Stance

Stance is the balanced position from which a player is ready to run, jump, slide, or pivot. The core of everything you do defensively starts with your defensive stance and footwork. A defender needs to be in a stance that allows them to quickly react to the offensive player’s movement, and needs to be able to execute the correct footwork to stop or deter the movements of the person they are guarding.

It’s hard to win basketball games without a solid defense. And the key to being a good defender is a strong defensive stance. You might have the right mentality, athleticism and work ethic, but without the proper stance, your defense will be suspect. A good defensive stance allows you to be ready to move in any direction, to contest shots, and to have active hands, ready to steal the ball, tip passes or simply make the offense work harder to do what they want to do.

Here are some stance pointers. Playing defense with the right stance requires work in practice to make it a comfortable habit. Once you master it, playing pressure defense becomes more efficient.

Feet

You do not want to have your feet to close together because a sudden movement by the offensive player will make it very difficult to react while maintaining balance. However, you also do not want to have your feet so wide that it makes it difficult for you to quickly move in one direction or the other. A stance with the feet slightly wider than shoulder width is best.

Posture

When reaching to the floor to see how low you are, check how flat your back is. You want your back to be flat, slightly arched, but not totally straight. Straight would be upright. Flat is as level as possible from your shoulders to your hips. To help with this, stick your chest up when you reach down. This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier with practice and as you get stronger.

Keeping your chest up will help keep your back flat, which is better for your back, keeps you balanced and prevents falling forward. Your upper body should be leaning forward, but your weight should still be balanced. If you have weight lifting experience, a basketball defensive stance is like a back squat, except in a stance, your feet are wider, your weight is off your heels instead of on them, and you lean forward more. Make sure to keep your eyes up.

Knees and heels

Bend the knees to get into a squatting position (about 2/3 of a full parallel squat). The back should be kept straight as possible and the defender should be off their heels so they are resting on the midfoot and balls of their feet. This position enables you to quickly move and change direction. Stay low and stay balanced.

Arms out

Coaches have differing opinions on hand placement, depending on how aggressive they want your defense to be. But regardless of defensive style, it’s important to keep your hands up and active, not down at your sides. Your hands can be out to the sides; you can reach with one hand to dig at the ball and keep the other out wide; or you can have one hand out wide and one by the offensive player’s hip, on the same side as your hand out wide.

The arms should be bent at the elbow and slightly in front of you at chest height OR wide at your sides around waist level. Your arms aren’t just used as a deterrent to prevent the offensive player from going around you. They are also your feelers; you use them to feel out for ball screens, keep your balance, and more.

The best arm positioning depends on the type of player you are defending. Against great shooters you want to have your hands high ready to contest a shot. Against a great ball handler who isn’t necessarily a good shooter, it is probably better to stay low, keep your arms low, and challenge their dribble moves a little.

Eyes

The eyes should look straight ahead at the defenders mid-section, rather than the ball. Straight up and down. It’s vital when playing defense that you always keep your head directly over the center of your body. Your torso and head should always keep that vertical line with the ground. If you start lunging, reaching, you will notice that your head is out of that vertical plane, and you will become off balance and ineffective as a defender.