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JOIN NOWwhat age should you teach defences to switch players ?
My team has girls aged 11 and 12 and I have always taught them one on one defending. Are they too young to teach switching to?
vanessa HowesCoach, Australia
ANSWERS
Simon ThomasonCoach, Australia
Hi Vanessa,
My view is that around 12-13 is about the age to progress from pure one-on-one defending to switching or zones. Introduce it gradually with emphasis on communicating who is going where. The idea that they can, at times, go to the closest player, rather than just their usual direct opponent is sometimes a bit of a shock. I`ve found the attached Ball and Hole drill is a good one to introduce the concept in a general way and it also includes the two defending players communicating. Once they have this down you can then try and match it to game situations for circle defenders and also for WD/C combinations as they come down the court.
Hope this helps,
Simon
Cover Defence: Ball and Hole Game
DESCRIPTION
Two defenders work inside a circle of players with one ball. The red players must pass the ball around the group and try to keep possession. The two defending players must work together to mark the ball, keeping the 3ft distance, while the other defenders 'zones' the space. So, if Red 1 receives the ball, Green 1 (the nearest defender) calls "ball" and goes to cover the ball and Green 2 moves back, calls "hole" and zones the area.
Cover Defence: Ball and Hole Game
DESCRIPTION
Two defenders work inside a circle of players with one ball. The red players must pass the ball around the group and try to keep possession. The two defending players must work together to mark the ball, keeping the 3ft distance, while the other defenders 'zones' the space. So, if Red 1 receives the ball, Green 1 (the nearest defender) calls "ball" and goes to cover the ball and Green 2 moves back, calls "hole" and zones the area.
