NBA Fundamentals Bruce Bowen on Man-to-Man Defense

One of the best defenders in the NBA, Bruce Bowen, explains how to effectively play man-to-man defense.

[@amayesbenmeziane]

Tips From Bruce 1 Foul Hard 2 Kick Opponent in The Nuts 3 Make Opponent Land oon Your Feet To send him Home and End Career

[@LakersDynasty42]

The thing about Bruce Bowen's dirty play is that it overshadow's his great defense. He's one of the greatest defenders of all-time, but he'll be remembered for the plays where he took cheap shots.

[@Propain4eva]

Good. Piece of shit was out there trying to harm people. Im just grateful nothing he did to Vince was permanent

[@bri888]

That flying kick on sczerbiak's face was the best defense i've ever seen

[@mollyanderson657]

He should've won DPOY

[@marleyjay01]

man you know what? with his reputation and his name alone i tought he was like the baddest man out there. straight animal. but after seeing this he sounds pretty nice.

[@B3_W3LL]

Used to love watching these as a kid. @NBA bring these back!!

[@johmedis]

Not only does he have 3 rings, but he was one of the best lockdown defenders in the league even as he was getting older. Throughout the Spurs 2000s championship runs, Bruce Bowen was the guy who would ALWAYS guard the best player on the other team. So he was guarding Kobe, among other elite players all those times they met in the playoffs and made the Finals.

[@MrAlexSwift]

one of the best to ever defend.

[@tommenbaratheon3612]

ok daenerys

[@videogamer134]

I like learning tips about basketball from NBA players, Coaches its a lot more fun.

[@videogamer134]

I think Bruce did a great job! You guys don't need to be so negative.

[@Bigbaby950]

Video Gamer Bruce is a dickhead

[@rambosexy2009]

Video Gamer He did a great job injuring people.

[@jj6434]

I like Bruce, but he drop kicked someone in a game

[@SPORTSorb2024]

@@jj6434 He mortal combat kicked you a jumpshooter mean? 😅🤣😂

[@jes123l]

the toughness and aggression at 2:35-2:40 is the basketball i love.

[@superslayerguy]

God damn I fucking miss him, one of our best players ever.

[@cpthurme]

I love these fundamentals vids

[@RobertJohnson-nz3xm]

Best flying kick I've ever seen.

[@RampartPh]

draymons's kick is better and more accurate.

[@thsu8]

Wrong Bruce. Research Bruce Lee.

[@sdawg4834]

1. Try kicking your opponent in the knee while he's taking a jump shot 2. Extend your foot underneath your opponent as he lands from taking a jump shot 3. If all else fails kick an opponent in the face while he's taking a shot. All three tactics have a good chance of injuring your opponent and taking him out of the game completely and if your lucky end his career. Oh yeah shout out to Zaza!

[@acecmopu17]

well he made a good point on post-up players like carmelo. They're freaking hard to guard when they establish a good position

[@megatron6579]

And when this doesn't work stick your foot under ur opponent so they land on ur foot right bruce?

[@Konphetty]

+Mega Tron (Host Blocker) LMAOOO

[@mollyanderson657]

Or Karate kick your opponents in the face.

[@Whatareyoudoinginmyswamp.]

⁠@@mollyanderson657Or kneeing your opponents groin or elbowing them in a gut

[@jasonrichard3848]

Hahah

[@JAMISONS]

Bruce Bowen deserved the 2006 defenseive player of the year.

[@AKA34DREAM]

for those of you hating on bowen just listen to these last seconds of the video. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS BABY. THAT'S RIGHT HE CAN SHOW OF HIS RINGS.

[@kendrick6387]

I will admit as a Spurs fan, Bruce's defense could be dirty at times, but when he was at it and on a roll, other players would just say he was dirty because he was very good at defense

[@Mike_219]

"When he goes up for a shot, I can..." subtlely stick my foot out underneath where he'll land.

[@SpacemanTheWhite]

this is the reason why i love Bowen. All these fans who despise him so much because he somehow finds away (even if its illegal) to stop the oppposing team's best player. You haters have to give him props. If he wasn't so good at being dirty, he wouldn't be so infamous would he?

[@watashiwanachodes]

he's great. cause he's a though competitor, hes not affraid to take the hardest job on the team (dfense people!) and not recieve all the credit he diserve for it. a true player.

[@erikrodriguez1822]

Bruce Bowen was a big part of 2003,2005,2007 championships with the spurs. 5x nba all defensive team. That's why they retired his jersey.

