Hedging

Hedging is a way to defend a ball screen or pick & roll.

The principle of hedging is that the defender of the player who puts the screen, prevents the player with the ball from getting dangerous with his dribble. He puts a hedge past the screen, as it were, to prevent a dangerous dribble from being possible. Hence the term ‘hedge’. The principle of hedging can be applied in different ways:

• One step hedge
• Two step hedge
• Trapping defense

One step hedge

With a one step hedge the defender will place one foot on the screen, so that the attacker with ball will not be able to dribble past the screen. The defender on the ball must follow his attacker, and his teammate will also go over this hedge to let him through. That is why the term ‘hedge and back’ is also sometimes used. So both defenders stay with their offensive players.

The defender on the screen should quickly make way for the defender on the ball, so the basket is protected. The defender on the ball pushes his team mate away and goes over the screen. The name ‘over the top defense’ is also used for that purpose.

It is important that the defender presses the ball and pushes his attacker away from the basket to the help of the other defenders. The advantage of this defense is that the shot behind the screen is avoided and no mismatch occurs. The pressure on the ball also remains high, so that the attacker with ball has less overview.

The disadvantage is that, when the defender on the ball does not go over the screen with sufficient speed, penetration to the basket is possible. In addition, the danger arises that the defender who places the hedge does not disappear enough quickly to let his fellow player pass, so that a double screen is actually created. That is why this form of hedge is sometimes called ‘hedge and back’, so that the emphasis is placed on the hedger’s fallback.

Another disadvantage of the hedging defense is that it is impossible to apply it to a skip pass. The defense will move to the other side with a skip pass. When the defender is screened in close-out, the defender on the screener will not be able to access the screen in time to place a good hedge. And the defender in close-out will not stand close enough to his attacker to slide over the screen. In the example, X5 will not be able to place a proper hedge at the O5 screen. And from close-out X4 will be difficult to slide across the screen.

Two step hedge

By ’two step hedge’ is meant that the defender of the person who sets the screen, the attacker with ball is going to disturb, by two or possibly even more slides to the ball to perform. He comes from behind the screen in an aggressive way, powerful and with his hands wide up. The defender of the person who puts the screen takes the dribbling player two slides long and presses it in the direction of the center line.

The defender of the person who puts the screen defends with his feet almost parallel to the sidelines. When the defender is on the ball at his attacker, the hedge defender picks up his own man again. To do that, he will run in the direction of the basket with his hands up, to be able to pick up his man quickly and without danger before the pass to the boarding screener.

The disadvantage of this two step hedge is that the defender on the ball takes over his man against the dribble direction. After the hedger spurt back to the screener, the risk of further penetration arises. A case of the hedger is to drive the man with the ball away from the ring as aggressively as possible, so that he is either released into a less dangerous position or the dribble stops. But there are also other solutions for this risk, with the two step hedge and through and two step hedge and under.

Two step hedge and through

The defender who places hedge takes two steps to drive the attacker away from the ring with a ball and then returns quickly. The defender on the ball passes his man back between his fellow player and the screener. After the two steps, the player who placed the hedge spurt back to his attacker, with his hands in the air on the pass.

Two step hedge and under

A more conservative way to implement a two step hege is the hedge and under. With that, the defender goes fast on the ball under screen and does so fast, so that the hedger can go back to his own man. The risk that there is no room for the defender on the ball, such as with a one step hedge and the two step hedge and through, is the smaller. On the other hand, the defender on the ball has to go a long way to resume his attacker, so that the defender on the screen will be less able to take the screener.

Trapping defense

The principle of the two step hedge can also be used to realize a trapping after the screen has been set. This presupposes that high pressure is given on the ball, both by the defender on the screen and on the ball. The basket remains open. Important for a trapping is not to allow a split between the defenders. The trapping will be held until:

• The pass is given, the most aggressive form
• A backup dribble is executed
• Or for example for 2 seconds, the most conservative form

After that, the defender spurt on the screen back to his man.