The first principle of teaching defense is to recognize what your players can do defensively. Not all are equally good in all phases of defense, and a coach has to see what differences are.
The second principle is: There is no single absolute. The result counts no matter how you do it. Any defense is good regardless of what it is if it's effective. If the principle is good, it will hold true 85 percent of the time.
The third principle is for the coach to recognize that the faster a team is, the more pressure it can apply defensively. Speed narrows the court, makes it less long. The court is larger to a slower team.
The fourth principle is that whatever you emphasize, and to the degree that you do, you get better at it up to the level of your talent.
The first principle is that the force of the coach determines the quality and the intensity of the defense.
Principle s alone do not get the job done. Others might know more about defense but don't have the same strength of personality. Knowledge alone is not enough.
From "The Smart Take from the Strong" by Pete Carril with Dan White
