Man to Man, or Zone Defense: You are the coach?  

Oh yes, if you have a physically fit players who can play and defend man-to-man for the whole duration of the game, that would be great. And helping on defense through traps and press is wonderful. As one coach says, "Defense wins championships." I think this is a good motto for many coaches who want to be a great team and a defensive team at that. But if your players are easily tired, man-to-man defense is a less likely option!

Man to man defense is ideal if you have disciplined players that understand help side defense. I coach an inner-city high school team that lacks discipline and we always get cut up when we play man to man. If you have good athletes with solid stamina, man to man can force a lot of turnovers and create fast break opportunities. I would have my team play man to man if they could learn how and when to help their teammates. Man to man can be difficult if your team is undersized, as this can create matchup problems. Also if the other team has one go to player, I like a nice box and one.