Hi Joel,

As a coach I prefer to use the half court press. The advantages of using this press are that it forces the opposition into tigheter spaces and denies them the opportunities for passing straight down the middle of the pitch. The tight space puts a lot of pressure on the opposition, forcing them to pass the ball wide and giving your team more chances to add pressure and turn the ball over.

If your team manage to turnover the ball, there is space already created for the count attack. 

The diagram I've attached gives you some more details and how to implement the press for your team.

I hope that is helpful. Let me know how you get on, or if you have any more thoughts once you've had a go at trying it! 

Chloe

1/2 Court Press

The 1/2 court press is again a team effort and relies on all players joining in and being disciplined.

The 1/2 court press is a bit like space invaders - players must move as one unit, from side to side in front of the ball.

It is very important that once the ball has gone into the zone, past the highest defenders, the team goes in to full court press mode. But when the ball is played back out of the 1/2 court zone the 1/2 court disciplines have to be adhered to once again.

The advantage of the 1/2 court press is that it is easier than taking the initiative, also less agreements need to be made compared to the full press.

When to use:

The Half court Press is very good for the underdog team that is not able to create chances from their own possession.

So using this system you choose to let the opposition have most of the possession and wait for them to make a mistake.

Your team will create lots of break opportunities because with every loss of possession the opposition will leave a large amount of space behind them which your side can exploit for the break.

Limitations:

If any of your players decide to full court press the ball the 1/2 court press will fall apart and the opposition will be gifted a break opportunity.

Do not play the 1/2 court press when you feel that you are allowing the opposition to get too close to your goal. In this instance you should change the 1/2 Court to 3/4 court or full press.