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Basketball Offense - Simple 1-1-2-1 Press Break

By Dr. James Gels, from the Coach's Clipboard Basketball Playbook

Use this press break to attack the opponent's full-court press. This press breaker is usually effective and is simple to teach and execute.

O3 is the inbounder and gets the ball out of the net quickly to get the ball inbounds before the defense can get their press set. Do not inbound pass right under the basket, as the backboard may prevent you from making a long, overhead pass.

The pass should go to O1, who decides whether he/she can beat the press with the dribble, or make the pass up the sideline to O2, or in the middle to O4.

The pass back to O3 is another option, and O3 should always stay behind the ball as a safety pass backwards.

1-1-2-1 Press breaker

O5 goes long and eventually ends up at the right low block, just like in our secondary. In fact, if the point guard can beat the press, then we should flow right into our secondary break with O2 going up the right sideline, O4 out to the left elbow-three-point line area and O3 trailing up the middle.

If the inbounds pass goes to O1 on the opposite side (same side as O4), then O4 stays up the sideline and O2 flashes to the middle (just the opposite of diagram A).

O2 and O4 count to two. If after 2 seconds, they see that we are having difficulty getting the inbounds pass into O1, then O2 and O4 cut hard, all the way to the baseline if necessary, looking for the inbounds pass (diagram B). Then immediately look for the pass in the middle to O1.

Here is a secondary break that works well with this press breaker. The two are very similar and are easy to teach together. With the press breaker, O2 and O4 at half court realize the press is in effect and run the press breaker as seen above. But if the opponent is not pressing, then O2 and O4 "release" long up the floor as seen in this secondary break.

Attacking the Full-Court Press
80-60-40 press breakers... this is really all you need.
3-Up Press-Break
4-across press breaker
1-2-1-1 Diamond Press breaker
2-2-1 Press-Breaker