Periferal vision

As a defender you always have to be able to see the ball and the man wherever you are in the defense, this is also called split vision. If the ball is close to your man, that is not a problem, but if the player is on the helpside and the ball is on the other side, it becomes more difficult but more important.

The defender on the help side has two points of attention, namely: the own man and the ball. This requires a specific attitude and position (pistol stance, where the defender on the help side points with one finger to the ball and with the other to the attacker). Roughly you can say how further your man from the ball is, the further you can help to the line ball-basket.

For a trainer, it is important to indicate in detail in which position a defender should be in certain situations. American coaches use the ‘flat triangle’ as an aid in determining the position of the help side defender. You see how ball-you-man arises, these are the angular points of the flat triangle. The distance from the defender to his man depends on the distance of his man to the ball.