Defensive Basketball Plays

1-3-1 Defensive Strengths 

When playing basketball, a tight defense is equally as vital as a strong offensive.  While the offensive plays are what put points on the board, the defense blocks the other team from scoring, which is sometimes necessary to turn a game around.  Defensive strategies are grouped into players with different player formations.  These defensive basketball plays are run in the 1-3-1 formation, where one player is at the point, three are wings, and the last player is at the bottom near the basket. 

Half Court Trap

This 1-3-1 defensive basketball play is called the half court trap since it utilizes defensive players to block and effectively trap offensive players so that they are unable to pass or shoot.  Player 1, or the point player, starts at the top of the key.  Players 2, 3 and 4 are wings, and Player 4 is the middle player, with 2 on the left, 3 on the right, and 4 in the center.  They begin just below the foul line.  Player 5, or the bottom player, starts near the basket.  

For these defensive basketball plays to be effective, players must know and understand the sections of the court, which is divided into four, using the free throw and center lines as the divisions.  

The Rules of the Court  

For any half court or full court trap defensive basketball plays, players determine their courses of action based on which side of the line the ball is on.  For point players, if the ball is above the free throw line, they are on the ball.  If the ball is below the line, they are to trap the player with the ball in the closest corner.  

For the middle player, if the ball is above the free throw line, they attempt to block any passes to the offensive high post.  If the ball is below the line, they blocks passes to the low post.  For the bottom player, if the ball is above the free throw line, they keep their focus on the offensive ball side block.  If the ball is below the line, they are on the ball.  

The course of action for the wing players is determined by which side of the court the ball is on.  When the ball is on their side, the wing player is always on the ball.  When the ball is on the opposite side of the court and above the free throw line, they block for any cross-court passes.  When the ball is on the opposite side and below the free throw line, they are on the high post.  

Basically, once players are familiar with their tasks given the division of the court, their goal is to trap the offensive in one of the four corners of the court.  For example, if the ball is on the right side of the court and below the free throw line, the right wing and the bottom player trap the offensive player in the corner while the middle denies the low post and the left wing denies passing potential to the high post.