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How to beat a zone press in basketball
How to Beat a Full Court Zone Press 2-2-1
This is a simple and effective press break to use against 2-2-1.
The play begins with players 01 and 02 breaking opposite directions. Player 02 cuts toward the ball to the left corner and player 01 cuts opposite to the right corner. Player 03 inbounds the ball to O2 and steps in to the middle of the box. Player 02 catches the ball and looks for 04. Player 04 cuts from the middle of the floor to the sideline to get the pass from 02.
Remember: The inbouder player should never throw in from under the basket. He should use a two-handed pass and be aware that he cannot bounce the ball on the end line.
First Option. Player 02 passes to 04. Defender X1 will be distract by looking to 02 passing the ball to 04 and that moment 03 will cut behind X1 to the middle of the floor to get the pass from 04. Player 03 gets the ball and quickly passes to 05. Player 05 hands off to 01. When 01 gets the ball, he attacks the basket, with 04 and 05 filling the lanes. 01 looks to pass, drive, or shoot the ball.
Note: The coach must decide whether to attack immediately or to set the offense and run a play. Coaches should be prepared to run more than one option to counter different looks and match-ups.
Second Option. If player 02 cannot pass to 04 then 05 breaks to the top of the key to get the pass from 02. As you see X1 has to guard 03 and 01 and X4 will attempt to stop 05 from getting the ball. Player 05 catch the ball and passes to 01 who will be wide open. Player 01 pushes the ball down the court to baseline to hit 05, the trailer, for lay-up.
Remember: There are always ways to break down the defense if you have good players who can maintain their composure. The best way to beat any press in basketball is always by getting the ball into the middle. Whether it be your best ballhandler dribbling or your tallest player holding the ball over his head, having the ball in the middle of the court frees up many options to advance toward your opponents' basket via a pass or dribble.
Third Option. If player 02 decides to reverse the ball to 03, then player 01 cuts behind X1 to get the ball. Player 01 passes to 05. Player 02 sprints to mid–court to get the pass from 05. Player 02 dribbles down the court looking to pass to 04 or 05 for lay-up.
Note: No matter the opponent, take time during every practice to work on beating the press. At some point in almost every game, your team will be confronted with a full-court press and your players need to know how to effectively move the ball into the frontcourt.
Fourth Option. If player 03 cannot pass to 01 then 05 gets the ball at wing. Player 05 quickly passes to 01. Player 01 begins the break by dribbling down the court looking for 04 or 05 for lay-up.
Note: Have your players run the press offense without letting the ball hit the floor — no dribbling and all passing. Remember: You have 10 seconds to get the ball across halfcourt, so there's no need to rush your first pass or two if the defense doesn't have any apparent gaps.
Coach: at the end of practice instead of running sprints, suicides, etc. Use the stopwatch and see how many options the offense can successfully accomplish in a certain amount of time. Keep your players talking the entire time. This gets them used to communicating with each other so it will come more naturally during games.
How to Beat ANY Zone Press
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There are a lot of different zone presses out there. You might run into a full-court 1-2-2, 2-2-1, or Diamond and 1. All of which can be run as a half-court or three-quarter court press. And there are others as well, not to mention that each team runs its press differently. Still, with a focus on fundamentals, such as getting the ball inbounds quickly, passing the ball, coming to the ball, avoiding traps, using ball fakes, and moving the ball to the middle of the court, your team is one step closer to beating any zone press.
The best way to beat a press is to not allow it to set up. I know it seems too simple. But depending on the opponent, it can work, especially if you have established a hustle mentality with your team.
Your team must get the ball inbounds right after your opponent makes a basket. To make this happen, it’s important to have one person in the game who is assigned to inbound the ball. There will be a few players on your team who take on this role, depending on who is in the game. These players must know that it is their responsibility and should work on the role during practice, so that it becomes a habit.
All of your players need to be on board when it comes to beating the press. Guards must be ready to receive the ball right away. And they need to look up the court and push the ball, preferably with a pass, as soon as possible. All of this, however, should be under control. As coach John Wooden used to say, “Be quick but don’t hurry.” If a pass isn’t open, your player can dribble in the direction of their basket if the press isn’t set. If the press gets set, then your team should run your press breaker.
It seems simple, yet it’s not, unless your team has the right mentality. Players often get used to going to spots and setting up their press breakers, and not always at an extra fast pace. So it takes practice to get your players to take their hustle to another level.
If your opponent is able to set up their zone press before you get the ball inbounds, then attack the zone with your press breaker and emphasize passing. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating, a pass moves faster than a dribble. If you have the chance to move the ball up the court with a pass, do it. Make sure to have your players work on passing in practice. Put them in pressure situations, teach them how to avoid traps, and how to pass out of them.
