Youth Zone Defense

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The base 2-3 and the deal it makes. Five defenders pack the paint, the guards sit at the elbows, and the zone…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. A full swing, wing to corner, back out, across the top, to the other wing and corner, with the zone answering…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The skip pass is how a good offense attacks a zone that shifts well, and this play shows the answer twice, in…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The corner is where the 2-3 has a choice, and this play shows both. First the standard coverage: the forward…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The high post is the one catch a 2-3 cannot concede, because a player there faces the basket with both blocks…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The overload: the offense puts four players on one side (slot, wing, corner, short corner) with a fifth at the…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. Dribble penetration is the zone's other weakness, and good offenses drive the gaps to make the zone collapse…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The zone's deal only pays off if it rebounds the shot it chose to give up, and this play shows a whole…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The 1-3-1 as a second zone, run through a whole possession: a chaser at the top who forces the ball to a side…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The 3-2 as a third option, run through a whole possession: a rover at the free-throw line who denies the high…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. Offenses do not only pass against a zone; they dribble the ball from spot to spot to drag defenders out of…

For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The possession most youth zones lose is the one where the offense pushes the ball before the zone is built…