The
full court press is a defensive
basketball tactic. Three out of the five
defenders will go back to
defend
the
basket, while the two
guards swarm
the
ball handler to prevent him/her from
advancing the ball or
passing the ball.
This is an
aggressive tactic and is usually
applied only at the
end of a game when
the
defending team dearly wants a
turnover.
However, there are a few
college basketball teams,
as well as
high school teams,
who employ the full court press more regularly.
Their players have to be in pretty
good shape!
In everyday usage the phrase full court press
means "your unrelenting best." Your father
might tell you to "give it the full court press" as you
study for final exams. Or your
date might tell you after you bring flowers/candy
for the sixth time, "You can stop giving me the
full court press. I like you already."