How To Beat 1 3 1 Zone

If you lot've played confronting a i-three-1 zone defense, you know how effective it can exist.

It's an aggressive, confusing, in-your-face up defence force that attempts to "speed up" the offense and misfile them with traps and irregular defensive positioning.

To defeat it, the offense must be calm under force per unit area and make smart decisions.

(This defence shouldn't be used in youth basketball… but many coaches do anyway)

Below nosotros'll go through 16 strategies your team can use to break open up a 1-3-1.

Let'south become started:

1-three-ane Zone Offense Strategies

1. Use an Fifty-fifty Front Setup

Most teams will employ an "even front" setup when playing against a i-3-1 defence.

The two main options are:

ii-i-2 Setup -- Two players in the slots, a player in the high postal service, and two players in the corners.

2-iii Setup -- Two players in the slots, a role player in the high postal service, and two players on the wings.

The point of this is to dissever the "chaser" at the top of the zone.

The two players at the top will unremarkably be your point guard (1) and either a abaft large (4) or a 2d guard (2), but all players should understand the responsibilities of each position.

2. Shift the Defense

Continuing on from the last betoken…

Two players at the top gives you the option to easily shift the defence force from side to side.

This is super effective at the first of the possession when the chaser first steps upwards to baby-sit the brawl, particularly if the defense likes to trap at the top.

Earlier crossing the halfway line or just as the defender commits, players have the option to reverse the ball to a trailing teammate on the opposite side of the court.

This stifles any traps and forces the defense to shift to the opposite side of the floor.

The receiver will have several of import seconds to attack / create if there's a gap.

3. Best Playmaker in the Loftier Post

Many coaches choose the incorrect player to put in the loftier post.

It's common for teams to automatically put the tallest player on the team in that location -- which somewhat makes sense because it's a difficult pass and they're a bigger target -- only I've constitute teams have more success putting their best playmaker in the high postal service.

"Best playmaker" pregnant a thespian who can score themselves AND create for others.

You need someone there who tin can quickly read the defense and make smart decisions.

4. Disciplined Court Spacing

Nothing you lot read in this article will help if your players don't continue skilful spacing.

They should constantly search for and move into open space on the perimeter.

The 1-three-i defense is constructive because information technology creates havoc and confusion, so having off-brawl players continually working to get open and find holes is crucial.

Using a two-1-2 or 2-3 setup will aid your team achieve this.

5. Attack the Gaps

If your players are spaced correctly and constantly moving into open space, there volition be many opportunities to "attack the gaps" in the zone.

The key to this is reading the defense BEFORE catching the ball.

(Players who take hold of the ball and and then survey the defense will be besides slow)

If a thespian already knows in that location's a drivable gap every bit they grab, they tin immediately put the ball on the floor and attack before the defense has a chance to rotate.

The goal is to "collapse" the defense force.

Attacking the gaps in the zone volition force assistance which leaves teammates open up.

6. Overload the Zone

"Overloading" is one of the best ways to defeat the 1-3-1 zone defense force.

This involves bringing 4 offensive players to one side of the court, forcing defenders to motility out of their regular 1-3-i positions if they want to cover all offensive players.

(this works best if your all-time shooter is on the opposite wing)

For example... (1) at the top, (3) in the corner, (four) on the elbow, (5) in the short corner, and (2) on the opposite wing.

If your players can motion the brawl chop-chop and intelligently, open shots will appear as the defenders scramble from closeout to closeout.

7. Screen the Chaser

Another smart mode to intermission down a 1-3-ane defence is to screen the top defender (the chaser).

Any offensive role player tin can exist the screener, just most coaches will take the actor in the loftier post step out to set an on-ball screen for the ball-handler.

This can be done at the start of the possession, but information technology'south even more constructive when executed after a ball reversal to catch the elevation defender off baby-sit.

Done correctly, the ball-handler will find themselves with a ton of space to assault the gap, plummet the defense, and either score themselves or create a shot for a teammate.

viii. Screen the Warrior

Perhaps the nearly difficult part in a 1-3-1 defense is being the "warrior."

This player is responsible for covering both baseline corners. That'due south no easy task and requires continually sprinting from corner to corner throughout a possession.

An offensive player in the low post or brusque corner can brand the warrior'south job fifty-fifty harder by screening them as they dart the baseline.

Even if yous don't bring them to a complete stop, only slowing them down for a half-second can requite a shooter in the corner a wide open up look.

nine. Utilize Skip Passes

On-time and on-target skip passes can exist devastating to a 1-iii-one defense.

The way the zone loads upwardly to the ball makes switching to the opposite side of the court on a skip pass very hard for the defensive team.

This is especially true for the Warrior, who is forced to dart from sideline-to-sideline in order to comprehend the offensive role player in the brawl-side corner.

Done correctly, y'all'll go many opportunities to attack tardily closeouts.

(these are difficult passes to throw for young players… they can get the brawl there, certain… merely information technology won't be a powerful / on-target pass which gives a teammate time to shoot or attack before the defense rotates... and that's a large reason why the 1-3-1 is then effective in youth basketball)

x. Apply Laissez passer Fakes

"Fake a pass to make a pass."

That'southward an important quote for all players to call back, but information technology'due south especially important for teams playing confronting a 1-3-one zone defense.

You come across, the one-3-1 is an ambitious zone that emphasises deflections...

