Being a biology major, Garry Y. Itkin can attest to the fact that student life can be very challenging. One has to be smart about surviving college, especially in having a well-balanced lifestyle during this crucial stage in life. Because he wants to keep himself fit, Garry plays basketball quite regularly. In this blog entry, he shares how to improve defense in basketball.
1. Speed up
Defense is all about getting ahead of your counterpart. Great defensive basketball is always mindful of the offensive player’s moves. This is why it’s more physically demanding to play defense compared to playing offense. Naturally, the faster you are, the more difficult it will be for the offensive player. Lose weight and do much sprinting, advises Garry Y. Itkin. This will surely improve your chances of making life difficult for the offensive person.
2. Develop anticipation
The offensive person sticks to a certain behavior, and you should be very aware of this. This will give you some clues on your opponent’s next move. For example, mannerisms like shrugging shoulders before taking a shot can give you a split-second to go up for a block. In addition, the offensive person may use his eyes to communicate with teammates, so you should be conscious of this as well. Anticipation is something that you don’t learn overnight, but when you do, you’ll become a smarter player, notes Garry Y. Itkin.
3. Read the offense
This is quite related to the previous point. However, reading the offense requires you to be aware of the offensive team’s play rather than the individual’s. Offensive sets follow a certain pattern, which can be predictable if you know where to look. If you can see where the ball is going right before it heads there, you have a chance to adjust your defense and even communicate this to your own team.
Garry Y. Itkin 