SHOW YOU’RE HOT (APPROACH)
As an on-ball defenseman, it’s crucial to approach your opposing attacker and get out to defend as quickly as possible.
In this variation:
Hustle out to the cone (either top right or top left). “In this instance, I’m going to the top right cone,” Matsui said. “I’m a righty, so I use my stick to touch my guy to make sure I know where’s at while I analyze the ball and his hips to see whether I need to slide or not.”
Sit down in a solid, athletic, defensive stance — knees bent, chest out, butt parallel to the ground. If you do have to slide, you can do that quickly because you’re body is low and your feet are activated. Your base is your stance. It’s about finding where you’re comfortable, where you can move either way and still be balanced. Stay on the balls on your feet to maintain balance.
Bracket the cone. Make sure your top foot is above the cone, so you’re splitting the guy. In doing that, you take away the top side if he decides to dodge that way. You are hoping to force him down the alley.
SHOW AND SLIDE CREEP
A defenseman needs to be nimble. At times you will apply pressure, but back off the slide when the dodger does not present the same challenge as anticipated.
In this variation:
Show that you're hot by pressuring out on the ball, taking away the top side and forming a balanced, sit-down stance.
If you decide the dodger is not as much of a threat, begin the process of recovery to the middle of the box. Shuffle your feet while maintaining eyes on the attackman. You’re still the hot guy, so you need to be able to slide and react if he dodges.
You can shuffle your feet adjacent to one another, or shuffle them one over the other depending on where the dodger is. Continue to maintain a low and balanced stance, allowing you to shift your body weight quickly.
Repeat this variation for both the left and right sides.
PLAY THE BALL (FIRE)
Shuffle forward in the low stance, showing that you’re hot.
This time, you have to go. Get to the cone as fast as you can, but under control. Make sure to maintain your balance and stay on the balls of your feet.
“If I’m breaking down on my defender, I’ll watch his hips,” Matsui said. “A lot of attackmen will give you head and arm fakes, but it’s really hard to fake with your legs. Watching his hips is the best way to make sure you get an initial jam on a guy.”
To end this variation, fire (execute the slide) from one cone to the next. Make sure to continue shuffling your feet as you track your attackman with your stick and eyes.