What is Man to Man Defense?
Man-to-Man or just Man Defense is when every player on defense is guarding a player on offense. Each player has an offensive player they are responsible for guarding and defending.
Man defense can be aggressive in trying to get out into passing lanes and make it hard for the offense to pass the ball. It can also be passive where each defender is playing off their man and standing in driving lanes. It is very versatile in how it can be played. It is the most used defense at the college and professional levels.
Man defense has 3 different concepts to learn to effectively run a man defense. These are
Each player must learn all three positions for man defense to work.
What is a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense?
A 2-3 matchup or 2-3 matchup zone is a man-zone hybrid defense. The players are going to be guarding man-to-man but only against the player in their zone. Once a player leaves the defenders zone, then that offensive player will be guarded by another defender. The defenders are constantly switching or passing offensive players back and forth as the offensive players are moving on the court.
In a 2-3 matchup, each defender will be guarding an offensive player at all times. However, as the offense moves the defensive matchups are always changing. The defense is called a 2-3 matchup, but the defense morphs and changes its shape to match what the offense is doing. So, if the offense has four players on the baseline, then the defense is going to look like a 1-4 zone defense. If the offense is in a 1-2-2 formation, then the defense will look like a 1-2-2 zone.
The matchup zone makes it hard on offenses because it is not a zone defense, but it also is not a man defense. This means that a traditional man offense may not work against the matchup, but a zone offense may also struggle to score against the 2-3 matchup. The matchup zone can force the offense into scenarios different from playing against both man defenses and zone defenses. This unfamiliarity can cause confusion with the offense playing against a 2-3 matchup.
Best Team Personnel for Man to Man Defense
I am a bit of a stubborn coach. My players know that we are going to play man to man defense most of the time. I do not think there is certain personnel a team needs to have in order to play man-to-man defense. As long as the defense can match up and guard the offense then a team can run man-to-man defense.
For me, this means sometimes my center was guarding the other team’s point guard. The point guard was not going to score so it did not matter how well the center could guard the point guard. I will be creative in my matchups to give our defense the best possible chance of defending the offense.
In a perfect world, the defensive players will be the same height or taller than the offensive players. The defensive players will have a speed and quickness advantage over the offense. And the one trait that can separate a good defensive player from a great player is quick hands. A defender with quick hands will get steals or deflections at a much higher rate than a defender with slow hands.
The last two things a good man-to-man defense will have is good positioning which can be taught and good instincts which cannot be taught. Good positioning is the players being in the right spots at the right time. Good positioning can be drilled in practice, so the players know exactly where to be at all times on defense.
Good instincts are when a player knows where and when to take an extra step so they can get a deflection or steal. This cannot be taught. Players will either have good instincts or they won’t. And if they don’t then they will never get them. Good instincts are just something each player naturally has.
Best Team Personnel for a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense
The 2-3 matchup being a hybrid defense needs a little bit of personnel for a man defense and a little bit of personnel for a zone defense. All five players need to be able to guard 1-on-1. They do not have to be great defenders. Since the player each defender is guarding is constantly changing, they need to be able to guard multiple players on the other team. However, since the defense is going to be in a zone setup, each defender is going to always have help behind them. Because of the hybrid style there is not any one instance or personnel needed to play the 2-3 matchup. The 2-3 matchup lends itself to be used for all kinds of different personnel groupings or teams.
The ideal personnel group is two really quick guards on the top. These guards will be able to gamble a little bit more in going for steals knowing they have help behind them. The zone aspect lets them be more aggressive pressuring and gambling out front.
The middle player of the zone would be a serious rim protector. A shot blocker or shot changer is preferable. Having this type of player in the middle gives even more freedom for the guards to gamble for steals. The guards know if they get beat, then the middle player is going to block the offensive player’s shot. So, now the guards are even less worried about getting beat off the dribble which means they can be more aggressive with their pressure.
And the two block players would be either tall and long players that can fill gaps and space. Or really quick players that can cover a lot of ground. The tall players would make it hard for the offense to pass the ball around the 2-3 matchup as well as giving the defense more rim protection outside of the middle player. This can keep the ball out front, having to constantly go against the quick guards who are trying to create turnovers.
On the other hand, quick players can give the defense the ability to extend the defense up the court making the offense start farther away from the basket. Their quickness gives them the ability to turn and sprint back if a pass is made over the top of the defense. If the quickness can make the offense start near half-court, then the offense is going to struggle to score. Either way, the defense can play to its strength in these two spots.
When to Use Man to Man Defense?
Man-to-man Defense can be used at any and all times. I have gone an entire season coaching having used nothing but man-to-man except for 1 possession. That 1 possession of zone ended with the opponent making a 3-pointer. That was the end of zone defense for that season.
Man defense can be passive or aggressive. It can help guard against dribble drives by being passive. It can try and make passing for the offense hard by being aggressive in the passing lanes. Defenses can decide how they want to guard ball screens. So, there are no situations where man defense is unable to be used.
