Bruce Bowen Manned Up

Of all the TNT Fundamentals series, this is by far, my favorite. Bruce Bowen could quite possibly be the greatest man-on-man defender in the history of the NBA. Watch this video, he's always moving his feet, in small movements. He uses his feet and body to defend you, and his arms and hands mimic his check exactly. What Bowen says at the beginning of the video is completely true, the only true way to become a great defender is to practice defending against the best player on your team. Watch the video and then you can read my thoughts below.



Here are my tips on becoming a better one-on-one defender,

1. Proper setup, I like to pretend that I'm fencing. Your knees are bent, back straight, and hands up. You should be in this position the entire defensive possession whether you are in the post, ball denial, ball pressure, face-up, or defending penetration. I see kids with their hands on their knees, feet together, etc.. You'll get beat by grandma playing that way.

2. Move your body not your arms. When pressuring the ball or defending penetration, move your feet which moves your body not your arms. Keep you hands well above your shoulders and body up your man. It sounds bad, but you want to motion like you're humping your check without making excessive contact. NEVER REACH IN.

3. Do the mime. When checking your man in close chest-to-chest or within one arms length, you should use your hands like a mime to mimic what your check is doing. Use your fingers in a flicking motion as you mime your check attempting to flick the ball. NEVER REACH IN.

4. Eyes on the belt buckle. I was always taught this and it's always helped me. When facing up your opponent with the ball one-on-one on the perimeter, you don't want to be watching the ball because you'll bite on shot fakes, pass fakes, jab steps or crossovers. Key on your check's stomach.

A great DVD that breaks down the man-to-man fundamentals is Geno Auriemma's 8 Essential Defensive Drills DVD. Coach Auriemma is the head coach of multiple national championship winning lady Huskies of UConn.

Go over the Coaching Basketball Forum to discuss.