To sign 'defense,' form both hands into 'S' shapes (fists). Cross your wrists in front of your chest, with your dominant wrist resting on top of your non-dominant wrist. Push both hands slightly forward together in a firm, short motion, as if you are putting up a shield to block something.
Sign 'team,' 'play,' 'good,' and then 'defense.' Make the forward pushing motion of 'defense' firm to emphasize the strength of the team's blocking.
Sign 'self' by tapping your 'A' handshape against your chest, followed by 'defense' and 'class.' Keep your fists tight to show the protective nature of the class.
Point to yourself, sign 'defense,' and then 'my friend.' You can push the crossed fists slightly outward in the direction of the imaginary friend to show you are protecting them.
Sign 'team,' 'play,' 'good,' and then 'defense.' Make the forward pushing motion of 'defense' firm to emphasize the strength of the team's blocking.
Sign 'self' by tapping your 'A' handshape against your chest, followed by 'defense' and 'class.' Keep your fists tight to show the protective nature of the class.
Point to yourself, sign 'defense,' and then 'my friend.' You can push the crossed fists slightly outward in the direction of the imaginary friend to show you are protecting them.
Yes! This sign is very versatile. You can use it to talk about a basketball team's defense, defending a thesis or argument, or physical self-defense.
Generally, your dominant hand's wrist rests on top of your non-dominant wrist. However, if you accidentally switch them, the sign will still be perfectly understood by fluent signers.
In ASL, 'defense' and 'protect' use the exact same sign. The specific English translation is simply understood through the context of your sentence and the topic of your conversation.
