This section is written by Ironman. I (-Alien-) take no credit for writing this great piece of work.

 

Defense: A Lost Art

Written by: Ironman

Part 1

Defense, a word everyone knows but only a select few know how to play correctly. If I were to ask everyone on BRChat what the most important UniBall skill to learn is, I believe the majority would say skills such as bouncing, passing, and graving. Although these are all very important skills to a player’s overall game, defense is one of the most under looked skill a player can choose to develop. Everyone knows that a player can learn basic defensive skills far quicker in almost any sport or computer game that requires it than learning to properly execute basic offensive skills such as

bouncing. Unfortunately most people stop right at the basics with the development of their defensive skills.

 

A common theory is that if you have a very potent offense you really don’t need to have a strong defense. It is true you can win many games this way, but no matter how good of an offense player you are, there will be games when you’re struggling, but good defenders never seem to have off

nights on the defensive side. The reason for this is defense is a set skill which requires less game-play training and skill practicing to learn then other UniBall skills such as bouncing or juking; it instead requires the right mindset such as desire, memorization, and anticipation while offering little praise. Defense is something you can always fall back on if you’re struggling offensively allowing yourself to still be a key player in the game.

 

I’ve seen a lot of great offensive players never get out of the average player status or unable to join a top tier squad because of their lack of defensive skills. Also, for players out there trying to reach the next level but never seem to get a chance because of a skill deficiency such as bouncing, defense tends to make up for those deficiencies in a player's game.

 

Anyone can learn to play solid defense, so my question to you is why are there so few that do?

 

Fundamental Defensive Tips

Written by: Ironman

Part 2

As I stated from my previous article “Defense a Lost Art” the main requirement to play effective defense is to have the right mindset as playing defense requires only basic skill development. There are however, a few fundamental tips that can help no matter what your playing style is. I stress these are just my personal opinions on the general fundamentals of defense you can agree or disagree; we all play differently. I will not be discussing advanced techniques in this article as I believe those can be contradicting and confusing when talking about the basics of defense.

 

1. Here is the easiest tip for decent defense and yet it’s the one people struggle with the most. It’s the most common error so it must be vastly complex. I’ll try to say it as simple as possible to not confuse anyone, DON’T LET THE PERSON YOU’RE GUARDING GO PAST YOU. Did I lose anyone yet? If

you’re the last man on defense don’t even think about diving it’s out of the question, you’re the last line of defense, always play it safe. The worst goal is a clear goal, at least make them earn a goal. Preventing a player from getting in front of you on last man defense is pretty straight forward

compared to staying in front of your opponent with the ball near his own goal but at least give it a try don’t perform a high risk high reward play at the goal-line just try to contain the opponent don’t allow him race by you. Performing a failed move near the goal-line where you end up behind your

opponent. This forces your team-mates to adjust their positions in order to cover your opponent, this will most likely cause a chain reaction breaking down the team defense which usually leads to a goal for your opponents. Try to perform a move where you won’t create a 2on3 scoring situation if it’s unsuccessful. Team-mates are there for back-up support not for stopping your opponent on a risky move.

 

2. When playing the ball try not to give the person you’re guarding much distance between you and him, always attempt to apply him pressure. One of your key objectives is limiting his options so you will be able to react better, the more distance you give him the more options your opponent has.

When you’re playing off the ball it’s still a good idea to guard him closely so the person with the ball won’t be able to pass to him. Some situations allow you to give him space such if he’s pretty far away from the ball then you want to concentrate on the passing lanes more since he’s less of a threat.

 

3. When you are guarding the person with the ball make sure you have near full boost so you will be able to react faster and recover more quickly if he gets past you.

 

4. Braking is so important on defense. Use it to establish a position where you have an advantage or where you know the offense player wants to go, make yourself a wall don’t let him move you. I use brakes so much against great bouncers so when they hit me I barely move and my ship is still in good position to make a defensive play. If you need to charge an opponent brake right when you’re about to hit them so you still remain close to him no matter that outcome is. If you’re right on top of him he’s more likely to make a mistake and turn it over.