However, it is more about when not to use man-to-man defense rather than knowing when to use it. If the five defenders are unable to guard the 5 offensive players, then man defense might not be the best defense to use. Knowing when to change is really about determining if each defender can guard their matchup one on one. If the defense cannot guard the offense one-on-one, then the defense will constantly be rotating to help. If the defense is rotating to help, then the offense can attack and pass and get wide open shots on offense. When this happens, the defense needs to change matchups or switch to a zone defense.
When to Use a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense?
There are coaches and teams out there that only use a 2-3 matchup zone. In speaking with them, they say it simplifies teaching defense. They do not have to worry about correctly matching the defenders to each offensive player. They morph it depending on the opponent. This is using the 2-3 matchup zone as a primary defense. What if you are using the 2-3 matchup zone as a secondary defense?
If man defense is the primary defense, then the 2-3 matchup keeps the fundamentals of the defense the same but gives the ability to play defense against a team that you cannot guard. Once the primary man defense is taught, the 2-3 matchup keeps all of that teaching the same except for switching offensive players as they move. This can help maximize time of practice. It gives a man defense team the ability to play a zone without changing much of the defense.
Likewise, if a team is a primary zone defense, it gives the team the ability to play in a more man to man defensive style while keeping the formation of the zone the same. It gives the players the familiarity of the primary defense while adding some components of the non-primary defense.
So, if a man defense cannot guard an opponent with man defense, then a 2-3 matchup can be used to provide the backside coverage needed to play against the team without losing the man defense principles. A zone defense can switch into a 2-3 matchup so they can extend farther away from the basket and put more pressure on the offense. It can take a zone defense from a reaction defense to a defense that can force the offense into bad positions by guarding more man within the zone.
Advantages of Man to Man Defense Over a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense
1) Better Defenders on Better Offensive Players
The biggest benefit of running a man to man defense is the ability to have the best defender guarding the offense’s best player. The 2nd best defender is assigned to guard the 2nd best offensive player and so on. This holds true for every game with the exception of changing the matchups if there is a scenario the defense is trying to exploit against the offense.
One scenario is having the 3rd or 4th best defender guard the offense’s best player. This will put the best defender against the 2nd best offensive player and so on. This strategy can work because it can allow the best offensive player to score more with the idea the defensive matchups will stop every other player from scoring.
The defense can also create matchups where a shorter offensive player is guarded by a much taller defender. The size advantage can benefit the defense. By having the proper matchups in place, a defense is able to create advantages to help them win the game.
A 2-3 Matchup Zone reduces the movement of the defenders by having them guard just in their area but the offense can dictate matchups by putting the best offensive players in the zone areas of the weakest defensive players. This allows the offense to get favorable matchups every possession.
2) Needs Less Communication
One of the biggest drawbacks of the 2-3 Matchup Zone is the constant talking that has to take place. Any miscommunication will leave an offensive player open. The ability of a defense to talk and switch offensive players is a skill that takes time and practice. When done well it is a hard defense to play against. When a defensive team is trying to play a 2-3 Matchup Zone and is not communicating well, then the offense will have open shots every possession.
Man to Man Defense needs good communication. The better the defenders can communicate with each other, the more effective man to man defense is going to be for the defense. Communication is necessary for a great man to man defense.
However, a team can still play good man to man defense with poor communication while a 2-3 Matchup Zone can not. The difference between a good man to man defense and a great man to man defense is the ability of the defenders to communicate with each other well. Good man to man defense can be played just by the defenders reacting to the offense. A great man to man defense uses good communication to help speed each defender up.
3) Defense Less Likely to Get Confused with Constant Switching
Man to Man Defense is simple because each defender gets assigned to one offensive player. A good man to man defense will then teach players how to stay with their offensive player through all of the possible cuts and screens an offensive player could use. Once all of the different cuts and screens are learned on how to be defended, then it is just getting better and better at each movement.
In a man to man defense there is on the ball defense, one pass away defense, and help side defense. Each player needs to be constantly working on getting better at all 3 of these man to man defensive positions. Once learned then it is just constant work on improving.
Each opposing team may do one or two things that man to man defense will adjust to but for the most part once man defense is installed, there is nothing else to do but work on improving each aspect of man defense.
The 2-3 Matchup Zone is similar to the Man to Man Defense because it is simple to learn but hard to master. The biggest issue is the need to be constantly switching offensive players by the defense.
Each defender is guarding one offensive player. When two offensive players interchange then the two defenders must switch who they are guarding. When an offensive player cuts to the basket, then the defense must switch who they are guarding. As the cutter passes below another offensive teammate, the two defenders will switch who they are guarding. A single cut by the offense can involve 3 or 4 defenders changing who they are guarding.
The 2-3 Matchup Zone has to keep each defender switching who they guard with every screen and cut. A single breakdown by the defense gives the offense a chance for an open shot. A wrong switch will leave an offensive player open. The constant switching can have a 2-3 Matchup Zone lose a player leaving them wide open whereas a Man to Man Defense should not have this issue because they are not switching who they are guarding.
