COURT 201

LESSON 6 OF 9

LEVEL 2Small Sided1v1

Contact Is Part of the Move

YOU1X1FINISH LINE
FIG. 57PLAYING THROUGH CONTACT1V1
Defenders will bump you, ride your hip, and put a forearm on your back — most of it legal, all of it designed to knock you off your line. Players who avoid contact end up drifting into bad angles and off-balance shots. Players who absorb it keep their line and finish. The keys: stay low, because the lower player wins the collision; keep your dribble tight when you feel the bump; and drive through the defender's chest line rather than around it. Expect contact on every drive. When it comes, it should be part of your plan, not a surprise.

READ THIS

Feel the defender's forearm or hip ride as you drive — the bump is coming, aimed at bending your straight line into a drift.

DO THIS

Drop your hips before the contact, drive your shoulder through their chest line, keep the ball outside — and finish expecting no whistle.

COACHING LINEAGE

Chuck Daly

Physical defensive positioning: make the offense feel every possession.

Larry Brown

Play the right way: fundamental execution over flash, every possession.

Contact Is Part of the Move