PositioningIntermediateAnimatable

Seal

When an offensive player uses their body to create and maintain position between a defender and the basket, preventing defensive recovery.

When It's Used

After the roll man beats the defender to a spot near the basket — they seal the defender on their back for a deep catch.

What It Creates

Creates a deep receiving advantage near the basket, prevents defensive recovery, turns a slight positional edge into a high-percentage opportunity.

About This Action

The "Seal" is a critical offensive maneuver, primarily executed by a rolling screener, designed to capitalize on a momentary positional advantage near the basket. It occurs immediately after the offensive player (the roller) has effectively beaten their defender to a deep spot, typically within the restricted area or on the low block. The essence of the seal is the offensive player leveraging their body to establish and rigorously maintain a barrier between their defender and the basket. This physical intervention prevents the defender from recovering their defensive stance, effectively "boxing out" the defender before the shot attempt, and creating an unobstructed pathway for a pass and subsequent high-percentage finish. The timing and execution of the seal are paramount. As the screener rolls aggressively towards the rim, they must gain deep post position by stepping across the defender's hips. Once this advantage is secured, the roller uses their back and butt to physically 'pin' the defender behind them, rotating their upper body to face the passer and present a clear target hand. This act transforms a fleeting numerical or positional edge into a sustainable scoring opportunity. Without a precise and tenacious seal, the defender would invariably recover, deny the deep catch, or contest any shot, negating the entire pick-and-roll action. It's the decisive link in the chain from a successful screen to a high-percentage shot (e.g., roll → seal → bounce-pass → layup), setting up passes like a bounce-pass or lob-pass directly into a layup, hook-shot, or dunk. While most prominently seen as the finishing touch of a roll in a pick-and-roll situation, the principle of sealing also applies more broadly to post-up play, where an offensive player might seal a defender off for an entry pass or a put-back opportunity after an offensive rebound. It demands not only strength and body control but also excellent court awareness to anticipate the defender's recovery attempts and precise timing to present an optimal target to the passer. A well-executed seal often leads directly to points or forces multiple defensive rotations, creating further advantages for the offense.

Connections

Pass" class="inline-link">Bounce Pass, Pass" class="inline-link">Lob Pass, Layup, hook-Shot, Dunk | Chain: Roll → Seal → Pass" class="inline-link">Bounce Pass → Layup

Defensive Counters

Tag-roller, Rotate, Dig

Common Mistakes

Offensive players often err by failing to establish a sufficiently deep and firm position before attempting the seal. This can manifest as rolling too slowly, allowing the defender to recover to their side or even in front, or by not being physical enough to truly 'stick' the defender behind them. A common mistake is a "soft" seal where the offensive player merely tries to stand in the way without actively using their body to hold the defender in place, allowing the defender to slide around them. Another critical error is attempting to seal before fully beating the defender; if the defender still has an angle to fight over the top or dig from the weak side, the seal becomes ineffective, leading to a contested pass or a turnover. Players must also ensure they present a clear, visible target hand once the seal is established, as an ambiguous target makes accurate passing significantly more challenging. From a defensive perspective, the primary mistake is allowing the roll man to get too deep unchallenged in the first place. This often stems from ineffective screen negotiation (e.g., getting hung up on the screen, or the ball defender failing to contain the ball handler allowing an easy slip pass). If the roll man gains deep position, failing to "tag" them — a brief but firm bump by a help defender — allows the seal to be established without resistance. Once the seal is in place, defenders frequently compound the error by trying to fight through the seal directly, often resulting in fouls or further widening the passing lane. Instead, defenders should focus on timely rotations from weak-side help, "digging" on the post entry to disrupt the pass, or anticipating the pass to jump into passing lanes. Allowing the seal to occur often signifies a breakdown earlier in the defensive chain, and recovering from it requires collective defensive awareness and rotation, not just individual effort against the sealed player.