No matter how good your team is, your players will get trapped from time to time, so they must know how to stay calm and keep the ball moving up the court. Spending time on passing skill work and ball handling will help your athletes to feel confident and comfortable moving the ball up the court, and avoid traps.
Your players need to be aware that someone will be trying to steal the ball from them when they are being pressed. So teach them to come to the ball when it is passed to them. This way even if an opponent tries to jump in and steal the ball they can’t, and may even foul your player in the process.
Ball fakes work like magic against zones. Your opponent’s zone will shift and create openings with a good pass fake. Often opening up an easy pass, or making the zone adjust so that your team can easily reverse the ball. Or even make a gap worth dribbling through. I recommend passing, but if a good gap is there, use it.
That is the thing about basketball, it’s a game that is ever-changing, so although players need to have structure, they also need to be able to read the defense and work with what they are given. Often it’s a couple of quick passes, or pass fake and passes, but sometimes a player might need to dribble and when they do, I suggest they take it to the middle of the court, the same place I prefer that the pass goes.
Every coach that I ever had told me that the best way to beat a zone press is to get the ball to the middle of the court. As you can imagine, that’s what I had my players do when I coached because it works. You will see teams run a sideline press breaker, but I can only tell you that when a player comes up the middle of the court and has the option to pass to either side, it opens things up. And when they stay away from the sideline, it’s more difficult to trap.
When your team breaks the opponent’s zone press, they will be able to set up their offense. That’s if they didn’t get an easy transition basket instead. Emphasize these fundamentals during practice, and your team will be one step closer to beating any zone press with confidence.
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There are a lot of different zone presses out there. You might run into a full-court 1-2-2, 2-2-1, or Diamond and 1. All of which can be run as a half-court or three-quarter court press. And there are others as well, not to mention that each team runs its press differently. Still, with a focus on fundamentals, such as getting the ball inbounds quickly, passing the ball, coming to the ball, avoiding traps, using ball fakes, and moving the ball to the middle of the court, your team is one step closer to beating any zone press.
The best way to beat a press is to not allow it to set up. I know it seems too simple. But depending on the opponent, it can work, especially if you have established a hustle mentality with your team.
Your team must get the ball inbounds right after your opponent makes a basket. To make this happen, it’s important to have one person in the game who is assigned to inbound the ball. There will be a few players on your team who take on this role, depending on who is in the game. These players must know that it is their responsibility and should work on the role during practice, so that it becomes a habit.
All of your players need to be on board when it comes to beating the press. Guards must be ready to receive the ball right away. And they need to look up the court and push the ball, preferably with a pass, as soon as possible. All of this, however, should be under control. As coach John Wooden used to say, “Be quick but don’t hurry.” If a pass isn’t open, your player can dribble in the direction of their basket if the press isn’t set. If the press gets set, then your team should run your press breaker.
It seems simple, yet it’s not, unless your team has the right mentality. Players often get used to going to spots and setting up their press breakers, and not always at an extra fast pace. So it takes practice to get your players to take their hustle to another level.
If your opponent is able to set up their zone press before you get the ball inbounds, then attack the zone with your press breaker and emphasize passing. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating, a pass moves faster than a dribble. If you have the chance to move the ball up the court with a pass, do it. Make sure to have your players work on passing in practice. Put them in pressure situations, teach them how to avoid traps, and how to pass out of them.
No matter how good your team is, your players will get trapped from time to time, so they must know how to stay calm and keep the ball moving up the court. Spending time on passing skill work and ball handling will help your athletes to feel confident and comfortable moving the ball up the court, and avoid traps.
Your players need to be aware that someone will be trying to steal the ball from them when they are being pressed. So teach them to come to the ball when it is passed to them. This way even if an opponent tries to jump in and steal the ball they can’t, and may even foul your player in the process.
Ball fakes work like magic against zones. Your opponent’s zone will shift and create openings with a good pass fake. Often opening up an easy pass, or making the zone adjust so that your team can easily reverse the ball. Or even make a gap worth dribbling through. I recommend passing, but if a good gap is there, use it.
That is the thing about basketball, it’s a game that is ever-changing, so although players need to have structure, they also need to be able to read the defense and work with what they are given. Often it’s a couple of quick passes, or pass fake and passes, but sometimes a player might need to dribble and when they do, I suggest they take it to the middle of the court, the same place I prefer that the pass goes.
Every coach that I ever had told me that the best way to beat a zone press is to get the ball to the middle of the court. As you can imagine, that’s what I had my players do when I coached because it works. You will see teams run a sideline press breaker, but I can only tell you that when a player comes up the middle of the court and has the option to pass to either side, it opens things up. And when they stay away from the sideline, it’s more difficult to trap.
