Look for your big tippers! (importance of tipping in defensive basketball)

The trick is to run up behind the ball, not the ball-handler, and reach in with the near arm

With full-court pressure defense re-emerging in recent years, many basketball coaches are working harder on defensive transition and recovery after unsuccessful trap opportunities and on covering dribblers who are driving by their defenders.

One aspect that coaches seldom emphasize (or drill on, for that matter) is the art of tipping - flicking the ball away from the ball-handler. A well-coached defender will sprint up behind the dribbler and either knock the ball up to a teammate or simply steal the ball and control it.

The tip will often produce the easy basket, especially when the ball is passed ahead after the steal.

In recent years, teams such as Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Iowa have been getting steal after steal by tipping the ball away. This can be a devastating weapon for teams that press full court or play a half-court trap. The reasons:

1. Once the ball-handler beats the first line of defense, he will concentrate on taking the ball to the basket rather than on the defender coming up from behind.

2. Instead of jogging back, the defenders are sprinting back, looking for tip opportunities.