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Defensive Press

Sacred Cow “We need to trap the sidelines”

Observe: When you hear this sacred cow, it often lacks insight on what different presses are aiming to achieve.

Problem: This sacred cow limits your ability to achieve the most out of full-court pressure. It hints that the individual is geared toward an expectation of a very short list of possibilities, including trapping sidelines, half-court line and the corners.

Origin: It is likely that these are a carry over from junior coaching and an exposure to very simple full-court and half-court presses against inferior ball handling and an accompanying lack of passing distance.

The Solution

In juniors, full court traps require little more than channelling the ball-handler toward a sideline and surpising with a double team; ideally as they cross half way! As players mature, their ball-handling ability, passing distance, and read of the game improve as well. Our pressure defences therefore require a multi-faceted approach to not only succeed, but first protect ourselves from being broken and giving away easy baskets.

Our Preparation begins with an analysis of:

Our Defensive Strengths/Weaknesses, and
The Strength/Weaknesses of our opponents Offensive abilities.

Our Defensive Strengths/Weaknesses needs to identify:

Who is our best at Defending an Inbounder,
Who is our best at Keeping in front of Fast Ball Handlers,
Who is our best at Turning a Ball Handler,
Who is our best at Picking off Long Passes, and
Who is our best at Defending basket when outnumbered.

The Strengths/Weaknesses of Opposition needs to identify:

Whether the opposition has a press break plan,
Whether the opposition relies on a single ball-handler, and
Whether the opposition has forwards who are willing to lead;

While the above is a short-list, our analysis can go further, to include how many dribbles is a player comfortable with in each direction, which pivot foot do they prefer, etc. All these considerations help us to understand when and where we can channel the offence, and what to anticipate.

Selecting which Full-Court Press to run, depends on which one might suit your teams abilities and what you are hoping to exploit in the opposition. In addition, you need to consider your instructions for transforming from full-court pressure to half-court. Accordingly, you may select a similar full-court press to your half-court defensive plan. Presses include; but are not limited; to the following:
1-2-2;
1-2-1-1;
1-3-1;
2-2-1;
3-1-1; and
Man to Man.

Biggest Risk. The biggest risk to any defence, is overplaying for a steal. Attempting to steal the ball, allows the ball-handler to change direction and burst through our line of Defence. This problem is exacerbated with full-court pressure, where we risk opening the court for the offence to break into our second and third line of defence and gain numbers supremacy in attacking the basket. Therefore our first goal is containment. This is a key learning point in the maturity of players from juniors to seniors.

Goals. Knowing the biggest risk, enables us to set our goals clearly. If the players do not understand our goals, they can become unmotivated by the amount of effort required, especially when turnovers are not being won. Therefore, an understanding of all of the reasons you are employing full-court pressure needs to be understood, so that the players can see for themselves the benefit to the overall game plan. Some goals, may include:
Create turnovers by forcing mistakes, instead of taking gambles;
Maintaining our pressure, by not allowing it to be broken through carelessly reaching for steals;
Frustrate their ability to commence half-court offence;
Consume shot-clock, and encourage offence to rush;
Denying short passes, and thereby encouraging long passes;
Deny middle and trap sideline, if we have an odd-numbered press;
Deny sideline and trap middle, if we have an even-numbered press.
Add in goals we identify through the analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of the opposition.
And Plan around the strengths/weaknesses of ourselves.

Key Teaching Points

1. Analyse strengths/weaknesses of opposition and your own team; before selecting a type of Defensive Press.

2. Avoid reaching for steals, instead allow the offence to make mistakes, especially by encouraging long passes.

3. Goals need to be emphasised beyond creating turnovers, to equally recognise the benefits full court pressure has on frustrating opponent's half-court offence, consuming energy and shot-clock.

Defensive Press

Sacred Cow “We need to trap the sidelines”

The Solution

Key Teaching Points

Video Tutorials

Further Reading