The ‘Ice’ press break is a unique 1-4 formation that can be used to break a man-to-man or zone press effectively. It can be modified by simply calling out a different number, which determines the screener.
I recommend teaching option 2 for a month before introducing options 1 and 3, especially if you are working with a younger team. You may even want to stick with option 2 for an entire season before adding options 1 and 3.
I prefer using a 1-4 lineup because it is easy for players to understand where to line up, and all basketball players are familiar with lines. You can assign numbers to each position if you have a younger or less experienced team. However, players can easily find the open spot and set up the press break even if you don’t assign numbers.
I prefer not to assign numbers to help develop an anti-fragile press break. Trust your players to figure it out on the fly. In the first few games, there may be some points lost or turnovers made, but in the long run, you will be teaching your team to be adaptable and resilient.
Once your team is proficient at running option 2 and understands the failure pass to the short corner or the screener, you can introduce options 1 and 3.
In all options, the 4 man is always the screener. They sprint ahead of the dribbler to set a screen.
Teach options 1 and 3 together. If the inbounder calls 1, that person becomes the screener, 2 becomes the cutter off the screener, and 3 becomes the failure pass to the short corner. If you run option 3, 3 becomes the screener, 1 is the person coming off the screen, and 2 becomes the failure pass to the short corner.
Click below to get a downloadable and printable PDF of this press break.
