The Answer is

Man to Man Defense

Zone Defense

While Zone Defense can be easier to teach the entire team it does not provide the opportunity to build individual basketball IQ and athletic ability. Most youth basketball coaches will use Zone Defense to hide less athletic players and trap the other teams weaker ball handlers. Most youth coaches that run a zone defense know that can help their teams win games. The more games teams win the happier players and parents are. Howvever, what people fail to realize is that it's not teaching valuable basketball skills. Several studies have found that by age 12 an child will reach their full athletic potential. This does not mean that they can't get bigger, stronger and faster but it does mean that their overall athletic potential is limited by the training and level of play they experience by age 12. If you're child's only role in a zone defense is to stand in the middle they are losing out on their ability to maximize thier full potential.