 

5. When you are last man or going against a 2 on 1 fast break and the person you’re guarding doesn’t have the ball block him with the back side of your ship, slow him down just make sure you’re always in front of the opponents. Delaying and slowing them down gives your team time to establish their defense. If its 2 on 1 and your other team-mates have no chance of catching up to you do not try to cover the goal. You will lose every time they have too many options and it’s impossible to cover them

all. Either charge the opponent with the ball or right at the last minute boost into the passing lane hopefully intercepting it. It’s a gamble but at least you have a better chance then covering the entire goal 2 on 1.

 

6. Doubling is the second most common mistake I see players doing. They’re only a few situations where doubling is great but some people absolutely abuse it. You should usually only double when your team knows where to be in order to successfully pull a trap so this requirement usually only applies to squad games not random ones. Only double if the person with the ball doesn’t have much support for examples if your opponent with the ball is on one side and both of his team-mates are on the opposite side as long as one of your team-mates can cover the passing lane, you can attempt a

double. Make sure you have a backup plan if there is an opponent ahead of you on the same side where you want to double (such as attacking backwards for a faster recovery) and if your last man, don’t even bother risking a double.

 

7. Look around the field and see where your teammates are, there is no reason for you to both cover the same area, establish a zone area. In the event two offensive players enter your area which brings your team-mate in your area. Cover the opposite side your team-mate enters (if you team-mate enters your zone from the right side you will guard the left side) the two offensive players will realize they are too close together and separate. Do not follow the person you were originally guarding unless he goes to the side you’re now covering. I’ve seen so many goals scored of a terrible switch; you must learn correctly how to switch to prevent your team defense collapsing. Also when you and a teammate are at roughly the same distance to intercept the opponent with the ball let the better defender

player rotate to the person. For example Elitedude has the ball and his partner Averagedude is moving towards his goal. Defenderdude and laggydude both are in position to pick up Elitedude. Defenderdude should intercept Elitedude and laggydude should cover Averagedude. Uniball is a

team concept game so you have to play like a team. I switch on UK often because high pingers can be more effective on last man defense than playing man to man. Some situations call for you rotate don’t let your pride make the decision.

 

8. When you’re guarding your opponent with the ball point your ship in the direction you think you opponent will go so you can use your boost to established position for a steal or knocking the ball away for a possible recovery. If you perform a high risk move its best to be pointed towards the

opponent’s goal so you can recover quickly and resume the normal defense stance.

 

9. Make the opponent go where it is to your advantage. You can do this by blocking him or giving him space where its makes it easier to go the way you want then confronting your ship. You have a better chance of stopping a player 1 on 1 in the corner then you do against the middle. Close the middle lane forcing him to go around the corner. It might give you some time as well for your teammates to catch up since it’s a slightly longer route for your opponent to take.

 

10. With graving and the popularity of racing, blocking has become a very effective skill and most players if they manage to get in front of you most will either shot block you giving them an additional momentum or grav you most of the way to their goal. This can be avoided by not chasing

an opponent directly from behind, this will usually make the opponent move over to your ship in an attempt to stay in front and this is where you make your move. Just remember you will be moving faster since you don’t have the ball so you can just catch up with him by chasing him with a slight

angle. If he still going full speed and heading towards you he’s mostly likely going to shot block you, evade the block by boosting to the side or braking right away when the opponent is almost right behind you as this is the most likely point they will do a shot block. The shot block, if he misses

contact with you, will cause him to lose momentum and you would then be in a good position to retrieve the ball and at the minimum if you brake behind him and he still hits you this would at least slow him down as well with no momentum gained where hopefully you manage to get in front of

him by boosting and swerving or your team-mate can outrun him to the ball. If he’s ahead of you and starts to slow down he’s going to most likely perform a grav move, to evade this use your brakes right away when your opponent starts to slows down, so you perform a “love tap” on his ship. This was cause the ball to draft slightly forward and his gravity will prevent him from picking it up, immediately boost (he wont be able to boost, your opponents’ ship is normally pointed at his goal) pushing him out of the way to retrieve the ball.

 

Once again these are just my basic fundamental tips and even the top 5 defenders do things differently. I know there is a lot more involved to become a top defender but this is a great way for people to start. If you’re really interested in improving your defense I’d suggest the best way is by

watching players such as myself, Babalybeck, Bryant, ham, Outkast, Superman, Maria, zorro, and Wawa, plus Pomm and Destiny make some of the best traps on doubles.