The Fullcourt Press Argument

I’ve always been a huge proponent of pressing, for several reasons, all based on sound basketball principles.

Some coaches flatly disagree with the whole idea of the press.  These coaches tend to argue that pressing is essentially gambling and is based on unsound defensive concepts.

I was reading through an issue of winning hoops print magazine recently.  They ran a survey of several high school head coaches on a number of topics.  Among the most interesting results:

• “The most successful teams use a full court press.  Almost three quarters (74.7%) of coaches with a winning percentage of .800 or greater use a full-court press as a primary defensive strategy.  That number falls to 51.1% of the least successful coaches”.

Before I go any further…I am fully aware of the deceptive nature of statistics.   One of my math teachers in high school used to say the following about statistics:

• “I once knew a man who drowned in a river that was an average of 4 inches deep.  It’s too bad he just happened to walk to the one place in the river that was 10 feet deep”.

The point was immediately clear: statistics don’t always tell the whole story.

In the context of this discussion, statistics may paint  a picture that pressing is always better than not pressing, without taking into consideration that the winning percentage of those successful teams may have more to do with their talent and athleticism than the fact that they employ a press.

Nonetheless, this particular statistic is compelling.  As much as coaches talk about adjusting their system to their talent on any given year, the fact remains that there are probably just as many ‘system’ coaches out there as there are coaches who actually do adjust their schemes from year to year.   When I take this into consideration, the overwhelming percentage (74.7%) of respondents who have a winning percentage of over .800 and use the press extensively leads me to believe that there is definitely a relationship between pressing and winning, at least at the high school level and certainly at lower levels as well.

The important points to keep in mind:

• Pressing is NOT ‘gambling’ or ‘bad defense’.  Good pressing teams are fundamentally sound defensive teams…period.  If you watch a pressing team with players who constantly dive out of bounds or are out of position…you are watching a bad defensive team that doesn’t understand the principles involved in sound defensive play in general.  Good pressing teams consistently cover their rotations and are rarely out of position.
• A good press doesn’t necessarily have to produce 25 turnovers or 50 points off turnovers.  Turnovers are a byproduct of a good press…they are almost never the only reason for running one.   My most successful pressing teams were successful because they used the press to create a tempo that was comfortable for us but either too fast or too slow for our opponents.  The impact of tempo on basketball games can be difficult to measure…but it’s impact is very real…and substantial.
• You don’t have to be more athletic than all of your opponent to press successfully…even if you trap out of your press, you can do so safely by conceding the reversal pass and covering the middle, sideline, and basket.  If you do this in a full court press you are creating a situation where you aren’t giving up the ‘easy layup’ that opponents of the press will tell you is waiting to happen.  You can read a free 36 page eBook on the 2-2-1 press by subscribing to this site’s newsletter that outlines how to press in this manner, even with less athletic teams.
• A successful press, more than almost any other tactical strategy,  has an incredibly galvanizing effect on players and teams.

If you’re thinking of pressing this year for the first time…shoot me an email via the contact page if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to give you an informed answer.

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