When playing against ane, you lot'll see defenders flying around the court... jump passing lanes and leaping / lunging at every opportunity, doing their best to get a fingertip on the ball.

Disciplined teams can accept advantage of this aggressiveness by utilizing pass fakes.

A quick laissez passer faux on the perimeter tin open up a driving lane, and any laissez passer simulated from the loftier mail is guaranteed to get every defender taking a footstep or two in that management.

11. Lob Passes

Coaches would exist surprised by how many "lob pass" opportunities there are confronting a 1-3-1.

Due to the rotations in the i-3-1 defense and the lack of big bodies close to the hoop, there's often a large amount of open up infinite on the weak-side depression cake.

(this is besides the reason why offensive rebounding is crucial, which we'll get to in a infinitesimal)

And so, if you take players who can throw an accurate lob pass and players who can go up and go it, in that location's a big opportunity to go a few piece of cake points.

Remember -- you can take advantage of this activity even if y'all don't have players who can finish an alley-oop dunk. The receiver can catch, country, and then become dorsum upwardly and end the layup.

12. Offensive Rebounding

A practiced offensive rebounding strategy is essential against a 1-3-one defense.

Because of the positions defenders commonly find themselves in when a shot goes up, defensive rebounding is ane of the biggest weaknesses of the defense.

So you need to take reward!

Some teams send 3 players to the offensive glass while dropping 2 dorsum to safety, others send everyone below the free-throw line in to rebound.

Whichever strategy you cull, make sure yous're exploiting this weakness.

If your players are quick to react and aggressive in their pursuit of the ball, you lot're going to become plenty of offensive rebounds, 2nd adventure points, and draw a ton of fouls inside.

xiii. Beat Them Down the Floor

As with all zones, ane of the best ways to defeat them is to get down the floor rapidly.

Do this by encouraging your point guard to advance the ball with a pass instead of dribbling the entire length of the flooring by themselves.

Even if you don't get a quick score, this can forcefulness defenders into poor positions as they scramble to pick up the brawl to prevent a layup or wide open shot.

14. Figure Out Where They Trap

Every bit the squad's passenger vehicle, one of the first things y'all should be evaluating in the first 5 minutes of the game is where the opposition likes to trap.

> Are they trapping the loftier post?
> Are they trapping the corners?
> Are they trapping at the top?

A 1-3-1 zone defence provides many trapping opportunities.

Figuring out which traps your opponent likes to employ will allow you to give players the most appropriate advice and put players in the correct positions to exist successful.

Teams can change it up during the game, of course… only nigh teams take a specific ready of rules they use 90% of the time to proceed things simple for the defenders.

1-iii-1 Zone Offense Plays

Beneath I'll share two highly-effective basketball plays to utilize against a 1-3-1 zone.

Both are designed to finish in an "overload" position.

So, if you don't become a clean shot opportunity off any of the initial actions, your team is now in the perfect position to commencement picking autonomously the defense using the strategies outlined above.

Because my audience is primarily youth coaches, both plays are aimed at getting the ball inside the paint for an easy end or to describe the foul.

a. 1-iv High Play

Players starting time in a 1-4 high setup.

POST ENTRY

i. The point baby-sit's kickoff option is to get the ball to one of the players in the high post.

2. Whoever catches the ball, the opposite postal service immediately cuts towards the basket and looks to get a deep seal on the "warrior," who volition ordinarily be a smaller defender. If available, dump the ball inside and score an piece of cake two-point layup.

3. As this happens, (i) slides across to the wing and (two) slides downwards to the corner.

4. If the pass within isn't open, players will now observe themselves in an "overload" setup.

PERIMETER ENTRY

1. The point baby-sit's second option is to pass the ball to a teammate on the perimeter.

2. When this happens, the ball-side loftier mail immediately steps towards the basket and attempts to become a deep seal on their opponent. If the laissez passer is open up, give it.

3. (2) takes a few dribbles towards the baseline to improve the passing angle, (5) slides across to the ball-side high post, and (1) steps towards the ball to provide an outlet laissez passer.

Again, players volition detect themselves in an "overload" setup and must accept reward.

How you attack from this position will vary depending on what the defenders choose to do, but the key is exploiting mismatches and the confusion that follows equally the defense attempts to figure out the best fashion to defend so many players on one side of the court.

b. 2-one-two Play

Players start in a 2-1-2 setup.

ane. The first selection is to get the brawl to the high mail if they tin get open.

2. On the catch, (5)'southward first option is to attack or pass to the players in the short corner for an open up shot or 1-distill and so they become up.

3. If those options aren't open, (5) passes out to the ball-side corner.

4. As soon as that happens, the contrary brusque corner (2) steps upwards and sets a strong back-screen on (5)'due south defender. (5) should and then swoop to the hoop for the potential take hold of and layup.

If that'south not open up, the team will now notice themselves in an overload position and should work to have advantage of that.

Conclusion

The i-3-1 defence is effective because it'south aggressive, disruptive, and disruptive.

Defenders are placed in "awkward" spots on the court that make things complicated for offensive players who haven't had experience playing against it.

But it's definitely not impossible to beat.

With patience, practiced spacing, smart ball motility, and knowledge of the virtually effective "strategies" to use against a 1-3-1, your team should have no problem picking them apart.

Source: https://www.basketballforcoaches.com/how-to-beat-a-1-3-1-zone-defense/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COverloading%E2%80%9D%20is%20one%20of%20the,to%20cover%20all%20offensive%20players.

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