How to Break a Press in Basketball

Being able to break a press in basketball is one the most important, fundamental skills that a team can have. The inability to break a press can absolutely paralyze a team's ability to score any points and will take you out of your game plan immediately. So in order to keep your team rolling to their success, here is how to break a press in basketball.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Quickness
• Good decision making
• Crisp passing

Breaking the Press

1. Spread the floor and cover all of the sections of the court.The positioning of your players is the most important part of being able to break a press. Obviously one of your players will have to inbound the ball. You have many options with your other four players.The most popular option is to have your two guards start at the free throw and pick for each other to get one of them open. You should run one off the other to get them open, and have the picker roll to the other side of the floor as a second option.Sometimes coaches will have all four of their players spread across at free throw line extended. Then they will break off from their to get open and beat the press.Or you can do something different, like having three of your players in the back court to get the inbounds pass, or have just one player back there to start your press.
2. React to what the defense does.Your positioning should change depending on how the defense sets up. There are many different formations that a press can set up in, but they all boil down to either a man or a zone.If it is a zone, you probably don't want too many players in the back court trying to get the inbounds pass. Most zone presses might allow you to inbounds the ball wherever you want and will take you on from there. If this is the case, don't waste your manpower with everyone near the ball if they aren't going to pressure you. Just have one person get the ball if they are going to allow you to do that.If the defense sets up in a full court man press, then you can have as many people in the back court as you want, or again, just one, since the defense is going to follow you wherever you go. You can opt to have just one player get the inbounds pass or you can have a few back there all trying to get open in different ways. Either way, the point is that you take what the defense gives you and you go from there.
3. Inbound the ball.The inbounds pass is the beginning of your press break. It can literally make or break your game for you. A team's inability to inbound the ball correctly will continually put them at a disadvantage each time they are faced with pressure, so here is how you do it.Initially, you need to have someone very smart taking the ball out for you. This is the person who is making the most important decision for you, so you better make sure they are going to make the right one time and time again. It is also a good idea for this person to be able to handle the ball, because often times it is a good move to pass the ball back to the inbounder after the initial pass. Now that we have the right person, you need to know where to inbound the ball. Do not make a habit of inbounding the ball to the short corner next to where you are taking the ball out. Having the ball in this position is just an invitation for the defense to trap you and then you are screwed. So try to inbound the ball across the court to the far corner if possible. Also, keep the ball away from the sideline as it acts like a sixth defender for the pressing team. Keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible to give you multiple options.
4. Take your first look at the defense.Once the ball is inbounded, it is important that the person who gets the ball takes a look at the defense and determines where the best place to go with it is. You obviously never want to dribble into a trap, and again, you want to stay away from the sideline so you don't get yourself into trouble. Remember, your best option might be a number of things. You can look to pass the ball back to the inbounder if you have drawn a double team, pass the ball over the defense to half court if a teammate is open, dribble past the defense if they allow you to or just hold the ball and wait for your own teammates to get open.One of the most popular moves at this point in the press break is to have a player cut down the center of the court. Often times this person will be open and an accurate pass can break the press easily, or this diversion will open up another teammate, like the inbounder, who can then advance the ball on their own.Whatever you do, this first move is going to determine how your press break will go, so again, make sure this person understands what sort of good decisions you want being made. Also, make sure they are patient with the ball. Don't just get the ball and immediately put your head down and dribble up the floor -- that will only invite more trouble in the long run. Make an informed decision about where the ball should go and use the dribble as a last resort.
5. Pass the ball, don't dribble.Dribbling should always be a last resort in the press break. It is the slowest and least effective way of advancing the ball up the court. It is also a method that invites traps and double teams from opposing defenses, so only use it when you have no other choice or if the defense mistakenly gives you an opportunity to get past them.But for the most part, passing is the way to go. A press can only cover so much ground. There will be open players, your team's job is just to find them when they are available. Remember, almost every press will trap and double team the ball handler, meaning that if two defenders are guarding the ball, a player is open somewhere. Passing the ball, even backwards, can open up these lanes and allow you to advance the ball in a quick, timely and efficient manner. It will also allow the ball to travel faster than the defense, giving you the opportunity to turn their press into your fastbreak. That should be the goal of every press break.

Tips & Warnings

• Use your timeouts if necessary. Whether it's the end of the game or not, tell you players that if they get trapped and are in trouble from a press, they can use their timeouts to help the situation. It will also give you the chance to adjust your press break positioning and react to what the defense is giving you.
• If the defense is playing a man-to-man zone, the best way to break it is to inbound the ball and have your whole team run up the floor, allowing your point guard to bring the ball with just one person guarding them. They should be able to protect the ball and slowly advance their way up the court.
• Don't get trapped in the corner. Never ever inbound the ball into the corner, because then you will be surrounded by a four-sided trap and that's nearly impossible to escape.