man-to-man marking
Personal defender assignment
Man-to-man marking is a defensive strategy in team sports where each defender is assigned to guard a specific opponent rather than a zone of the field.
Common in football, basketball, and hockey, it requires each player to track their assigned attacker's movements throughout play: They switched to man-to-man marking in the second half.
Also called man-marking.
Contrast with zone defense.
- defensiveProtective or easily threatened
- zonalRelating to districts
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- shadowingFollowing to observe
- stay closeRemain in proximity
tight · tracking · assignment · opponent · tackle · closing · one-on-one · coverage · midfielder · winger · jockeying · pressure · positioning · duel · containment · fullback · interception · footwork