[@SaintTerrence]

Playing defense in basketball is not hard. It just takes practice. The problem is people would rather learn to shoot than play defense

[@Nirvezz]

yup

[@trevorh1440]

Ehh it can be at higher levels. Especially when you have to maneuver around screens, switch players instantaneously, and play help side defense.

[@Smoothways]

NUMBER one you need the attitude an will to stop people from scoring. There are two general types of defenders: the deny ones and the steal ones. As a great defender you need to master them both BUT great defenders mostly player the deny defense. Escpecially these days with zone defense - you deny passes and drives.

[@stlucchese]

Ayyyeee so true. But like Lebum... it’s better to score more points than to have defensive stops.

[@ilias2323232323]

men he knows alot about defence,,really nice video

[@stephendjomo6904]

Offense wins the game but DEFENSE wins CHAMPIONSHIP!!! So True Isn't it T-Mac, Vince Carter, Melo...

[@LazyHawt]

Not exactly true Bowen would not do shit without the great offence of Duncan,Parker or Ginobili.Sure he is a great defender,dirty as fuck and hated in my book,but still great.Regardless, TEAMS wins championships, combination of amazing scorers such as T-Mac,Vinsanity and Melo and solid defenders such as Battier,Artest,Ariza and while i hate to admit it Bowen is in there too.But still,everyone is important.

[@FREEDOM23100]

Or maybe just maybe having a great point gaurd like tony parker , the greatest pf in nba history tim Duncan not to mention one of the best 6th mans of all time in manu ginobili and not to mention one of the greatest coaches of all time lol just sayin

[@Darkrude12]

+FREEDOM23100 jamal crawford is the best 6th man of all time

[@LazyHawt]

+ChainGaming I wouldn't go that far.I would put Havlicek,guy was a beast.

[@yayareaaaaaaa]

That Cal State Fullerton legend Bruce Bowen

[@bowen12battier31]

Bruce Bowen was fun to watch, too bad theres not to many great defenders like him to watch anymore.

[@Smoothways]

Great stuff and Bowen has always been my favorite defender. 2 things thoug: 1) with his active hands he would get the likes of James Harden ALWAYS pinning on him shooting fouls these days 2) he never played zone defense because during his active NBA days everytime the defender left his man they were called for illegal defense. None the less noone was able to stop Kobe and other Superstars from scoring 30+ the way Bown did. And therefore he was an integral part of Pops team around TD, TP, Ginobili, Horry...etc

[@M21655]

@@saltman6873 I think you need to rewatch that finals. Yikes you made yourself look stupid

[@MikeDuece666]

@@saltman6873 07’ not 04’ kid

[@creampie86]

This is the type of defender that would shut down the other teams star. Curry, harden, durant, giannis and any position from guard to forward in the 2010's would definitely struggle. A true dirty lockdown defender, but i like him especially in the 05-07 spurs champ team.

[@CreiCrei808]

this really made me a better defender thanks bruce bowen

[@marcsman229]

i thought, in the end, he was gonna teach his patented bruce bowen foot defense.

[@videogamer134]

Thank you for the defensive tips. I appreciate it.

[@andyhammer9218]

in a league where every team was drafting SG/SF alstars spurs drafted a SG/SF stopper

[@full6330name]

all-time great defender

[@FaMeChICK22]

"Offense wins games, Defense wins CHAMPIONSHIPS"

[@FabioCasas]

Impressive, I downloaded and watched this several time ~15years ago

[@thehorsejechol]

love him or hate him u gotta admit he can defend well

[@piscator2813]

That's Bruce Lee Bowen for you

[@jyjade]

Thanks Bruce...active hands is what's missing from my "D", and I will apply & teach these basics.

[@dwilliams02]

... I'm not even sure what the first half of your comment means but referring to the parts I do get... Bowen has been on multiple Spurs championship teams and has been a key contributor. Not only did he, until recently, hold the record for most 3-pointers in a game by a Spur but also is arguably the second most important person on the team after Duncan. The Spurs win on their defense because they have a great inside defender and a great outside defender.

[@eyeofthetiger444]

@dbtbandit67 off-ball defense doesnt typically get called for hand checking. on-ball defense is likely to be called. meaning if they dont have the ball you can put some physical pressure on them (not too much) but if they have the ball you can only put physical pressure on them in the post or in the paint.

[@qistan]

the point is, put your feet under your opponents when they shot

[@marleyjay01]

bruce, i belive every word you say. your the greatest and you have proven it.

[@juanpablosubiabre]

perfect defense

[@videogamer134]

You did a wonderful job Bruce.

[@sulllysized]

Dirty plays aside, Bruce Bowen is still one of the best defenders in the league.

[@rightbryce]

lesson three: when opponents go up for their jump shot, be sneaky and place your foot under them so that they roll and break their ankle on your foot on the way down.

