← Glossary

Spill and box

Spill it out vs keep it in

Two philosophies for the force defender: 'spill' means attack the outside shoulder and force the back wider toward the sideline (the box), while 'box' means keep outside leverage and keep the ball inside. Most modern defenses spill.

When it applies

Spill against stretch and outside zone; box against power and inside runs.

Filed under: Run fits & gap control