Are you in Canada? Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website.

For all other locations, click here to continue to the HK US website.

Human Kinetics Logo

Purchase Courses or Access Digital Products

If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue.

Mare Nostrum Logo

Purchase Print Products or eBooks

Human Kinetics print books and eBooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks.

Feedback Icon Feedback Get $15 Off

Facing-the-basket post play

This is an excerpt from Basketball Skills & Drills 4th Edition With HKPropel Online Video by Jerry Krause.

The technique used for high-post play or short-corner play (from the low-post position) combines back-to-the-basket and facing-the-basket techniques. Often, the defender in the high-post area defends with a hand in denial position on the ball side. Offensive high-post players may get open by initiating contact with the lower body and providing a target hand away from the defender (figure 6.13). This contact method of getting open has the disadvantage of establishing one foot as the pivot foot when the high-post player catches and faces the basket using RPA. Using either-pivot-foot (EPF) footwork, the post player may give up his or her position in order to catch the ball with both feet in the air facing the basket.


Figure 6.13

Figure 6.13 Getting open in the high-post or the short-corner (low-post) area.


When cutting into the post area as a trailer on the fast break or cutting from below, players should cut into the high post and catch the ball with a quick stop facing the basket (ball in the air, feet in the air), as shown in figure 6.14.


Figure 6.14

Figure 6.14 High-post cuts from low post, wing, or trailer position.


However, when high-post players catch the ball, they need to catch and face using RPA with a determined pivot foot (established). If the post player catches the ball facing the basket with the feet in the air, attacking options to either side are readily available. If permanent-pivot-foot (PPF) footwork is used, the high-post player can attack the preferred side with a direct drive or the nonpreferred side with the recommended crossover drive plus shooting options. When EPF footwork is chosen, players should use the following facing options (Zak attack) in the congested area of the high post (15 to 20 feet, or 4.6 to 6.1 meters, from the basket). These facing-the-basket attack moves are designed to penetrate to the basket using only one or two dribbles that result in a layin; a pass to a teammate; or a jump shot, floater, or dead-ball move closer to the basket.

More Excerpts From Basketball Skills & Drills 4th Edition With HKPropel Online Video