Where Should Your Center Forward Go in Transition Defense?

When in transition Defense the most common place where you’ll be down/trailing is in the backcourt at your center forward position.

It helps to have a pre-set direction for where you want your center forward to go in transition D.

It helps your center forward know exactly where they need to go in transition defense so they’re not wasting time or energy. It enables you to communicate to the rest of your team where you want them to go and where to pick up for your center forward. It lightens everyone’s cognitive load.

In a normal 6-on-6 counterattack, teams want to work their right to left or your left to right.

When everyone gets down the pool you’ll have something that looks like the two set-ups below.

Or your right side post will be open.

The wings and flats are in their general area. Your opponent's first guy down the center of the pool will either post up to the left or right side creating space for their center defender to drive through and post up on the opposite post.

Their goal is to have your defense press everyone else which forces your center forward to chase their center defender to the post.

It tires your center forward out and it puts them in a bad defensive position where your opponent could earn an ejection against them.

You don't want that.

You want to pin the ball on your left side, your opponent’s weak side, especially if they don't have a left-hander.

You will have your left-side flat defender crash center and pick up the player driving to the open post.

Or this.

The final set-up will look something like a 4-2 offense that your opponent may keep or rotate out of.

This transition defense rotation also keeps your center forward away from defending your right side which is going to be filled with your opponent's best right-handed drivers and shooters.

You don't want your center forward playing drive defense. Again, it tires them out and potentially puts them in bad defensive positions where they can get kicked out. And when thinking about your transition to offense your center forward is further away from the center of the pool and it potentially puts them in the position of having to release the ball from you. You don’t want them hanlding the ball. You want them streaking to the center.

Your left side is going to be filled with right-handers who are better playmakers and passers. This should be less drive defense for your center. If the other team does have a lefty who likes to shoot you can camp your center forward on them and have your other teammates on the left side work a zone.

This is the ideal set-up for a normal 6-on-6 defensive transition where your center forward is only slightly trailing the center defender.

If the other team is way up out of the backcourt then we’ll have to move into a 5-man shell until your center forward can get back to defense.

But even then you’ll want them going to your left and picking up your opponent's weak side. It puts your center forward into a better defensive position and it keeps them near the top of your defense so they don’t have to swim as far when transitioning to offense.