Now that we can press any time, should we?

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I coach 10 and under girls. This is the first year that we are able to press at any time (unless the mercy rule is in effect).

Should we start out pressing or hang back as usual?

I only have 7 girls on the team, and many tire easily.

Also, most of the girls are on the short side and few truly understand how to play basketball. We are still doing a lot of work on the fundamentals.

Any suggestions?

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Jan 03, 2008
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Start them off right
by: Anonymous I understand how you want to be careful because at there age it’s more about fun than anything. I’ve played basketball for a long time and I’ve coached for a while.As a player the best thing to ever hear is your coach saying to you “great job”, “there you go”,etc.

A lot of coaches believe you have to tear a player down before building them up,I greatly disagree. The trick is to give confidence while teaching them whats right and then fix what they do wrong.

But back to the actual question,i would start pressing. A huge irritation of mine is to have to teach a kid something the last coach should have.

So whether or not you’re going to press in the game at least teach them how to do it so they can go on to be better basketball players.

Nov 22, 2007
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Too Young & Inexperienced For Pressing.
by: Joe Waters – webmaster Great basketball question Katherine.My thoughts on running a pressing defense at that age (or any age) are as follow:

First, a 10 and under team should be working on the fundamentals of basketball. On defense that means they should learn how to play solid man-to-man defense.

Once they grasp the basics concepts of man defense, then you can move on to more advanced techniques such as off the ball defense, help-side defense, defending a screen, defending a cut, etc…

These are the defensive skills that build a solid foundation for a great defensive basketball player and team.

If you are spending time teaching a full-court press…when will you have time to build this foundation? When will you have time to teach these basic and then advanced basketball defensive skills? You won’t.

Even if you had 15 players and they were the best-conditioned athletes in the league…I still would not recommend a pressing defense.

Second, I don’t think a league should incorporate this rule in the first place. If the girls are 10 and under and the league is implementing this rule, that tells me that they are focusing more on the competitive (win – lose) side of the game…when the focus should be on the fundamentals and developing a love for the game. Bad decision in my opinion!

Third, youth basketball is designed to be fun, teach the fundamentals and give the players a positive experience. Let’s say one of the teams in your league develops and unstoppable full-court press.

Every time their opponents inbound the basketball, it is quickly stolen and converted into an easy lay-up. This takes place repeatedly throughout the game. Would the other team be having fun, learning any fundamentals or game play, and would they be having a positive experience? Most definitely not.

So, in my honest opinion, I would suggest that you stick with the fundamentals and teach the girls how to play solid man defense and then build from there. There’s plenty of time for pressing and other defensive strategies.

One other note: Since the league has implemented a pressing rule, I would be sure to incorporate a simple press-breaker that will allow your girls to inbound the ball and get it down the court for a shot or to set up your offense.

Best of luck Katherine. I hope this helps answer your basketball question in regard to pressing.