[@bendmywhammy]

dirty in some ways... but he's a damn good defensive player specially in the perimeter. Its tougher to guard a perimeter player who has so many ways to score. Respect to bruce even though I dont like some of his dirty plays.

[@hudsonduncan]

if you're fronting you have to make sure your teammates know and understand the concepts of team defense and are helping you out on the back side. while fronting your opponent, aggressively push your back against your opponent, forcing him closer to the basket. this will make the pass more difficult. while the pass is in the air, you have to try to intercept the pass as well.

[@metboy247]

and the best players in the league still dread playing against him. that just showes how good he really is. Good enough to help add a 4th banner in that gym.

[@derrick031072]

Bowen...KG...Rodman... Dirty? Sometimes... or often. Then again, Spurs, Boston, Detroit & Chicago were all happy having them in their teams. All these 3 guys are all GREAT DEFENDERS. Amen!

[@ud867]

I read an article where a scout talked about Bowen's defense, and he said 'Well, if you think about it he's defending all the Kobe's, Lebron's, and Carmelo's out there and they get 20 shots a game. If he contests 15 of them a night, he ends up in so many plays that he's going to look dirty in some of them'. But he's really good at defense any way you look at it, he's really got both legs and arms working on you.

[@startingsprinter]

he is one of the best defender, although can be dirty

[@justinvalentine8438]

So...... did Bruce Bowen ever Finnish his sentence? Legend has it nobody knows. 😂

[@SPORTSorb2024]

ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENDERS EVER. PERIOD.

[@ccchrv]

hes actually a very good defender, one of a kind

[@illflip]

yes,very sick. watched him since he was in high school....needs to expan his game tho....had a lot of potential when he was younger

[@Kaelthas_Sunstrider]

He's a tough and gritty defender, but no doubt, we would all love to have him on our team. ''Bruce Lee'' Bowen FTW.

[@justasijus]

Still knowing that Bowen loves to brake other peoples ankles and injury them i still like him.... One of the rare defensive player in nba

[@BradDanyluk]

Bruce Bowen was an integral part of 3 championship teams. He is the best perimeter defender in the league and a winner. For anyone who calls him selfish, the guy doesn't look for personal accomplishments, his own shots, or anything else of the sort. PLease define selfish..or at least think before you speak.

[@cnl1213]

I am looking for the clip with nate mcmillan talking about defense back when he was a sonic...

[@Markrobinson-bb3ti]

focus is the key for me on defense

[@dahhiwopan]

Do people have to be lame all the time? Love him or hate him, it was a really good tutorial. If you take his advice during pick-ups, you will be really thankful you did bcuz you will really notice the difference in how badly almost everybody struggles to score on you... if they do at all, since most people's skill level is much lower than NBA players.

[@lynettemll]

give the guy a break, he does play good defense and those drills look really useful. i wish i could play as good defense as he does. he doesn't leave anyone alone that often, which is good in the NBA

[@UnionKid15]

Great stuff, thanks for the post..!!!

[@cp3cp33]

You may not like him, but he is one of the best defenders in recent years. Outstanding, tough defender. Spurs might have been a "boring" team to watch, but real basketball fans would have appriciated the Spurs at both ends...real fundamentals and coaching.

[@tsterrorsquad]

Bruce Bowen is a great defender people should stop hatin, the guy works his ass of every night coz he's not as gifted as most guys in the NBA so u gotta give him props for gettin where he's got.

[@chitownkidd33]

bowen was one of the few good/dirty defenders left. Hes plays dirty and smart. This was common defense in the 80s and early 90s.

[@tcdahn7]

"So what you want to do is when you see someone think they're going to shoot a three, run over and kick 'em in the face. They'll think twice before they try that again."

[@Kaelthas_Sunstrider]

As much as we may all dislike Bowen, he is a tenacious defender and I would gladly have him on my team.

[@dannyg120]

I didn't hear Bowen mention his best techniques. Stepping on players feet, elbowing, kicking guys in the achilles as he is beat to the hoop (see Amare Stoudemire who missed a year after coming back from near career ending microfracture surgery just to have this clown try to injure him). His buddy Robert Horry must have learned some too after he knocked Nash to the floor and provided a lopsided playoff game where the Suns lost 3 players to suspension. Must feel good to win that way....

[@sunike07]

i don't see kobe complaining, but kobe did said it himself that out of everyone in the nb...bowen really does give him a tough time on the offensive end...

