Printable Version

Back to Home Page

According to a basketball rulebook, the object of the game of basketball is to score and prevent your opponents from scoring. In considering the size of the playing surface, there are no restrictions placed upon the defense. In other words, the defense may play over the same area as the offense. If your team is physically capable of covering an opponent under these conditions, why not take advantage of it? You will change the point spread of any game. You will win games that you would not have won without pressure. Your opponents will not shoot as often due to turnovers forced by pressure and your points per game average will increase radically due to not only more shots for your team from your opponents turnovers, but the high percentage shots such as lay ups resulting from steals.

One form of pressure that I have found to be successful is a variation of man to man pressure. This defense begins the moment that the opponents get the ball out of bounds. It is predicated upon a peculiar idea: the player out of bounds can only pass, he must pass within 5 seconds and he will usually pass from a particular spot out of bounds. This enables you to play defense with five people guarding four. With this point in mind, the players have one basic position and that is to stay between their opponents and the ball. If all four players guarding a man in bounds do this, they will allow only one possible type of pass: the lob pass. This is where the fifth defensive player comes into play. It is up to this player to force the turnover. (See Diagram #1)

X	Defensive Player	O	Offensive Player
	Player with the ball	----	Pass
	Path of player

To begin teaching this type of press, divide the court into three areas. The reasoning behind this is that how you play your opponent is determined by where he is on the court. (See Diagram #2)

Back to Top

In the first, or primary area, the defenders must execute a full denial, that is, to turn their back to the ball and face their opponent. The have only one basic responsibility and that is to only allow a pass over their head. As long as they stay between their opponent and the end line, they will ensure fulfillment of their responsibility. The important quality necessary to be able to execute a full denial is, surprisingly enough, not speed, but brains. When matching up against an opponent, a player is either the same speed, slower, or faster. As long as he knows how fast he is in relationship to his opponent, a player will deny well.

If a player's opponent is the same speed, he should play two arm's lengths away. If the opponent is slower, shorten the distance. But if the offensive player is faster, here is where courts sense shows. The defender should get far enough away from his opponent to make sure that his speed is not a factor, but stay close enough so that it is still difficult for him to get the ball.

In the second area, a boy should play his opponent in a half court denial position. He must stand with his back to the center of the court and by use of his peripheral vision, see the ball and his opponent. (What is meant by the center of the court in this context is the dotted line drawn from basket to basket in Diagram #3.)

The amount of distance between each defender and his opponent is directly proportional to the distance between his opponent and the ball. The closer an offensive player moves to the ball, the closer the defender must get to his opponent.

In the third area, the defender can really loosen up. By following the same principles as the defender in the second area, he must play his man in relationship to the ball. The difference here is that he is to play even further from his opponent than in the second area. The idea behind this is to invite the long pass. Being that the ball is so far from these players, the defenders should have ample time to react to the long pass. The idea behind this is to invite the long pass. The more that you force the offense to really gamble like this and throw the long pass, the more the turnovers will mount. Additionally, players who 'loosen' up from their players will be able to help out with their teammates. (See Diagram #4)

Back to Top

The key to making this defense work is the player who is responsible for playing the man out of bounds. He is called the point. The point, above all qualities, needs great anticipation. He must have a nose for the ball, or the knack of always being around the action. Before the ball is passed in bounds, he must place himself behind any potential receivers in the primary area. He must not go up on the player out of bounds and play him. He must stay close behind potential receivers as they cut and screen, but at the same time he must look at the passer's eyes. People react very predictably under pressure. The passer will invariably look where he is going to pass before he passes it. (Notice X1 in Diagram #5).

If X2, X3, X4 and X5 play their opponents correctly, the biggest weakness of this press could be the possibility of the back door pass or lob. That is why the point must do his job. Another weakness in this press is that the defenders in the primary area do not have visual contact with the passer. They cannot see the ball. They do not know when it is being passed in bounds. To alleviate this problem, the point will yell, "BALL!" when the pass is released. (It would not hurt to have the players on the bench yell the same thing. It helps the players on the floor to hear if the gym is crowded and keeps substitutes in the game mentally.) Hearing this call will tell defenders in the primary area to look very quickly at their opponent's eyes. All offensive players will look at the ball whether they are the intended receiver or not. This will tell the defenders which way to turn.

