Help Defense Calls

What it is

• Help defense communication is distinct from screen communication.

How it works

• Help calls inform the team about defensive positioning and intentions.
• "Help!" or "I got help!": Called by the defender sliding over to help on a drive.
• "Help" alerts the on-ball defender that help is coming and alerts the entire team that a player is now unguarded and needs coverage.
• "Got your help!": Called by the on-ball defender, acknowledging that help is coming and they have space to drive with confidence.
• "Low!" or "Low Help!": Called when help is coming from the low post area (a low post defender is sliding to the high post to help on a drive).

Reads and counters

• The low defender reads his man being beaten baseline and calls "help" early, before the driver turns the corner, so rotations start on time.
• The on-ball defender hears "got your help" and reads it as permission to force the driver into the waiting helper rather than dying on the screen.
• The helper reads whether the drive is a real threat or a decoy; if the ball picks it up, he yells "back" and recovers before the kick-out punishes the gap.
• The weak-side defender reads the helper leaving and rotates to cover the most dangerous open man, then communicates the next handoff down the line.
• The nail defender reads middle penetration and calls "nail" to stunt at the driver while staying close enough to recover to his shooter.

Teaching cues

• Help early, help loud
• Got your help
• Back, back, recover
• Talk on the catch, not the kick
• Jump to the ball

Bilingual terms

Learn before and after

These graph neighbors help place Help Defense Calls in the larger basketball map.

Related concepts