Show me a team that TRAPS WELL, and I will show you a GREAT defensive team. We have all experimented with trapping over the years, but I would suspect, many have felt their teams were not very good at it. The Run and Jump Press is ALL ABOUT trapping and the stress it causes, and YES, the FUN in doing it.
In the camp/clinics that I hold we have a common theme.
“The Run and Jump Action Sets the Table – However, the Trapping Action SEALS THE DEAL.”
So how do we get there? How do we turn our players into a GREAT trapping team? First and foremost, we must understand that TRAPPING is a learned SKILL and therefore needs to be taught. Some of the Crucial Concepts of Trapping are-
- Keep Your Space Away from Dribbler
- Ready to RUN WITH the Dribbler
- Squeeze the Dribbler into Sidelines and Endlines
- Learn Good Angles of Pursuit
- NEVER Reach for the Ball
- Both Arms UP when Space Reduced
- Sprint OUT of the Trap
When we first start teaching the trapping sequences in the Run and Jump, as you might expect, there is quite a bit of body on body, hand and forearm checking, and reaching for the ball. In other words, the killer of the press – FOULS! However, you would be surprised at how quickly the players pick up the techniques and concepts, with contact becoming much less, thus fewer fouls.
In teaching TRAPPING in the Run and Jump Press, you need a variety of drills both half and full court to continually train the players in understanding WHAT we are trying to accomplish- Those drills would include-
| Soft Red Middle | Hard Red Corner | Sideline Cutoffs |
| Pass Ahead Corner | 2 on 3 Disadvantage | 3 on 4 Disadvantage |
| Sideline Behind | 5 on 4 Disadvantage | 6 Man Continuous |
When we have our trap formed, we work really hard at not allowing them to “turn the corner” out of the trap and also not let them “split” the trap. Often times this happens because our defenders are TOO CLOSE to the dribbler.
TRAPPING RULE: Remember, there is always a “METHOD TO OUR MADNESS” in the Run and Jump Press. A simple Trapping Rule that we follow, is the TRAPPER STAYS. This indicates that AS WE SPRINT out of the Trap, the player that came to trap becomes the defender of the player trapped.
COACH EDDIE ANDRIST 