In the zonal defense, teams pick up offensive players on the attack based on the aforementioned cover, pressure, and balance method.
Zonal Defense Often enough, teams will play with a zonal defense — meaning that, in most cases, your defenders won’t be marking individual opponents time and time again. In the zonal defense, teams pick up offensive players on the attack based on the aforementioned cover, pressure, and balance method. For everybody not directly impacted by the ball carrier, they must stay in open space and decide when to pick up on an attacking player’s run. These defenders will clog lanes and take up room until they are forced into action and another player will, theoretically, side into that position to make up for the change.