Team Canada head coach Jay Triano responds to your trickiest Ask JT question.

Steve Nash
Steve Nash's quickness poses problems for defenders.
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From Wass in Keswick, ON:

I was wondering how I could make myself better at defending smaller but quicker guards. I am a six-foot guard and the others I face are 5-8 to 5-10.

Jay Triano:

Anything that you can do to work on your quickness will help. Size should be an asset, not a detriment.

Lateral movement is a must when playing quicker players. Any type of skipping and foot-speed drills will be useful, as will perfecting defensive slides.

Positioning and an understanding of the player you are guarding also will help. Know things like how good a shooter your opponent is and whether or not he likes to go left or right.

Remember defence is all about hard work and desire. Good luck with it.

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