move or drop step to free himself. A drop step is performed by stepping backward toward the basket. If a player wants to go left, he must step back with his left foot. If he wants to go to his right, he must step back with his right foot. It is important to note that the post player must not only step back, but he must also swing his leg far enough and quickly enough so that he makes contact with the outside of the defender's leg and seal him off.

When all things are equal, the offensive player must look to drive to the base line, because he will meet with no weak side help. However, he cannot simply decide to go one side or another. The defender will tell him which way to go by the way that his feet are planted. As soon as the post player looks down at his own feet, he can determine which way will be the easiest. If the defender is closer to the post player's right leg, he must drop step with the right leg. If the defender is too close to the left leg, he must drop step with the left leg.

Remind the players that after using the drop step, they must either go right to the basket or release the ball for a dribble to avoid the traveling call. The rules state that you may not lift your pivot until you have released the ball when starting your dribble. By bending over quickly, and grabbing the ball just as quickly after he bounced it he can avoid the defender getting a hand in on him to deflect the ball.

Now the player is prepared to shoot. A quick decision must be made. Is the defender capable of blocking the shot? If the player with the ball is a superior inside player, he can put the shot up immediately. But, for a majority of players, a certain amount of faking is necessary. First of all, a fake must be convincing. The defender must believe that the offensive player is going to shoot when he is not. By use of head and ball fakes, the desired result can be achieved. But the fakes must be good ones or the defender will never go for it.

If the post player cannot get inside position, it may be necessary to shoot a hook shot. The key to this shot is to protect the ball as long as possible. When properly protected, only the superstars can stop the hook shot. In any case, when the hook shot is used, it is simple to protect the ball with the non-shooting hand as the ball is being put up into the shooting position and as the ball is being released. This prevents shot blocking, increases the number of fouls drawn, and develops confidence. The player keeps the non-shooting hand on the ball, between the ball and the defender, and as he prepares to shoot, he brings the non-shooting hand off of the ball. He keeps it in the air so that the defender must contact this hand before getting near the ball. The beauty of this move is that the over anxious defenders will cause contact. This type of contact will not affect the shot, as the non-shooting hand is the one being hit. This can result in a three-point-play.

The next phase of being a complete offensive player is screening. The first point to remind players about is that a screen must bring contact and that screeners must protect themselves. Players must be taught the value of "head hunting". The screener must run at the defender of his teammate, not just to a place on the court near his teammate. If that defender must adjust his path because of the screen, the screen is working. Once a player is taught to expect contact, he must learn not to cause contact. The players who first learn to screen properly are known for being over-zealous and are constantly running into defenders. Since this is a foul and the offense will lose possession, players will learn that this is a turnover. The bottom line is that the screener cannot cause contact.

The next concept to master is for the screener to make himself as wide as possible, make it difficult for the defender to get around him. This principle is consistent with "head hunting". The longer it takes for a defender to get around the screener, whether there is contact or not, the more time there will be for the player using the screen to move into an open area.

Like offense, defense for a post player requires certain techniques not found in perimeter defense. Just as an offensive post player must want the ball very badly, the defensive player must be equally determined to prevent his opponent from getting the ball. Should he fail in this endeavor, he must be ruthless, tenacious and relentless in limiting his opponent's options.

Time must be spent with defending a post without the ball because this is where a player must be convinced that he must work the hardest. He cannot play half-heartedly until the post player gets the ball. If he lets the post player get the ball, he will wind up committing extra fouls. If, on the other hand, he works his hardest to prevent the post player from getting the ball, he will commit fewer fouls and his team will benefit. The other team will not be getting the ball where they want it - the post. For a player who understands this idea, defense will not be a difficult skill to master. Players will work at anything that they believe in.

The next job is to impart the techniques necessary for the complete defender. To defend the post player without the ball, one must know where the ball is. If the ball is above the foul line, the defender must be on the foul line side of the post player. (See Diagram #1) He must be within the passing lane and turned to the post. He will turn his head so that he may see the ball. The forearm of the defender closest to the post player should be placed against the offensive player and the other arm should be extended out in the passing lane to discourage the pass.

If the ball is below the foul line, the defender must be on the base line side of him. Again the defender will place himself in the passing lane, between the ball and his opponent. He will turn his body toward the post player and turn his head so that he may see the ball. The forearm closest to the post player must be placed against him and the other arm placed in the passing lane to deflect any passes. (See Diagram #2)

This positioning is good, but the true measure of effectiveness is when the ball is passed from one side of the foul line to the other. The defender must get from one side of the post player to the other. There are only two alternatives but only one of them is correct. To go behind the post player is a poor choice because the defender leave his passing lane open (a defender must stay between the ball and his man), he looses sight of the ball temporarily, and it will take four steps to accomplish this.

To go in front of the post is the correct choice because it only takes two steps, one remains in the passing lane and one retains sight of the ball. The key is to move the rear foot first and point your toe toward the ball. The other foot is swung back and placed to the side of the post player (on the other side from where he started out). In effect the rear foot becomes the front foot, and vice-versa.

