Match-Up Zone Defense with Chris Mooney

Richmond University head coach Chris Mooney helps you discover easy to use concepts that can be used to build a matchup zone defense within your current system. Coach Mooney has been at Richmond for 14 seasons and has accumulated nearly 300 career victories using the matchup zone defense. Mooney’s 2010-11 team advanced the whole way to the Sweet Sixteen.

In this match-up zone defense video, Mooney uses on-court demonstrations to show you how to install a matchup zone defense that allows you to keep man-to-man principles. Doing so allows for a much easier transition to playing matchup zone defense.

To begin, Coach Mooney details the responsibilities of each player on the floor. He shows you how to use the matchup zone to bait teams into throwing the ball into the post resulting in easy steals. With an emphasis on being physical, Coach Mooney explains how to keep the ball out of the post and how most teams will try to beat the matchup zone.

Match-Up Zone Defense Drills

Coach Mooney then guides you through the different buildup drills he uses to teach and install the matchup zone defense. He places emphasis on defending in transition as many teams will try and beat the zone early in a possession. The drills you will see are:

• 3-on-3: Switching cutters
• 4-on-4: Defending the low post
• 4-on-4: Defending down screens
• 5-on-5: Defending “pass and cut” transition
• 5-on-5: Defending “roll and come high” transition
• 5-on-5: Defending “same side corner cut” (bumping the cutter)
• 5-on-5: Defending “motion offense”

Each drill covers how to move on a ball reversal or when the offense uses a skip pass over the top of the defense. To finish his presentation, Coach Mooney takes you through three popular transition sets and how to defend each of their actions. You will see how to continually frustrate an offense by switching cutters, keeping post players inside, and keeping perimeter players on the outside.

Even if you are a proponent of man-to-man defense, Coach Mooney’s video is worth a look. Incorporating man-to-man principles, this matchup zone can easily be implemented into an existing system. If you are looking to add to your defensive scheme, this video is for you. Rent this match-up zone defense drills DVD today.