[@EBHERNANDEZ7]

I love the way you play Bruce Bowen. That's why I wear the number 12 on my team. I score about 6-8 points per game but by the time the second half, I am taking on their top scorer causing us to take the lead and shutting him out. The whole half he may get 4 points on me. By that time we are up by 30 points. Sometimes I score 0 points but I'm happy. We kill people 97 to 53 or 103 to 68. Defense wins championships. 40 minutes of game time and we are scoring this many points.

[@Zay_Rich]

I use to watch this video religiously

[@idicula1979]

I bet the Spurs miss him, I used to love watching him guard Kobe he was truly a "Kobe stopper" witch is why the Spurs got him in the first place.

[@23GaryJordan]

0:41 and then kenny and charles are talking about me at the end of the night lol

[@joshmaps_]

I knew that there would be an awful lot of comments saying that Bowen is a dirty player. I wouldn't say that because if you're trying to do your job and you actually use your feet on defense, you can't just look down if you're gonna step on the guy. He's just doing his job, he's not a dirty player.

[@youngpeople100]

@Jiwu i think it's very difficult to dhut them down, i mean, they are the BEST, so they have talent, you can be stronger physically but they have the ability, mentally, to make some points, if you can let kobe make just 10 points for example you are a good defender, if u can let him make less than 10 you are the best but you can't hope that some champions like kobe or dirk won't do a double double

[@59FIFTYMAX]

"Offense wins games, Defense wins championships" i like that saying....

[@flatjacket1]

Hahah sorry guys, but that is one of the reasons he is such a defensive threat. He hits people and trips them, but he gets in their heads, and does get more possessions for his team. I'm not exactly a Bruce Bowen fan but hey, respect.

[@CheefChaos]

Bruce when should i get my foot under the player, as he jumps up at the peak or as he starts to come down for a landing?

[@iggy215]

He forgot to mention the part when you stick your foot out so the person you're guarding can come down and break their ankles..now that DEFENCE!!

[@chrisevilmonkey]

very good advices.

[@denissdennis]

wow i liked the hustle he did on Chris Paul!!! real defence!!!!!

[@Quicktwosteps]

My problem is when defending on a post up. I steal the front position of the person I'm guarding, his teammate will just throw the ball over me. I'm like "fuck, all that effort stealing the front position."

[@DevDolla757]

i agree. ive looked at tons of videos to get better

[@chocrow]

"remember to sweep the leg when the opponent is in the air shooting, that way you break their ankle"

[@MrRolaCosta]

I watched games where Kobe and Nowizki scored 30 and the defender did a great job, those guys score with hand on their face without seeing nothing, all you can do is make them work hard to get the ball...

[@AnyDayKnow]

People hate on bruce so much, but put it this way. He isnt the best offensive player but on defence he can slow down even the best of players like lebron and kobe. No matter what anyone says this guy is a fucking machine when it comes to D. And playing D takes alot of effort mentaly and physicaly which he excels in.

[@dwilliams02]

Bowen arguably should have been the Finals MVP last year because of the job he did defending James not to mention how he defended Nash, Deron Williams and Iverson/Anthony in the rounds before. And what do you mean "so arrogantly trying to show off?" If you haven't noticed, there are videos like this for every part of basketball, TNT asked/paid him to do this, what do you want him to do say "Ok, well they asked me to do this but I said no to the easy money because I don't want to be arrogant."

[@papynchase]

"When your man is making a jumpshot, place a foot right under one of his foot, so that when he lands, he gets injured."

[@thestfuguy]

lmao at the end,vince carter posting up with his hand on bowen's neck lol

[@zartosht06]

good stuff Bruce almighty

[@DouglasLeroyBowenJr]

In my opinion; Bruce Bowen is one of the smartest and best defenders in (not only the NBA), but in basketball period. ... And that's not just because we have the same last name; it’s because it’s the truth.

[@Dreamhaxx02]

Bruce Bowen is one of the best defenders ever, you cant take that away from him. BUT he is still dirty.. he is problaly just tought ''Do what ever it takes To win, Even if you cant be clean'' some people are æole that.. but you still have to respect him as one of the best man on man defenders ever.. (ps. im not a Spurs fan. im one of those kids who are trapped in the Golden Era and love Yuong Shaq and Hakeem back in the good old 80's and 90's.

[@FelipeBonetti4]

BRUCE BOWEN RETIRES! ALELUIA!

[@startingsprinter]

good lesson

[@millvis584]

I don't think Bruce Bowen is dirty, but I think he needs to clean up his game a little bit. Even though he is critisized by other players,(including teammate Michael Finley)I think he is a terrific defender and the best perimeter defensive player in the league.

[@srcasteve]

"offense wins game but defense wins championship" and imho its because of defenders like bruce that the game is moving to a higher level :)