Our attention thus far has been confined to defending the post when the ball is one pass away. Many players make fundamental mistakes when the ball is two passes away. This means that it would take two normal passes to reach the post player. In other words, the post is on the weak side. A good offensive post player knows that he must try to get close to the defensive player. This will not allow the defense time to react and it will be easier to get open. Also, a defender must always allow proper spacing between himself and his opponent. When a player is defending a post player on the weak side, he must "loosen up" (i.e. not play as closely as he does when the post is closer to the ball, or one pass away).

Since the post must come to the ball side to get the ball or wait until the ball is passed back to his side, the defender need not play tight. This allows the defender excellent reaction time. The incorrect positioning of the defender is only one mistake that can happen. Another mistake is a mental one. All too often the defender can let his mind wander from his defensive assignment. Inexperienced players will follow the ball completely and turn their heads from the player that they are guarding. This is when the post player breaks to the ball and receives the pass before the defender can recover. Only by concentration through repetition will a player maintain the proper position and prevent the post player from getting open.

A good drill to develop all aspects of off the ball post defense is found in Diagram #3. It teaches proper footwork for post play. It also develops players for playing two passes away. Finally, it incorporates all of the principles necessary by simulating a game condition. See Diagram #3. The numbered players are on offense and the "D" is the defender of the post. Only one ball is needed with this drill. The only players required to move are the post players (#5 is the offense and "D" is the defense).

As the drill begins, player 2 has the ball. The defender is on the foul line side of the post. Player 2 passes the ball to player 1 and the defender must get on the base line side of player 5. Player 1 passes the ball back to player 2, forcing the defender to switch positions again. Now player 2 passes to player 3 and the defender sags into the lane since his opponent (player 5) is two passes away from the ball. See Diagram #4 and notice that player 5 has not moved yet. Player 3 passes to player 4 and this forces the defender to drop down even further. (Please remember that the basic defensive tenet that the defender must stay between his man and the ball.) See Diagram #5. Player 4 passes to player 3 and the defender slides up and now the post (player 5) breaks to the ball. The defender must now react to cut off the passing lane for player 5. Player 3 passes back to player 4. Now player 5 slides down the lane forcing the defender to move likewise and remain in the passing lane. This last pass is a crucial test since the defender must not only move as quickly as possible to the post, player 5, but he must also now get to the baseline side of the post as well. Player 4 passes back to player 3 and then to player 2 and the drill starts over again.

The last part of defense consists of playing the man who already has the ball in the post. This is very difficult to do. A player must not only prevent his opponent from scoring but he must also avoid foul trouble. That is why a player must be taught the value of preventing his opponent from getting the ball. Some qualities that are necessary to be proficient as a post defender are a high degree of aggressiveness, basketball intelligence even more pride and perseverance. Some additional attributes, though extremely helpful, but not absolutely necessary are: size, strength, reach and jumping ability.

Once a player receives the ball in the post, the defender must retreat a bit. If you recall, it is important for an offensive player to get close to the defender and just as important for the defender to not allow this to happen. Stepping back a half step will allow him sufficient reaction time.

One thing that a post player must believe in is to not allow penetration. Every offensive player has two possible shots: a lay up and a jump shot. If a player does everything that he can do to prevent the lay up (no penetration), this effectively limits the post player to fewer options. Very few players can consistently block shots. So it is more important to be realistic and prevent the more common source of defensive breakdowns, penetration. An idea to remember is that the other defensive players will turn and collapse on the post with the ball. This makes it easier for the man in the post who must contend with the offensive player.

Assuming that the offensive man cannot drive, he can only shoot or pass out of the post area. The defender must contest any ball movement. If the defender is a real threat to block shots, that is fine. But all players in this situation must contest the shot. What this means is that the defender must be sure that the offensive player has left his feet. Then he may rise up to try to get a hand on the shot. As we all know, too many players get faked by the shooter. This takes concentration on the part of the defender. He must be aware of this and stay on his feet until the last possible moment.

The last part of defense and sometimes the most neglected part is boxing out. Perhaps it is because it is considered part of a separate topic (i.e. rebounding) that many of us neglect to include it in a defensive discussion. One thing is certain, however, and that is if the defender neglects to box out, he will be playing defense again. Many games are lost, or won by offensive rebounding. In other words, defenses do the job of forcing the offense to shoot from where they want the offense to shoot. But they do not finish the job. All five players do no perform the simple task of standing in their opponent's way when a shot is taken.

It is not a very difficult task to perform but like all others, it requires practice. The central idea to sell is that the defender, when he knows that a shot is being taken, is to quickly see which way his opponent is trying to go and to simply push his rear end into the belly of his opponent. This will not be a blatant shove but rather a firm push. The last part of is the easiest and that is for the defender to see which way the rebound is going to go and to jump up and meet it.

This report has covered many topics and they are important. None are as important as the basic premise that these ideas are only as good as the player in the post. If he is aggressive he will make great strides.

O	Offensive player without the ball
	Offensive player with the ball
P	Offensive post player
D	Defensive post player