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After receiving several questions about how to defend the low post, I put together 3 articles that act as a primer on the three most prominent approaches to low post defense – full-fronting, playing behind, and 3/4 denial . My personal preference to to full-front the low post, my it is important to note that my approach is part of a larger pressure-defense oriented philosophy. There is no right or wrong way to defend against the low post – whatever approach you choose to take, though, it is important that you do it for a reason and that you invest the time to teach it well.
This article will briefly cover Full-Fronting
Click the images to zoom in for a close-up view
 Full-Fronting |
Fronting The Post
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When we full-front we are standing directly in front of the offensive post player on the imaginary line between the ball and the basket
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We are facing the ball – away from the defender
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We have our hands up and we want to have contact with the defender with our backside so we know his location – and can adjust if/when he moves.
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 Defensive Help Against Baseline Penetration - Full-Fronting |
Advantages
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Fronting the post places the defense in the best position to provide help against the drive – see the image to the left.
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It seems obvious but its worth mentioning. – Fronting the post is the best defensive tactic at keeping the ball out of the post
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 Lob Pass vs. Full-Front  Full-Front - Poor Defensive Rebounding Position - Ballside Wing is the shooter |
Disadvantages
What You Should Consider
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Fronting the post is a pressure defense tactic that requires great perimeter ball pressure. Defensive pressure on the perimeter occupies the defense, crowds the passing lanes to prevent the lob. If you’re going to front the low post you must pressure the basketball – one without the other is a prescription for failure
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If your defensive post players can establish position and prevent the offensive posts from pushing them off the blocks, lob passes will be more difficult to complete.
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Important Point: Any team that consistently gets the ball into the low post on offense creates important chances for high percentage shots and to draw fouls. Many coaches are concerned about giving up rebounding position when they front the post – when this situation does occur, the offensive player is almost always on the ball-side when the shot goes up – meaning that he isn’t likely to have very good rebounding position since over 70% of missed shots rebound to the weak-side.
- Also..if you front the post and eliminate the opponent’s touches on the block and limit their shots in the paint, you’ve won a huge battle in that game. It might be a pretty great trade-off for being out of position on some offensive rebounds.
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