Assuming that the defense does not get a five-second call, the point has to do one of three things. On the pass from out of bounds he must first look for the steal. Next, he can look to take the charge. All coaches teach their players to meet the ball. This press will not let the players do this. All receivers will be forced to run from the passer and will not be able to look where they are going. It goes without saying that all players must be instructed in the rules concerning player control fouls. (See Diagram #6)

If he cannot steal the in bounds pass or take a charge, the point must stop the ball. By that is meant, make sure that the receiver cannot drive down the court without coverage. Remember that the player assigned to cover a receiver originally is now out of position. Another weakness of this type of pressure is that when the lob pass is completed, everyone except the point is out of position. This will be a temporary problem if the point can contain the pass receiver.

Back to Top

Upon completion of the in bounds pass, the point and one of the other defenders must be prepared to switch. The switch should occur if the match ups set by the coach are important. If the match ups are not very important, the point can stay with the ball and the defender who was responsible for the receiver can play the offensive player who in bounded the ball.

The moment the receiver gets the ball, all defenders must look to get in position as quickly as possible. The principle of the defense has not changed (i.e. staying between the ball and the opponent) but the position of the ball has changed. (See Diagram #7)

In setting up this defense, a coach can use one of two variations. The first is the simple match up, which will only be difficult to do if the offense that the opponents run is a non-patterned, haphazard one where they in bound the ball quickly. The problem arises in that as the ball is being put into play from out of bounds, the defenders will not know exactly where to find their opponents after a score. If the offense puts the ball into play quickly, the defense may break down before it gets a chance to set up. However, if you stress the importance of setting up quickly when you practice the press, this problem will not occur as often.

Most teams will run a specific, patterned offense. This is where the second variation of the press can be most effective. The defenders will not play a certain individual, but rather the individual who sets up at their designated spot on the in bounds pass. The defenders know that no matter who the opposition has in the game, they will send their personnel to predetermined spots on the floor. Once you know where each player goes in setting up the press offense, it is a simple matter to send the fastest players to match up in the primary area and front the offensive players. Then send the slower players to the second and third areas to match up and deny. They are usually the tallest players. This is useful because, when the offense comes down the floor to the basket, they will be confronted by the best inside players. It is also advantageous for these inside players to be closer to the basket as rebounders when shots are taken. Finally, send the most aggressive player to the point position. The point usually gets the most results by playing right behind any offensive men in the primary area.

Remember that this press, when it is done right, invites the long pass. Once the man in bounding the ball stops looking in the primary area and begins to throw long, move the point back to around the mid-court area to satisfy the need for weak side defense. (See Diagram #8)

Back to Top

A few shortcuts that might expedite things would be situations involving cutters and screeners. The simple way to handle any cutter is to maintain position between the ball and the offensive player. A cutter coming into the primary area from the secondary area will require the single largest effort of any defender. It will be wise to drill this situation to properly prepare all players. On any criss-cross of players it is best to have the defenders switch. A potential problem could be screening situations if not properly handled. The defenders must anticipate any screens, communicate and fight underneath. Once this is accomplished, follow the rule concerning the criss-cross. The main rule to remember is that a defender must be between each offensive player on the floor and the passer at all times.

These are the basic moves of the press. Once taught properly to the right team it will become a devastating weapon. To get to that point, however, you must break down each phase of the press and drill each part before trying to implement the whole defense. Practice the full denial phase in the primary area. Give the defenders a short time limit to build their confidence (e.g. after three seconds they get credit for a turn over if the ball is not in bounded in that time frame). Tell them they must not permit any pass except a lob and limit the offense to just a few seconds to complete a pass. Work with any players that might like to play the point. Have them concentrate on the passer in the above drill. Look at the passer's eyes. Have a coach pass the ball in the drill and make sure that the point steals a few passes to build his confidence and to get the hang of it. Work with all players in taking a charge. Any time an offensive player runs vertically on the court (toward either basket), he assumes that the defender will get out of his way. Many times, if a player stands his ground, a player control foul will occur. Sometimes the ball handler will trip, travel, etc just because of the defender in his path. Lastly, work with players in the secondary area. Practice having them stay alert by throwing the ball long to see if they are prepared. Have the offensive players cut from the secondary area to the primary area to see if the defenders can stay in position.

Back to Top

Back to Home Page