When your team breaks the opponent’s zone press, they will be able to set up their offense. That’s if they didn’t get an easy transition basket instead. Emphasize these fundamentals during practice, and your team will be one step closer to beating any zone press with confidence.
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Core workout (abs back) - Basi from Russia
Entry posted by Vasilio ·
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Fizkult hello!
After a long time, here I am again! I don’t know if anyone was bored or if there were enough small notes in the group “Unreal training with Basi” (http://vk.com/basi_training)!?
Today I will not be very verbose. Less words, more videos! I want to talk about training the muscle corset, the ball of the core or the muscles of the press-back. Whoever likes it.
I get too many questions and see how to increase the jump? How? Where is the secret exercise that will increase the jump immediately by half a meter in a week? If you look at the biomechanics of the jump, then, in addition to the legs, the integral work of the muscles of the press, back and shoulder girdle will be clearly visible. In other words, the whole body. In this post, I felt like talking specifically about the core muscles and giving a few examples of workouts that I did directly (both old and very fresh).
Before proceeding to the video, I will clarify that this recording is unlikely to help those who want a six-pack or a washboard instead of a stomach. I will not reveal to anyone a secret that in this regard there will be more merit of a well-constructed diet and diet.
Well, now let's move on to the video.
The first complex is what started my acquaintance with such training. A good way to strengthen not only the muscles of the press and back, but also the muscles of the shoulder girdle (by the way, exercises similar to movements from swimming are also suitable for recovery from shoulder injuries). Each exercise is performed the same number of times, which is set before the start of the complex. As I remember now, on the first day it was difficult for me to do 15 repetitions of each exercise, and after 10 days we increased this figure to 25.
The second complex is Pilates. I'm going in chronological order, so he's next. Pilates, along with yoga, is the most underrated activity for athletes in my opinion. Despite the fact that now in fitness clubs, Pilates and yoga classes often turn into some kind of boot camp, discarding the study of the very philosophy of these disciplines, they still remain effective in terms of strengthening the whole body, including the abdominal and back muscles. .
The third complex is the plank. If we talk about isometric exercises, then the plank, in this case, will be the best for me. Below is a continuous set of exercises, where the basis is the plank position or the lying position.
The fourth complex is exercises with a heavy (stuffed) ball. The abdominal muscles are the same muscles as any other in our body. Accordingly, they should also be developed in different planes, meaning endurance, strength, explosive strength, and so on. Medicine ball exercises will work well on the explosive strength of the abdominal muscles. If you pay attention, then some of the movements will be slightly similar to the movements of the player on the court.
The fifth complex is one of the variations of aerobic supersets for the abdominal muscles. If at the beginning of a workout it is better to perform several approaches to the press to activate the muscles, then such super-sets can be completed.
The sixth complex is perhaps my favorite. Three exercises with a heavy ball (which, if desired, can be replaced with anything), which very much resemble the work of the core muscles during the game. I will analyze each of them:
Diagonal torso raises with the ball hitting the floor - if you look closely, the movement is close to when the player receives the ball in the post, makes one hit to the floor and begins to turn around.
Diagonal torso lifts with a diagonal removal of the ball in one hand - lay-up on the back of the ring (reverse lay-up).
Sitting torso rotations - receiving the ball from the side (left or right) and taking it out for a throw. It’s hard to say how it is in Russia, but in the States, when you receive a ball for a throw, they teach you to put your legs so that they are already looking at the ring, respectively, you have to rotate the torso and actively connect the core muscles.
The seventh complex is training the core muscles on a fitball (physio ball). Its advantage lies in the need to maintain the balance of the body, which allows you to activate the muscles of the whole body during execution.
As a conclusion, it is worth paying attention to 3 things:
Stretching. It is mandatory to perform after a workout, including after training the core muscles. Muscles must be elastic.
Muscular imbalance. You should follow a simple rule: did the exercises for the press, do at least the same amount on the muscles of the lumbar region. The simplest example of such exercises is hyperextension (back hypers) or superman (superman exercise). If such exercises are avoided, then, most likely, a muscle imbalance will occur, which will lead to pain or discomfort in the lumbar region.
Self-education and the desire to improve day by day. If you are an athlete, then you simply must know what you are doing. At a minimum, you should be interested in the coach or study yourself what you are doing. The reason is simple - it will be much easier to understand your mistakes and help the coach find ways to solve them with minimal risk of injury. If sport is just a hobby, then you should know at least the most basic things so as not to harm yourself. In any case, the whole strength of a person lies in improvement and daily actions aimed at becoming better.
