We recently showed you a great sideline trap drill from State Champion Coach Mike Hilmer. The sideline trap is a key element of his Relentless Pressure System.

If you're like most pressing teams, you get your good stuff out of your first trap. You might force a bad pass, you might cause a travel, or you might get a deflection.

Those are all good things. But what happens if the offense gets past the first trap?

That's where you don't want to be like most pressing teams!

Instead, you want to be relentless. You want to create multiple chances to force a turnover.

Coach Hilmer trains mentality with his 'Trap To A Tip' drill. Add it to your repertoire and watch your press improve.

Multiple Efforts Leads To Multiple Opportunities

Most pressing teams get one trap. If they create a turnover, great. If not, they try to get back and get matched up without giving the offense an advantage.

In Coach Hilmer's system, the press continues after the first trap. The defense is looking for multiple opportunities to create chaos. As I heard one coach say, "our mentality is that we are on offense even when we are on defense."

That type of aggressive mentality is necessary to be an elite pressing team.

When you create multiple opportunities to force a turnover, the offense can never get comfortable. If the press never ends, they never know what's coming.

That keeps the offense on their heels.

To do this successfully, players must play with great effort AND great intelligence.

Effort alone is not enough. Coach Hilmer teaches a number of simple reads throughout the press to decrease thinking. That allows players to play fast and free.

This drill is a great example.

Trap To A Tip

This drill is done 2 v 2. An offensive player starts with the ball in the corner. They are trapped by two defenders. A second offensive player is underneath the rim.

The drill begins with the offensive player in the trap passing to their teammate under the rim. The defense is not allowed to touch this pass.

Player 1 is out of the drill after making the initial pass.

When player 2 receives the pass under the rim, they dribble hard up the opposite side. They are trying to score. This is important as it incentivizes the offense to go full speed.

It also means the offensive player gets to work on their ball handling and finishing skills.

The two defenders are sprinting out of the trap as soon as player 1 passes. X1 should be moving towards the midline at an angle that will allow them to cut off player 2's dribble.

X2 also turns and sprints. They will likely be trailing the play. Sprinting allows them to get back into the play and make an impact.

X1's goal is to cut off player 2 and make them dribble back the other way. If this happens, X2 should be there to get a tip.

As discussed in the video, this tip should occur with the inside hand. It should also be done by swiping up on the ball. Those two elements reduce fouls.

X2 will try to tip the ball softly forward. In a game, that would allow their teammate to gather the ball and pass it ahead to X1 or X2 for a layup.

Sometimes X1 will not be able to turn 2's dribble back to the middle of the court. That's okay as it allows for a second trap.

In Coach Hilmer's press, you are looking to trap sideline dribbles. If 2 continues up the sideline, 1 should pick a spot where they can get ahead and stop the ball.

X2 would then close the trap from behind.

Scoring The Drill

You can easily make this drill competitive.

Give the offensive player 2 points for a score.

If they lose the ball on a loose ball turnover, they lose 2 points.

If they get trapped but maintain possession in power position, no points are awarded. (Don't call :05 here as they have no one to pass to.)

That scoring system encourages the offense to be aggressive and smart. That means your defenders will have to work harder.

Conclusion

Coaches constantly talk about a next play mentality. Pressing teams have to have one.

There is no time to relax or dwell on a mistake. This drill teaches that mentality.

As players are chasing the ball, they won't know exactly what the next play is. It could be a tip or a trap.

Either can be a winning play. 'Trap To A Tip' will create more of those for your team and take your press to the next level.

Check Out The Relentless Pressure System

Coach Mike Hilmer started using the Relentless Pressure System in 2015. Since then, his results speak for themself:

• 208-8 record over 8 seasons
• 3X State Champion
• 7 Straight State Championship game appearances
• Averaged 80+ points per game the last 8 years
• #1 in defensive points per game - led state 2x

Think about those last two stats for a second: Averaging 80+ points per game on offense AND leading the state in defense. Now that's domination, and a lot of this success is a direct result of implementing the unique Relentless Pressure system.

This unpredictable trapping system incorporates high octane offensive actions and teaches your team to play free and fast on both offense and defense.

So if you want to uncover the secrets behind Coach Hilmer's unprecedented success over the last decade...

Click here to learn more about the Relentless Pressure System and how it can benefit your team!

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