As an offensive player going against either a full court press or half court trapping defense, what is your thought process? Are you in a hurry to get rid of the basketball? Do you feel the need to rush to get the ball past midcourt? Do you fear the pressure? Do you even want the ball in your hands, or are your afraid of making a mistake?
The above questions are all normal -- that is the intent of a pressing defense. Teams either press because it is a part of their defensive philosophy or because they are behind at the end of a game. Whether the team is behind or if it is part of their game plan, full court pressure and half court traps are utilized to force the offensive team to play in such a way that they are not comfortable playing. They want to speed up the game, force you into mistakes, create turnovers, etc...
A capable defensive team has the ability to do these things because most players allow the press to intimidate them, to make them hurry, and to make them make bad decisions on the basketball court. Sure, it can be difficult to play effectively and efficiently against high-pressure teams, however, with a few tips, techniques, and changes in your mentality, you can learn to take advantage of pressing teams.
Attack
The most important tip, or change in thought pattern, is to ATTACK the defense -- ATTACK the rim. All too often, offenses merely look to get the ball across midcourt against full court pressure; or they simply play keepaway against a half court trap. Most full court and half court presses are looking to trap, or doubleteam the player with the ball at some point. The trap can be challenging at times, however, it can also create an offensive advantage.
Once you pass beyond the trap towards your basket, you now have an advantage. For example, if you are being trapped near midcourt, you have 4 teammates to pass the basketball to...and the defense has 3 defenders to guard them. If you hit the open teammate, it is now a 4 on 3 advantage (remember, 2 defenders are guarding you!). If your teammates attack the basket, there is a good chance they can get an easy shot. Attack, attack, attack -- don't just try to survive the pressure! (As a side note, there is a reason that I call my press offense sets "Zone Press Attack Offenses" -- because we want to attack the defense and get to the goal)
Other Tips & Techniques to Beating Pressure Defenses
1. Inbounds the Basketball Quickly
Most teams only press on made baskets. If this is the case, make sure you getthe basketball quickly and pass it inbounds right away. If you are the pointguard, call for the ball, go meet the pass, and look to push it up the floor beforethe defense gets set. Do not be in a hurry if it isn't available; just look to bequick.2. Run the Baseline
If you are the player that takes the ball out of bounds, remember that on madebaskets you can run the length of the baseline. Utilize this nuance to giveyourself a better passing angle and to get closer to an open teammate. Justremember that you cannot run the baseline after a violation or after thebasketball has been knocked out of bounds. If you are unsure whether you canrun the baseline or not, ask the referee before he hands you the basketball.3. Stay Out of the Corners
Do not receive a pass in any corner of the court; this includes thebaseline/sideline and the midcourt/sideline areas. If you get trapped in theseareas, it is like being trapped by 4 defenders (2 defensive players, the baseline,and the sideline). Basically, you have no way of getting away from the trappingdefenders if you are pinned against the out of bounds lines. Also, if you dribblethe ball across the midcourt line, do not pick up your dribble at that point.Many teams encourage you to do so in order to trap you here. This error injudgement inevitably leads to a turnover.4. Meet the Pass
It is always important as an offensive player to go and meet the pass. It is evenmore imperative to do so against pressure defenses. Don't be lazy and wait forthe pass to come to you or else smart defenders will anticipate the pass, stealit, and go the other way for an easy fast break layup. Be an aggressiveoffensive player!5. Keep Your Dribble
If you started dribbling, do not pick up your dribble until you know who you arepassing the basketball to. One of the worst things you can do against apressing, trapping defense is pick up your dribble because now the defenderscan trap you without worry about you dribbling away from them. If you findyourself dribbling into a trap situation, keep your dribble, pull back away fromthe trap, and either dribble around it or find an open teammate. Stopping yourdribble and holding the basketball will only cause negative things -- such as aturnover!6. Triangles
No, this isn't a course in geometry! Well, maybe it is! Basically, if you have thebasketball, a teammate on your right and a teammate on your left, you have atriangle (I don't mean the three of you side-by-side, I am talking about having ateammate about 10-15 feet away). If you have a teammate on each side of you,as well as a teammate looking to flash middle (see next tip), you will have anopen player to pass to against a trapping defense. For example, if 2 defendersare trapping you, that leaves 3 defenders to guard your 4 other teammates.With a teammate on each side and one flashing middle, someone should be ableto get open. If not, you still have the option to throw a skip pass to your 4thteammate. Triangles -- obtuse, acute, whatever -- learn to love them!7. Flash Middle
Always have a teammate flash to the middle of the court. Whether against afull court press or half court trap, get a player to the middle of the basketballcourt. If you can get the basketball to the middle, that player can now look toattack the basket with a possible player advantage (remember the attack tipabove). It is also much more difficult to trap in the middle as there are no outof bounds lines nearby. Also, most defensive teams will not even attempt totrap here. Different offenses may look to do different things once thebasketball is in the middle, but the objective is always the same -- the defensecan more easily be attacked from the middle.8. Lover's Lane
get into why he called it Lover's Lane, but the point is to get the basketball tothe lane. This goes along with the 'Attack' tip above -- don't be content withgetting the ball across the halfcourt line or with playing catch. Attack thedefense by getting to the paint. Good things happen when, as an offense, youget the basketball in the lane. The defense is at a disadvantage and issusceptible to shot fakes, jump stops, dump-down passes -- basically thedefenders will not know what you are going to do! Get to the lane and look toscore!I hope that these tips and techniques will help you achieve great success at beating pressure defenses. Don't let these types of defenses pressure you into mistakes. Don't be intimidated and fearful. Attack the pressure with the objective of scoring. Be patient, be smart, and be confident. Turn the tables and make your offensive ability pressure the defense into mistakes!
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How to Break Pressure Defenses
Tips & Techniques for breaking and attacking full court pressure and half court traps
By: Tony Alfonso
The purpose of this article is to help the basketball player by giving specific tips, techniques and an understanding of how to beat pressure defenses. Basketball coaches will also benefit from this article by sharing these ideas with your players. For specific offensive sets to help beat pressure, check the 'Zone Press Attack Offense' page.
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