www.allenatori.fip.it 1 www.freewebs.com/coachgajic ZONE PRESS

www.allenatori.fip.it
www.freewebs.com/coachgajic
ZONE PRESS OFFENSE
Coaches must prepare their teams to face some kind of different pressing defense.
Basically, almost each kind of pressing defense is successful in confusing opponent,
attacking on the physical and psychological way.
Only well organized team can beat up pressing defense. Organize prefore than
discipline in meaning to read and react, because we practice principles rather than
concept, to play good.
Successful offense against pressing defense, must be enough flexible, during
different game situations.
We can eliminate psychological factor of pressure, if we play successfully, along the
full court.
Principles what are very important, for pressing offense:
- Beat pressing defense , before it set up. Always try to execute fast break after
made, steal or defensive rebound. Practice quick introducing of the ball,
behind the base line. Also, free throw situation must be practiced,
- Move toward open area on the court. On this way, players will make habits
that concepts are not primary in playing game of basketball,
- Be aggressive, meet each pass
- Do not use lob pass and long pass. Defense like it,
- Always leave one player behind the line of the ball, for an emergency pass,
- Always have three options of passing,
- If we want to beat up zone press defense, so we must score easy basket and
confuse opponent. Team who play zone press, become more aggressive, if
you do not press them success by scoring. If offense is forced to set up in
front of the court and execute play, then pressing defense is successful,
- Try to score from strong side, not from weak side,
- To be effective against zone defense, players must learn how to play that
defense.
There are two phases of playing zone press offense:
1/ Beginning of the offense and
2/ Finishing of the offense
A. Beginning of offense:
Fast break can be executed after defensive rebound, cutting the ball in defense and
also there are three different situations when ball is introduced behind the base line:
after made basket, after made basket from free throws and after opponent rule
violations.
Before we start zone press offense, players must know rules how to attack it. In this
case, there are two rules:
a/ Line one of guards behind the ball line (diagram 1) and
b/ Have a rest of players form triangle in front court(diagram 2).
1
www.allenatori.fip.it
d1
d2
After made basket, the closet big man will quickly introduce ball behind the base line,
passing to one of guards and sprints to opposite side of off pass. The rest of payers
are then in their designed positions. Players 4, 5 and 3 form triangle in the front
court, around central line and one of guard(2) is in the middle of the court as an
emergency player. Other guard (1) has a ball.
d3
Guard with the ball(1) will start dribble, up the court and provoke opponent trap. If
its happen
He must always have open three passing lines:
- pass to the middle of the court,
- pass along side line on the weak side and
2
www.allenatori.fip.it
- pass back to emergency player.
We want to or guard with the ball to be trapped. In this case an emergency player(2)
can not be in the same line with the ball. He must stay behind or under ball
line(diagram 3)
d4
Players in front court are always move and form triangle. If ball is passed to the
middle of the court, in this case into the player (4), e will read and decide pass or
dribble up the court and finish fast break in situation three on two(diagram 4)
d5
If ball is passed back to an emergency player(2), then player (4) and player (3)
would exchange their positions(diagram 5)
3
www.allenatori.fip.it
d6
If player in the middle pass to an emergency guard, second player in the front court,
on the strong side will sprint to the middle of the court, between central line and 3
points line. Guard (1) become an emergency player, player (5) cut to the basket and
player (4) cut to the corner
(diagram 6)
d7
Guard(2) read and decide pass or dribble up the court.
Option in case that ball is not passed to the middle. If guard who is trapped, ca not
pass the ball to the player in the middle(4), he can passes back to an emergency
player(diagram 7)
4
www.allenatori.fip.it
If player (1) can not pass to the mid player(4), he ca pass to the player(3).In this
case player(4), would clear middle of the court and cut to the corner, strong side of
the court. Player (5), would cut to the middle of the key and guard (1) would cut to
the weak side of the court. Player (3) read and decides pass or dribble.
Implementation of the principle, when player in offense with the ball is trapped, that
pressing defense must be attacked once on one side, once to other side, instead in
direction what defense wants, force opponent to decide in advance and cover one
side of the court. Also, players should have in their mind fact, that there is no team
who can deny all three passing line when ball is trapped, at once.
B. Scoring area:
In the front court we can expect situations three on two or even four on three. Also
we have to be ready for weak side jumper, because of concentration of the defensive
players to cover basket and key. Offensive rebounds in this situations is easier,
therefore defensive players often are not in good defensive position to box out
players in offense and rebound.
Free throw situations:
After made basket from free throws, player (5) would quickly introduce ball, behind
the base line, either passing to the players (1 and 4) who set back pick. the rest of
the players are in front of the court(2 and 3) diagram 8.
d8
Rule violation situations:
Guard (1) would take position facing the ball, so he can move to either direction to
get red of the defense.
5
www.allenatori.fip.it
d11
d12
Gajic Miodrag
Higher basketball coach
[email protected]
6