Offense is when you're on your side of the court, looking to shoot at your basket and score but defense is when you're at the opponent's side, looking to get the ball so the other team doesn't score.

It is of little consequence whether a team plays man-to-man, zone, match-up, or a combination defense. What is critical, however, is how well a team denies preferences, exploits weaknesses, and protects the basket.

To play defense, you must be in a ready position. You should have weight evenly distributed on the balls of your feet, your head up, knees flexed, seat low, and same hand in the air as your lead foot. You should stand about an arm’s length from the offensive player. You must anticipate a quick move in any direction and must never cross your feet when shifting positions. A good rule in playing defense is to guard your opponent in such a way that you are able to see him, the ball, and the basket at all times. A good defense should harass an opponent by playing close, blocking shots, stealing the ball, deflecting the ball, and intercepting passes.

It is important to understand the differences between the man-to man defense and the zone defense. In man-to-man, each player is responsible for guarding an opposing player wherever that player goes on the court. This is a good defense if the players are in good physical condition. A big advantage is that players can be matched up to guard an opposing player of the same approximate height, as well as the same position, for example, a guard versus a guard, forward versus forward, and center versus center. If the teams don’t match up in speed, height, shooting skills, and rebounding, a zone might be the best defense.

With a zone defense, each player is responsible for guarding a designated area of the court, rather than a certain player. The primary emphasis in a zone is on the ball, not the player. It does not matter where the opposing players move to, each defensive player covers a prescribed area of the court. Four popular zone defenses are the 2-1-2, 2-3, 1-3-1, and the 1-2-2.

2-1-2 zone defense	2-3 zone defense	1-3-1 zone defense

One of the reasons for using a zone-defense is to tightly guard the opponent’s free-throw line area to prevent drives for easy lay-up shots. All players shift on the defensive as the ball moves, to cut off passing lanes to the basket. Below are some other reasons for using the zone defense.

Communication with your teammates is a very important part of a team’s defense. If a player sees something that his teammate doesn’t, such as a screen, he should let his teammate know by calling this out. Communicating with your team-mates will help prevent lapses in the defense.