What Is A Zone Defense In Basketball And What Are Some Of The Different Zones Th

"Man-to-man is what is says - I'm one man and I'm going to guard my man," he said. "Zone is exactly what it is too, meaning, you guard that man when he's in your zone. If he leaves my zone then I pass him on to somebody else. So, you keep your players more in an area when you play zone. In man-to-man, you have to follow him wherever he goes."

A college basketball coach at the University of DePaul for several years, Meyer has been around for the changing of the rules considering when and how zones can be played.

"A lot of people play zone and there is a little bit more being played in the NBA now because they're allowed to do it now with the rule change," he said. "But, it's still hard to play when you can't put somebody in the middle of the lane."

The three basic types of zone defenses that are played are the 1-3-1, 2-1-2, 1-2-2 and 2-3. Of the three, the 2-3 zone is probably the most basic and easiest to learn for young kids.

The way the zone is set up is determined by the numbers in the specific zone play. For instance, in the 2-1-2 zone, that means two players are at the top, one is in the middle and two more are deep. Same goes for the 2-3 zone, two at the top and three back with the 1-2-2 zone set up with one at the top, two in the middle and two back deep.

The type of zone that is run is determined by the offensive team's strong points. If a basketball team has a penetrating center, most times the defense will run a 1-3-1 to put three players in the middle to shadow him.

According to Meyer, poor outside shooting teams will often see zones as well. "Teams that aren't great shooting teams will often see zones," he said. "What the defense does is they pack it in down deep and force them to shoot the basketball from outside on the perimeter."

The key when running a zone defense is to make sure the defenders follow the basketball. As the ball is being moved around the court, no matter what type of zone the defensive team is playing, the zone should shift to follow the basketball. The most important thing to remember when playing zone is that the defensive team is not playing any one player in particular, but rather a zone. So when a player comes through the zone, no matter if he's a center, guard or forward, the player playing that area of the zone is responsible for him.

Meyer also said that teams will play zones to change the flow. "Teams usually choose to play zone to change the pace of the game," he said. "If they're having a hard time guarding an individual player who's having a great night you want to play zone so you can put more people in that area to help."