1-3-1 Zone Defense Basketball Animation

The 1-3-1 zone defense has the advantage of being able to apply pressure on the outside arc and high post, and allows for some trapping. The major weakness is when the offense attacks from the corners and into the low post. Coaches may differ on who covers what, but you have to decide what is best for your team and teach your players how to shift, cover and defend. Rebounding can also be a problem with only one low defender. See Zone Rebounding.

The diagrams below show how the zone shifts and players move. There are two ways of playing the zone: (1) a conservative zone with less gambling and trapping, and (2) a more aggressive, trapping defense (which requires quick athletic players).

The top three defenders X1, X2 and X3 (diagram A) should be quick, athletic. X4 also needs to cover a lot of territory. Your actual player numbers (assignments) could be different depending on your personnel. X5 is your strong post defender. The basic rules are:

• X5 plays the offensive post player man-to-man, denying him the ball (fronting most of the time).
• The wing defenders X2 and X3 must drop to the weak-side block when the ball is on the opposite wing.
• X4 stays even or below the block. When the ball moves to a wing, X4 moves out about halfway to the corner.

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