Here’s the problem - if you’re a good offensive team, you might score on half of your possessions. That means at least 50% of your possessions are likely to end without a basket.

This is an issue for teams that love to press and keep the pace of the game up.

If you’re only able to press half the time, it decreases your ability to play the type of game you’d like.

The solution - press off misses. . . 

Many coaches either don’t consider this option or feel like it’s too hard to teach. It’s not!

3X State Champion Coach Mike Hilmer teaches an easy to learn system to press off misses as part of his Relentless Pressure System.

Because they press on makes and misses, their pressure truly is relentless. Your’s can be, too.

https://youtu.be/Ab6CBm6I2yg

7 Reasons You Should Press Off Misses

I have spoken with many coaches who like the idea of pressing off misses. I’ve spoken with many fewer who’ve had the patience to do it. Those who have loved the results.

Pressing off misses isn’t easy. However, it’s not nearly as hard as people make it out to be. If you can get your team to do it, there are numerous benefits.

• You catch your opponent off guard - they are not expecting to be pressed. As a result, they are disorganized. Players are not in their assigned press break spots. This can lead to bad passing options for the offense and more turnovers.

• You can press their weakest ball handlers - on many teams, the best rebounders are the worst ball handlers. So by pressing off misses, you put poor decision makers in position to have to handle your pressure, leading to more turnovers.

• You can pressure ALL the time - pressing teams who press on makes end up pressing maybe half the time. That means half the possessions do not result in pressure. This allows your opponent to take a deep breath and reset.

  If you have depth and want to be a pressing team, pressing off misses enables you to press all the time. 

• You’ll get more offensive rebounds - pressing off misses requires players to stay up. In doing so, they are in position for offensive rebounds. Beyond the turnovers you create, you’ll generate additional possessions from these second shots.

• You have a comeback game - being able to press off misses means you won’t find yourself back in the situation I described at the start of the article. Your team will be prepared for whatever situation it finds itself in. 

• Your communication will improve - one of the challenges of pressing off misses is communication. Whether you press off misses or not, if you’re like me, you are constantly on your team to communicate more effectively.

  Pressing off misses FORCES your team to communicate effectively. If they don’t, you will be exposed. Through the process of learning how to do this, your team’s ability to communicate will improve dramatically.

• Your players will improve (offensively) - to get good at pressing off misses, you have to practice it a lot. By practicing a lot, your players will get many additional reps of handling pressure and making decisions under duress.

  Compare that to players who are able to walk the ball up after every miss in practice and never feel that pressure - who will be better trained to compete at the highest level? By practicing this daily, not only will your defense improve, your offense will as well!

How Coach Hilmer Teaches Pressing Off Misses

In Coach Hilmer’s system, players have to know two things whenever they are in the game.

First, they must know who they are guarding on a score.

Second, they must know what row of the press they are in on a miss. 

Let’s focus on the second part.

On a miss, players are organized into three rows.

• The first row has two players. They should be two of your best on the ball defenders. Whoever is closest to the rebounder immediately matches up with them. The other first row player fills the short middle.

• The second row also has two players.  One takes away the ballside sideline. The other rotates toward the middle. They should be between their player and the ball.

• The third row has one player.  This player is deep and tries to steal any over the top pass. They should stay above the three point line to shrink the floor.

This player should start getting back on the rise of the shot to ensure you won’t get beat over the top. Your other four players should be able to go after offensive rebounds and still get to their row.

Thus, the press LOOKS like a 2-2-1. However, it is not a zone press. Players are getting to their spot and then matching up from there.

This is crucial as it makes teaching easier. Once they are matched up, the normal press rules apply. You don’t have to teach any new rotations or rules.

That’s it. It’s that simple.

One key to making it work is communication. All five players should be communicating on a miss as they get matched up.

How To Practice Pressing On Misses

Coach Hilmer covers a couple ways to practice pressing on misses. One way is to start with a half court 5v5 possession. The offense runs a play but does not try to score.

You position yourself somewhere near the basket (where a rebound might be grabbed). On your whistle, the offense throws you the ball.

You hand the ball to the defensive team who now looks to attack the opposite way. The original offensive team gets to their assigned row and works to press the miss.

To add more challenge, do the same drill but remove yourself. Now let the offense try to score. If they do, they run their normal press after a make. If they don’t, they get to their row and press the miss.

This makes the defense think and communicate on the fly.

One way Coach Hilmer does this (that allows more players to participate) is by having 3 teams play. Coach Hilmer shows it 4v4. In that case, you would not have a third row player.

Every time, the team that’s pressing the make or miss steps off at half court and the new team comes on to guard the half court possession.

Try that version as your team becomes more comfortable pressing off misses.

Set Your Program Apart By Truly Pressuring Relentlessly

Pressing off misses is a way to set your program apart. Not many coaches do it.

Thus, if you can do it successfully, you have a tool at your disposal that most teams aren’t prepared for.

By following Coach Hilmer’s rules, you’ll make pressing off misses simple for your players to learn.

Simple for you, devastating for your opponents - a win-win! To learn the complete pressing system, check out The Relentless Pressure System With Mike Hilmer.

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