How to break the press?

[wegotthis20]

I get ate alive when a team presses. They steal about half of my inbound passes or steal the ball when i try to make a pass. When i try to press they just run right past all of my guys. Can someone give me some tips on how to break the press??

[dannyboy9695]

ok I will try to help you. All I do is I pass the ball in then I just pass it real fast. It usually works

[vols21]

against a zone press, try to pass as quick as you can when they come for the double team trap. Be careful - often the game will pass it to someone who is not open.

the other thing I try that usually works good is to pass it to one side rather than the middle. Move ur speedy guard over, catch the pass, and run like the wind. He can often jet past the defenders before they set the trap - or at least be able to then pass back if they converge too quick. You have 10 seconds to pass back and forth and work your way over - just don't panic (or wait too long, lol).

against a man press, your best ball handler should be able to break it by himself.

What always gets me is when my Center and Power Forward are the only 2 guys bringing the ball up - where did my guards go?

[vols21]

currently, my team has a couple good guards. I can get to the ball to one of the them and he just serpentines his way across the time line against the their zone press. side to side, and always forward. He uusually gets across with more than 5 seconds to spare. guess if it got close, he could pass to the open man. It's almost like a 1 on 3 - so there is a 4 on 2 advantage on the other side of the line

[instant000]

I was bored, so I searched around the net and tried to sum a few things up I saw
on this web site: http://www.coachesclipboard.net. I advise you to go there, if you
want a better explanation, as I am not a guru. I do not mind if you use these same
diagrams to make a better explanation. In fact, I encourage it, as it helps us all learn.



Beating Zone Presses

Source: http://www.coachesclipboard.net

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on basketball, so I am trying to
make these points based solely on how the defenses look on the
game, and trying to make a summary of what I saw on the
above-named web site. If I am wrong, I apologize, as I am not
an authority on this matter. I am sure that a basketball expert
can better explain how to beat these zone presses. I also seem to use run-on
sentences where I keep talking about something and not stopping and if you
ever read the sentences out loud you would find yourself running out of
breath on a couple of these and I realize that after reading over this stuff
so you can entertain yourself by boosting your lung capacity if this stuff is
not helpful to you otherwise.

What you have to remember against most zone presses is that they are
trying to trap you into certain places. I am not an expert, but these
trap locations are practically universal. One thing you always need to do
when suspecting a trap, is to INBOUND THE BALL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
BEFORE THEY CAN GET IT SET UP PROPERLY.

I am using this key for all diagrams:
Key:
C = Corner Trap Locations
B = Backcourt Trap Locations
T = Timeline Trap Locations
X = Defenders
. = end line
@ = basket
| = halfcourt line
M = magic spot
A = attack points

Note: In all diagrams, you are inbounding on the right, and going
towards the left, and you can basically reverse them if you have to
go in the opposite direction. Since I actually play the game from the
sideline perspective, it is easier for me to get more of a coach's view
of the game, but sometimes I miss out on seeing the actual open guy
downcourt, so use whichever camera view helps you to see what is
going on. I know if you use those views where you look up the court
ahead of you, you should be able to see the entire defense from the
inbounds location, so you should not have much problem with getting
up against the press ... I just can't stand the camera swivel. There
might be a view where you can cancel that, but I never investigated it,
so sue me.

--------------------------------------------

Here is where they like to trap you (visually) So keep this always in your
head, so avoid picking up your dribble in these locations if you can
absolutely help it!

.C B|T C.
. | .
. | .
. | .
.@ | @.
. | .
. | .
. | .
. | .
.C B|T C.

Corner traps suck because they get you double-teamed into a corner,
then try to cut off your passing lanes to force a turn-over.

Timeline traps suck because they not only have you trapped, but you
have to worry about getting across the line before your time runs out!

Backcourt traps suck because you can't move backwards. These are
the best traps in existence! (at least, according to the website.)

To me, a corner trap at the end line when inbounding would be one of
the best traps, since you can so quickly score from it if you are the defense.

--------------------------------------------------

Beating the 1-2-1-1

Hit them where they ain't!

The key to beating this defense is to try to draw the defenders
away from the trapping locations. You do not want to initially
take your offensive player towards a sideline, because this will
make it easier to trap you. Avoid the sidelines versus this defense
(initially). You can beat it on the sidelines after the halfcourt, but
not before. You should hit this defense at the magic spot with your
initial ball-handler, then attack from there.



. A | .
. | X .
. | .
. | .
.@ X X | M X @.
. | .
. | .
. | X .
. A | .
. | .

As you can see, you want to get into the middle of that triangle
of initial defenders. Why? Well, they want to trap you against
the sideline. What you do to beat this zone is to do your best
to receive the ball close to the middle of these guys. This
forces them to come towards the middle of the court, and thus
opens up the sidelines for you to attack to get up the court
and easily beat this press.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Beating the 1-2-2 zone press

Hit them where they ain't!

This defense is basically their attempt to prevent you from beating
them up the sideline via the quick pass so, you can reverse the
script on them, and just hit them up the gut. Versus this defense, the
magic spot and attack points are all in the middle. If you can get past
the first three, it is usually a 3 on 2 fast break. This defense is a
good change-up from the 1-2-1-1 press, as that defense makes you hit
the middle, and then the sidelines. As long as you are not making long
no-look passes, you can beat this press. I guess it takes seeing what
you are up against (as with all defenses, then using something to beat it.)
If you can successfully get a long pass through against this defense, you
are almost guaranteed an uncontested lay-up (or dunk, if your player is
athletic enough).

. | .
. X | X .
. | .
. | .
.@ A | A M X @.
. | .
. | .
. X | X .
. | .
. | .


Important note: Do not get this one mixed up with the 1-2-1-1, or you
can easily turn the ball over if you just toss it up the sideline after you
get them to converge on the middle. Notice how they're perched near
midcourt to screw you over!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Beating the 2-2-1 zone press

Hit them where they ain't!

This defense is a high-pressure defense that really wants to trap you into
a corner or against a sideline right when you're trying to inbounds the ball.
It can be especially harassing, since they usually have someone in your
face to make the inbounds pass that much harder. If someone runs this one
really well, it can be murderous to inbounds and/or get out of the back
court, but note the attack zones!

. | .
. A | X .
. | X .
. | .
.@ X | M @.
. | .
. | X .
. A | X .
. | .
. | .

Your strategy against this defense is to avoid getting on the sidelines
where they can trap you, and you might use a drive-and-dish method,
where you drive up into the defenders, then dish back to someone who
is open.