A Guide to the 1-3-1 Zone Defense
Be a curve ball
Before we dive in - I have one note:
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Let’s get in the zone:
One of my goals, when I write for Hoops Companion, is to provide you juuusssssttttt the right amount of information.
Sure, I could write you an extensive article about the intricacies of the 1-3-1 zone defense, what to do in every situation, how to run it to perfection, and the like…but my real goal is to give you the sweet spot when it comes to information about any of the concepts I cover.
Goldilocks basketball - just right.
Here’s my best attempt at that with the 1-3-1 Zone:
Things I Like
It has serious versatility. You can trap out of it, you can play it tighter against poor shooting teams, you can only trap the corners, you can only trap the top, you can extend it to the 3/4 or full court. There are a lot of ways you can use this defense to fit both your team and the team you’re getting prepared to play.
A lot of teams aren’t used to it. Just go to my playbook and see how many sets and offenses I have to counter a 1-3-1 zone. (Spoiler alert: there aren’t many). Teams don’t see it often enough, they can’t simulate it, they have to take precious practice time to prepare for it when they play you, and coaches don’t have a lot of plays to slice and dice it.
The rotations aren’t as difficult to master/you can install it more quickly. This might be just for me, but I think the rotations are pretty easy. Wing players cover the wing and opposite block; the middle player takes the middle; the bottom player takes ball-side corners, top player goes side to side and doesn’t allow direct passes. I know it’s not THAT simple…but there’s not a lot for players to master here.
Great change of pace defense. If a team is scoring on your current defense, throw this at them for a chance of pace. Or, come out of this out of a timeout, start a new quarter, etc. Your opponent will have to think about what’s going on. When they think, you win.
Things I Don’t Like
Corners and post can be exploited. Teams CAN spread you out with shooters and good passers in this defense. One good ball fake has the potential to lead to open shots - maybe more so in this defense because certain defenders have to fly around more. The post can also be vulnerable after skip passes and recovery.
Rebounding is iffy. Just like any zone defense, this can be tricky. Drilling your team to rebound out of the 1-3-1 will be important for its success and these are not typical rebounding spots for a lot of your players.
You’re going to get burned from time to time. It’s just going to happen. Your job as a coach is to weigh whether or not the negative aspects of the defense are worth the positive.
You have to have players who play relentlessly hard. If you don’t have players who are going to absolutely sprint and take it personally about getting to their spots, it’s going to be tough to play this. If you have to. beg your players to play hard, this is not the defense for your team. The exception MIGHT be if you play the tight version of it.
Basic Rules
No straight line/direct passes. If you allow the ball to be zipped from player to player, you’re doomed. Players must get in the passing lanes and force passes UP or AROUND to give their teammates time to recover.
Read the eyes and shoulders of passers. Players can sometimes fake with their eyes; very few can fake with their shoulders. When your players are off the ball, they should try to read the passers shoulders to get a jump on where the ball is headed.
SPRINT, SPRINT, SPRINT. This is a non-negotiable. You can’t play if you don’t do it.
High hands on everything. Regardless of what you teach about closing out on shooters, players should definitely have high and active hands when closing out on passers. Deflections are your best friend (slow passes that lob over the top are your second best friend).
Take away the obvious play. The best teams will KNOW what the most obvious next pass is in this defense and then take it away. If you can get your team, as a group of 5, to really understand the goal of taking away the next most obvious pass…your defense will be dangerous.
Player Responsibilities
Top - This should be one of your longer and more athletic players. They are going to need to be super active, getting in passing lanes, and forcing UP or AROUND passes at all times. They must make life miserable for the offensive players at the top. Their main goal is to prevent all reversals. Teaching point: their chest should almost always be facing the sideline.
Wings - There are two players in this spot and they play off of each other. If the ball is on the right wing, the left wing needs to be opposite the ball covering the low block/skip. Once it gets swung and reversed, these players switch spots. Think of them as being on a string together - they move in unison. These players also have to make a concerted effort to rebound - especially on the weakside.
Middle - If you’re going to hide a player, I guess this would be the best spot. Their main job is to stay in between the ball and the rim and take away high post passes (the most damaging part of any zone. They do need to have a little bit of physicality and desire to mix things up. They’ll also be in a lot of denial and fronting situations.
Back - This is your toughest and most aggressive player. They’ll be flying back and forth from corner to corner. Trust me, it’s a lot of ground to cover…and the success of the defense hinges on their ability to cover said ground.
Slides/Diagrams
Basic Set Up
Top to Top Pass
Slides after top-to-top pass
Top Corner Trap
Rotations on the top corner trap
Corner Trap
Rotations on corner trap
High Post Entry
Variations
I’m not going to draw these up because they are the same rotations, but here are some ideas for some variety/alternative ways of playing the 1-3-1 Zone:
only trap the deep corners
only trap the high corners
tighten up the zone against a team that can’t shoot
trap the first pass/dribble across half-court and then play softer after
play it from 3/4 court - same rotations, just extend it; teams will likely attack it the same way they do against the half-court
As you can see, you can do all kinds of things with the zone - the only limits are your imagination.
Want some more? Check out these links:
Thoughts?
What do you like about the 1-3-1? What’s been helpful for you? What are some teaching points to consider? Leave it in the comments!
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