Advantages of a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense Over Man to Man Defense
1) Defensive Movement Minimized
The 2-3 Matchup Zone keeps Man to Man Defensive principals while playing in a zone defense. The zone defense aspect of the 2-3 Matchup Zone means each defender is reducing the need for them to move around the court. Each defender is staying in their zone and guarding the offensive player who enters the zone. As the offensive player leaves their zone, they pass them to a teammate and guard the next offensive player coming into their area.
The constant switching gives the 2-3 Matchup Zone the ability for each defender to stay in relatively the same spot while the offense is running around the court trying to get open. The less movement will keep players from gassing out and needing breaks. The 2-3 Matchup Zone can help a team keep the same players on the court because they are not having to run around on the defensive end.
Man to Man Defense requires a lot of energy to be run well. Each defender has to stay with their offensive player as they move all over the court. The defenders also have to work to stop cuts and get around screens. This can wear out players and require a few subs to give the starters breaks so they do not get tired.
2) Post Players Stay Near Basket
The 2-3 Matchup Zone does a great job of keeping small guards out around the 3-point line and the bigger post players closer to the lane and basket. As offensive players move out from the lane to the 3-point line, post players can simply switch with a teammate to another offensive player closer to the basket.
This keeps each defender from having to guard in an area they are not able to guard. Guards are never going to be inside and trying to guard the post. And post players are never going to be on the perimeter trying to guard the dribble.
The 2-3 Matchup Zone has every defender switching as offensive players enter and leave their area. This keeps each defender guarding in an area where they are best suited to guard. They are never going to have to guard in an area where they are weak.
Man to Man Defense has each defender staying with their assigned offensive player. At times this can cause problems for the defense. A short guard may get isolated in the post if they are guarding a taller offensive player. A slow post player may be defending an offensive post player who can play on the perimeter. This forces the post player to defend around the 3-point line and may involve defending a player who is trying to drive to the basket. These mismatches can be difficult for a man to man defense to overcome.
3) Can Confuse an Offense
One of the biggest advantages of a 2-3 Matchup Zone is keeping man to man defensive principals while playing in a zone concept. This duality can cause problems for the offense. Does the offense run a man offense? Do they run a zone offense? How do they attack? Do they have the ability to play offense without using a lot of screens?
All of these questions have to be answered by the offense. Since the 2-3 Matchup Zone is not a true man to man defense nor is it a true zone defense, the offense has to figure out how to play against the 2-3 Matchup Zone.
A zone offense will struggle because each offensive player is being guarding in a man to man fashion. The openings and passes of a zone offense are not going to work well against a matchup zone because the defense is shifting with the offense.
A man to man offense might struggle because certain cuts and screens are not going to work against the switching zone concept of the 2-3 Matchup Zone. The inability of an offense to attack a 2-3 Matchup Zone properly can be enough to keep the defense in the game or have the defense get a lead while the opposing team tries to figure out how to score against it.
Offenses can struggle against a 2-3 Matchup Zone because it is a hybrid man and zone defense. The way to attack and score against a matchup zone is not the same way to attack and score against either a man defense or a zone defense. Once an offense figures out how to attack the 2-3 Matchup Zone then it will not be very effective anymore. But it can confuse an offense until they figure out how best to attack and score against it.
Man to Man Defense is not going to confuse anybody. Every team should have a man to man defense installed and every team I have been a part of as a player and a coach starts working on their man to man offense from day 1. Every team should have multiple offenses to play against a man offense and should have a few quick hitters to play against it as well. There is no confusion when playing against a man to man defense.
Which is Better? Man to Man Defense or a 2-3 Matchup Zone Defense
Man to Man Defense is the most used defense at the college level. The best high school teams are running man to man defense. There are exceptions to this but for the most part every team is running a man to man defense.
The reason is simple. Man to Man Defense is the best defense to use if a team is able to play it. Now not every team is able to play man to man due to personnel. Certain opponents might be too big of a problem for a team to play man to man defense. The defensive matchups just do not work. But aside from the few exceptions, a man to man defense is the most effective defense to play.
Man to Man Defense is the better defense to play versus the 2-3 Matchup Zone. However, this does not mean the 2-3 Matchup Zone is a bad defense. It is just not as good as the straight Man to Man Defense.
Even though Man to Man Defense is the better defense, I like to use both defenses. I like to play Man to Man Defense if we are able. If the matchups do not work or we just are unable to guard man to man, then I like to use the 2-3 Matchup Zone if possible. The Man to Man principals stay the same so most of the defense is already installed. The ability of the players to learn how to switch with their positioning and communication is needed for the 2-3 Matchup Zone to work.
I like to use the 2-3 Matchup Zone if Man to Man Defense is not working before moving on to a more traditional straight zone defense. The 2-3 Matchup Zone is a great accessory defense to have if playing a Man to Man Defense the majority of the time.