Enjoy every day
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An original way to beat a defender in basketball
Hello, dear visitors of basketball-training.org.ua (how long have I not written this phrase…). A few days ago, while playing basketball on one of the courts in Kharkov, I ran into a player who, when beating, used one very interesting trick that I myself like to use (but which had not yet been used against me until now).
It was then that I realized how effective this method can be, especially if it is performed by a player who is not as slow as me. Yes, I'm really far from the fastest player, so most of my "feints", if you can call them that, are based on using the opponent's speed against him (and a little physics, which you can still come in handy even on the basketball court).
So, today we're going to talk about the defender's supporting leg, the leg that carries the weight, and which we will use for our own purposes. Let's get started.
3 elements to beat successfully
First, you must get the ball in a position from which you can attack the ring. Well, or your defender must think that you can do it. Everything is trite, but nevertheless, over and over again I come across the fact that the majority are either just too lazy to spend their energy on getting rid of guardianship and they ask for the ball a couple of meters from the three-point line, from where it is very problematic to threaten the ring. Or they just don't know how to open up.
Related article: 3 easy ways to get the ball in basketball
So, your goal is to get the ball at least on the three-point line, and at the most already inside the arc. This move will not work if you get the ball under the basket or on the edge of the three-second zone.
The second stage is to stagger the defender 2-3 times, simulating a pass. You just do a few lunges to the side, and at this point you need to concentrate on the legs of the defender: which of them is his weight on. Which leg becomes his support during the execution of your false display for the passage. Did you see?
The third point is the passage itself. If you know which foot the defender is on, where his weight is concentrated at the time of your deceptive movements, then you should know the following: he will not be able to step with this foot. In any case, for this the defender will have to shift the weight to the other foot - and even if he is very fast, these fractions of a second will be enough for you to beat him.
Yes, this technique will not work every time. Yes, you will not beat the defender with 100% probability. But by using this trick, you can buy time and create space. Another "trick" - step as close as possible to his supporting leg: even if he reacts very quickly, he will most likely break the rules.
How to defend yourself against such a technique?
No matter how interesting and promising the above trick looks, there is a defense against it and it is quite simple.
Method 1: Block the attacker's strong side from the passage by positioning yourself almost at a 90 degree angle to it. Either close your weak side (let the player go to your strong side, or to the side where there is a safety net). This is a budget way. You save energy, but still give the attacking player more freedom of action.
The second way is to do hellish footwork. I won't tell you too much, it's better to look at the video, as Andre Iguudala shows in the video for Nike:
See the topic: Nike Signature Moves Part 1
where is your body weight now. Of the minuses - an unprepared player after 2-3 such defenses will “sit down” very much and become slow in defense.
The third option - get as close as possible to the player, even in the process of receiving the ball. Thus, the attacker will not have much time to think: on which leg is your weight concentrated, where to stagger you, etc.
Small conclusions
The method described above is suitable for a measured pace of the game, even more so for a streetball match in which there are no quick breaks and the probability of an effective 1v1 beat is much greater.
The method described above is not a panacea, but simply one of the ways to use the laws of physics and the lack of experience of the defending player.
This method is difficult to use in its pure form if you are far from the basket (1-2 meters from the three-point line) or if the defender is very active.
But depending on the opponent, it can work, especially if you have established a hustle mentality with your team.
And there are others as well, not to mention that each team runs its press differently. Still, with a focus on fundamentals, such as getting the ball inbounds quickly, passing the ball, coming to the ball, avoiding traps, using ball fakes, and moving the ball to the middle of the court, your team is one step closer to beating any zone press.
Guards must be ready to receive the ball right away. And they need to look up the court and push the ball, preferably with a pass, as soon as possible. All of this, however, should be under control. As coach John Wooden used to say, “Be quick but don’t hurry.” If a pass isn’t open, your player can dribble in the direction of their basket if the press isn’t set. If the press gets set, then your team should run your press breaker.
Make sure to have your players work on passing in practice. Put them in pressure situations, teach them how to avoid traps, and how to pass out of them.
Or even make a gap worth dribbling through. I recommend passing, but if a good gap is there, use it.
That’s if they didn’t get an easy transition basket instead. Emphasize these fundamentals during practice, and your team will be one step closer to beating any zone press with confidence.
In other words, the whole body. In this post, I felt like talking specifically about the core muscles and giving a few examples of workouts that I did directly (both old and very fresh). 
If you pay attention, then some of the movements will be slightly similar to the movements of the player on the court. 
It’s hard to say how it is in Russia, but in the States, when you receive a ball for a throw, they teach you to put your legs so that they are already looking at the ring, respectively, you have to rotate the torso and actively connect the core muscles. 
Or they just don't know how to open up. 
