When it comes to defense, most teams just focus on the fundamentals, like:

• Proper defensive stance...
• What "help side" really means...
• How to navigate various pick and rolls...
• Communicating on cuts...

And of course, these are critical skills for any defender to master.

However, there's a part of defense that's rarely talked about...

And getting this wrong can negate any improvement you make on the skills above.

I'm talking about the importance of getting crystal clear on the GOAL of your particular defense... and making sure all aspects are synergistic and complement each other!

Sounds simple enough, right?

Well, you might be surprised...

Because one of the problems I've noticed for teams over my career is that not everyone is in alignment.

Does the position of your post defense complement your on-ball defense? Does their initial positioning make it easier or harder to help on penetration? If you're forcing the ball to the middle, it probably isn't good to have your post defenders play on the low side.

Do you want your perimeter defenders to allow or deny certain passes to accomplish your goal? If you don't want a ball reversal, it's probably a good idea to deny reversal passes.

How do your players rotate out of help? Are they rotating in a way that accomplishes your defensive goals or are you putting them at risk? If you don't want your opponent driving middle, it's probably a bad idea to have them close out on the ball's bottom foot or baseline side.

Does your ball screen defense force players into more help defenders or away from them?

There are many different ways to play defense and be highly effective, but if you just have a mishmash of different tactics, you could be putting your team defense in bad positions to succeed.

That's why it's important to have defensive tactics that complement each other...

And that's a big reason that USA Basketball Coach Nick LoGalbo has had success with his no-middle defense!

His defensive tactics align perfectly-it's probably why he is able to consistently compete with and even beat more talented teams!

The primary goal of Coach LoGalbo's defense is to keep players out of the paint at all costs.

On-ball defense, help defense, post defense, ball screen defense, defensive rotations... they all complement each other.

Its effectiveness relies on each player's commitment to forcing their opponent away from the middle (while keeping the ball on one side of the floor).

If everyone's not in alignment, this system, like all others, can sputter to a halt and lead to easy baskets for your opponent.

BUT when everyone's on the same page, you can cut your opponents' FG% by 10%+...

Because it's easier to implement and doesn't require elite athleticism or complicated schemes.

If you'd like to learn how to implement Coach LoGalbo's Outer Third Defense step-by-step... visit the page below:

The Outer Third Defense (No Middle Defense) with Nick LoGalbo

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

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