Communication gives the defense a head start on the play or the action. If your teammate tells you a back screen is coming, you are able to react to it prior to the contact; if your point guard yells out the set that the opponent just called, it allows your entire team to “sniff out” what is about to be run
Communication develops trust. If we communicate properly and follow the talk with the appropriate action defensively then we begin to trust each other; once we get that trust we find that our defense gets more aggressive and more confident because we know someone always has our back
Communication intimidates. We strongly feel that if we can constantly communicate with each other that we can — and will — gain an advantage because they know that we know what is about to be run and who the play is for; this becomes a tremendous strength of the defense.
Communication keeps every player more alert. In order to communicate, you must be paying attention to what is going on on the floor. The more you pay attention, the more you can cover up a mistake made by a teammate; you can “plug a hole” in our defense.
Effective communication is a three-step process. It must be (1) early – communicate as early as possible; (2) loud – communicate as loudly as you can so that your teammate can hear it; and (3) continuous – you must repeat your command three times to ensure that your teammate hears it — “PICK RIGHT – PICK RIGHT – PICK RIGHT.”
Communicate with more than your voice. Many arenas are very loud so you should communicate with your hands and fingers by pointing at actions. You can also communicate intensity by your body language; players and coaches know who is into the game by the body language on the court.
