94 Feet of Defense: Full Court & Half Court Match-up Press

ÿwith John Brannen,
University of Cincinnati Head Men's Basketball Coach from 2019 to 2021;
2020 AAC Regular Season Champions;
Northern Kentucky University Head Coach from 2015 to 2019;
2017 Horizon League Coach of the Year;
2x Horizon League Regular Season Champions;
2x Horizon League Tournament Champions;
led Northern Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility;
the first school to do this since 1970!

Make your opponent work for every inch as they advance the ball up the court! John Brannen used his full court pressure defense to win the Horizon League and earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in the program's first year of eligibility. In this video, Coach Brannen shows you how to use this style of defense to control tempo, tire out your opponents, and disrupt their rhythm with a series of drills that will help you develop a rock-solid half-court defense and three variations of aggressive full court pressure.

Three Variations to Full Court Pressure

Coach Brannen's White and Blue presses are based on match-up zone principles. This will allow your players to have consistent responsibilities in the press while having the flexibility to adapt to the many press break alignments your opponents will run against you. Both of these presses provide a unique twist to confuse your opponent while staying consistent with fundamentals that will simplify concepts for your players.

• White Press - Learn how to force opponents into the "coffin corner" and create trapping situations.
• Blue Press - Force the ball out of a talented player's hands.
• "55 Tough" Press - Uses man-to-man principles to increase aggressiveness with denying the inbound pass. Designed to get a 5-second call prior to the ball being inbounded or a steal off of the inbound pass.

Breakdown Drills to Build the Press

You will get a chance to see 10 different practice drills used to build the skill set to excel as a full court defender. Learn the teaching points and progression of four drills used to develop a great defensive stance and lateral movement. Defenders work on explosive first steps to cut off the dribble, sprinting to recover when the offense gets an advantage, and getting into a defensive stance that emphasizes using feet instead of hands to stop the ball. The Box Drill combines all of these concepts into one drill that will empower your players to heat up the ball handler and force them into turnovers.

Six additional full court drills break down various concepts within Coach Brannen's pressing system. The 4v4 Full Court Shell drill teaches players how to position themselves on the floor and use stunts by help defenders to slow the dribble. The Circle Trap drill teaches players how to form solid traps and read the body language of the player being trapped to find the next pass and intercept it. Other drills will teach your players how they can individually control the ball handler in the full court, chase down a dribbler to close the trap, recover on passes down the court, and more.

Half Court Man-to-Man Defense

Coach Brannen's full court defensive principles carry over into their half court man-to-man defense. Learn how defenders away from the ball position themselves in gaps to protect the paint against dribble penetration. Watch defenders play vertically to challenge the shot while still avoiding fouls. You'll see this half court defense taught through six different drills that teach additional concepts such as stunting, close outs, defensive stance, pressuring the ball with active hands, helping on baseline drives, and cutting off the dribbler with explosive first steps. Not only will you learn how to build the foundation for an excellent team defense, you will also learn how to train your individual players to become elite defenders.

This video will give you the strategies and drills you need to build a defense that challenges your opponent for all 94 feet of the court!

99 minutes. 2017.