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← Library of Schemes

defense

Amoeba defense

A changing pressure defense combining a ball defender with area coverage. This introduction follows the public Tarkanian-style one-guard-front account, not every Amoeba or McCarthy Mayhem rule.

How it runs

Amoeba: wing pressure, corner coverage and a guided return

Original six-frame teaching example using selected public Tarkanian-style rules. Coordinates and the guided return are CoachAssist choices, not copied source diagrams or every Amoeba version.

1–5 are players on offense. X1–X5 are defenders. Each number stays with the same player in every step; it does not lock that player into a position.

Start against one top guardHalf court diagram, frame 1 of 6: Start against one top guard. 10 players, showing pass, defensive slide.1234512345

Diagram 1 of 6

Start against one top guard

1 passes to 2. X2 meets the wing; X1 moves into the high-post job.

Diagram key

  • Offense
  • Defense
  • Coach
  • Neutral
  • Ball
  • Cone
  • Cut
  • Dribble
  • Pass
  • Screen
  • Hand-off
  • Shot
  • Def. slide

Use Previous and Next beside the court, or choose a numbered step. Arrows on the court show where players or the ball move. CoachAssist drew this example; it does not show every way to run the scheme.

Watch & learn (2)

Clips may use a different version. Check each match note; links open in a new tab.

Selected public one-guard-front rules. The numbered return rehearsal and practice tasks are original CoachAssist examples, not a complete installation.

In this guide · jump to a topic

Starting spots and jobs

Two high, two at the lane, one behind

X1 pressures the top. X2 covers the high post, X3/X4 start beside the lane, and X5 protects behind the lowest attacker.

Source-backed summary; versions may differ.

Move on the catch, then the dribble

The trap has a trigger

X2 meets the wing catch; X3 joins after the dribble. On a corner pass, X5 takes the ball while X3 replaces the post coverage.

Source-backed summary; versions may differ.

What happens after the first trap?

A pass reaches the opposite wing

When: The corner skips to the opposite wing.

Do this: In the source’s example, X4 takes that catch, X3 crosses to the post, and X5 returns behind.

Then: X2 restores middle coverage and X1 denies the top. This branch is written-only, not the return shown below.

Source-backed summary; versions may differ.

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

What to emphasize

  • Original teaching suggestion: walk one pass at a time. Name the ball, post and basket defenders before adding a dribble.
  • Use controlled closeouts and legal spacing. Finish live possessions by locating opponents and rebounding; a trap is not a completed stop.

Check the defense behind the ball

Nobody protects the basket

Problem: Two defenders reach the ball while the inside attacker is unguarded.

Try this correction: Freeze at the pass. Ask each defender to identify one responsibility. Restart slowly from the last correct catch.

Check: A teammate must name the basket protector before the trap proceeds.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Keep versions separate

Mayhem is a related version

Changes: coverage, continuation.

  • Ryan McCarthy’s Mayhem develops the Amoeba idea further. A closeout preview does not establish its complete rotations.
  • The source’s two-guard/high-post trap is a different branch; it is not drawn here.

When to use it: Choose one documented version before combining rules. These are starting resources, not proof of every coach’s system.

Written variant · this option does not have its own walkthrough here.

Source-backed summary; versions may differ.

How to teach it

Choose the level that matches what your players can do now. These steps work for boys and girls. Start simpler if players need more practice.

Build only as fast as players understand

Contain before rotating

Set it up: One attacker, one defender, one suitable ball and a coach; this is not the full defense.

  1. Practice a balanced approach and stop.
  2. Switch roles after a short coach-timed turn.

Add more when: Both players remain balanced without reaching or contact.

Check it in play
  • Can the defender see the ball and stay in front?

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

CoachAssist wrote these teaching steps. They are not an exact copy of any coach’s practice plan.

What can go wrong and how to adjust
  • Check age-group zone and trapping rules. Start with individual containment when players are not ready for five-player rotations.
  • The diagram completes a selected pass-and-return rehearsal, not every drive, skip, overload or rebound. Mayhem is a related adaptation, not an interchangeable playbook.
Coaches and teams that use it
Drills for this scheme · steps and diagrams

The level selector changes the teaching steps above. It does not change these drills. Check the number of players, equipment and difficulty before using a drill.

We have not linked a drill to this scheme yet. The teaching steps above are CoachAssist’s suggestions.

Sources and what we could confirm

The sources support the system guide. CoachAssist created the practice steps and checks; they are suggestions, not tested programs or a coach’s full playbook. The linked drills practice parts of the system.

Coaches run this in different ways. The sources below describe the versions covered here. These sources do not cover every possible version.

  • Amoeba Defense

    Steve Mergelsberg · Coaching Toolbox · 2013-03-22

    Coach-authored account of a discussion with Tarkanian. Selected public rotation rules reviewed; original teaching text and coordinates below are not source artwork.

  • Amoeba Basketball Defense

    James A. Gels · Coach’s Clipboard · publication date not listed

    Public one-guard-front rules and associated video links reviewed. Member-only material and complete paid lessons were not accessed. The apparent O1/X1 typo is resolved against Mergelsberg’s explicit defender account.

  • The Mayhem Amoeba-Style Defense

    Ryan McCarthy · Championship Productions · 2017

    Public course description only: establishes a related Mayhem adaptation, not every coverage in the paid course. No purchase or paid footage accessed.

Amoeba defense · Library of Schemes · CoachAssist