Playing Defense

Defense is rarely played man-on-man in team handball. Instead, two primary kinds of zone defense are played, the 6-0, or flat defense, which lines all the defenders up along the six-metre line and the stepped defense positions one or more defenders in front of his or her teammates to prevent long shots from the backcourt and to take away passing lanes. Common stepped defenses include the 5-1, the 3-2-1 and the 4-2.