Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (2024)

Defense

Playname: 1-3-1 half court trap

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (1)

This is a half court defense that looks to trap the ball when ever possible.
For this defense to work each player must understand the rules of dividing the court. The court is divided above the foul line and below and left side right side.
1 will be Point Player
2 & 3 will be Wings Players
4 will be Middle Players
5 will be Bottom Player
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (2)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (3)

The rules for the Point Player, Middle Player and Bottom Player all involve dividing the court into:
above the free throw line and below the free throw line.
The rules for the Wing players involve mainly dividing the court down the middle.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (4)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (5)

Point Player Rules:
When the ball is above the free throw line the Point Player is on the ball. When the ball is below the free throw line the Point Player denies the pass out of the corner.
Middle Player Rules
When the ball is above the free throw line the Middle Player denies the pass to the high post. When the ball is below the free throw line the Middle Player denies the pass into the ballside low post.
Bottom Player Rules
When the ball is above the free throw line the Bottom Player is in front of the ballside block.
When the ball is below the free throw line the Bottom Player is on the ball.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (6)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (7)

Wing Players Rules
When the ball is on their side of the court the Wing Player is on the ball. When the ball is on the other side of the court above the free throw line the Wing Player plays the cross-court pass. When the ball is on the other side of the court below the free throw line the Wing Player denies the pass into the ballside high post.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (8)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (9)

Defensive positions when ball is in top right corner.
1 and 3 trap ball. Player legs should cross so the offense can't dribble thru.
2 play cross court pass. 4 denies high post. 5 denies low post.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (10)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (11)

Defensive positions when ball is in top left corner.
1 and 2 trap ball. 3 balls cross court. 4 denies high post. 5 denies low post.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (12)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (13)

Defensive positions when ball is in bottom left corner.
2 and 5 trap the ball. 4 denies low post. 3 denies high post. 1 plays pass back out the trap.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (14)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (15)

Defensive positions when ball is in bottom right corner.
3 and 5 trap the ball. 4 denies low post. 2 denies high post. 1 plays pass back.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (16)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (17)

Ball should never be allowed into high post but if it does get into high post this is how the defense reacts.
Non trapping wing player ( ie 3) drops to weak side post area. 4 stops advance of the ball. Trapping players ( ie 1 & 2) key and foul line area.
Forms a kind of 3-2 zone defense.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (18)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (19)

Ball shouldn't be allowed into post. Should it be this is how defense reacts.
2 sprints to weak-side low post. 5 and 3 sprint to low lane area. 1 goes to foul line area.
Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (20)

Submitted by: Mikey
Category: Defense

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (21)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (22)

Basketball Defense: 1-3-1 half court trap (2024)

FAQs

How to beat a 131 half-court trap? ›

The corner 3 is a great shot against a 1-3-1 trap, but is also a place where you don't want to get trapped. Only put the basketball in the corner when you have a shot. If the ball does go to the corner, 5 will come across to the ball side to set up the 3 available receivers.

What is the weakness of the 1-3-1 defense? ›

Rebounds: The 1-3-1 zone defense is notably weak when it comes to rebounding. Focusing on bringing the ball to the baseline collapses the strategy's structure; strong and effective passing takes advantage of the remodeling by creating gaps from which to score. Learn about different rebounding drills.

How do you beat a 1-3-1 trap defense? ›

Overload the Zone

“Overloading” is one of the best ways to defeat the 1-3-1 zone defense. This involves bringing four offensive players to one side of the court, forcing defenders to move out of their regular 1-3-1 positions if they want to cover all offensive players.

What is the best offense against a half-court trap? ›

Good accurate long passes over the defense into the corners will often beat this defense. If the back defender starts cheating toward the corner, then the middle is open. Another way to beat this press is have O2 set an outside screen on the X2 defender allowing O1 to dribble around the screen up the right sideline.

How to beat 131 zone? ›

Use a two-guard front to attack the 1-3-1 zone defense, and attack it from the corner where it is most vulnerable. See the "Zone-2" offense. Put O2 (your best shooter) in the ball-side corner. O2 runs the baseline, always to the ball-side corner.

Is 1/3/1 a good defense? ›

At its core, the 1-3-1 zone defense is an aggressive defense that relies on cutting off passing lanes, anticipation, and deflections to create turnovers and fast break opportunities for your team. If you decide to implement the 1-3-1 zone defense for your team, it's imperative that you're ready to play fast basketball!

What is the best zone defense in basketball? ›

The 1-2-2 zone has the advantages of being able to pressure the ball on the outside arc, allow for some trapping, and can be effective against a good outside shooting team (whereas the 2-3 zone is more effective against inside scoring and dribble penetration).

How to break a 131 full court press? ›

Good quick passes will break the press. If player 1 decides to pass to the middle of the zone, in this case to 2. Player 2 advance down the court or passes to 3 who is wide open. This should be a fast, easy break,between 2 and 3, one of them should find 4 or 5 to score.

How to break a zone defense in basketball? ›

Keys to Attacking Zone Defenses

By keeping the ball and players in motion, the offense can create gaps in the defense, force rotations, and find open scoring chances. Effective ball movement involves making crisp passes, reversing the ball from side to side, and probing the defense with dribble penetration.

How rare is a half-court shot? ›

Half-court shots are widely considered to be the lowest percentage shot in basketball. Collectively, NBA players try shots from beyond half-court a few hundred times each season; approximately 1 in 100 of those shots are made.

What is the half-court rule in basketball? ›

The defensive team is not allowed to play the ball in the lane. If the defensive team rebounds, they must return the ball behind the arc by dribbling or passing. (The ball does not need to be checked). If the offensive team rebounds the ball they can continue their attempt to score without returning to behind the arc.

What are the chances of making a half-court shot? ›

Half-court shots are widely considered to be the lowest percentage shot in basketball. Collectively, NBA players try shots from beyond half-court a few hundred times each season; approximately 1 in 100 of those shots are made.

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