Weekly Thoughts
February 3, 2010
 
Rebound from Defeat

I got an interesting question from a young coach this past week, wanting to know how to get players to “box out” when defensive rebounding.  His concerns were that his team lacked size and they didn’t really like contact either.  So, how could he get them to box out more physically and have a better chance of winning the War on the Boards?

The question made me recall hearing John Wooden speak on rebounding many years ago.  He said that he didn’t teach boxing out, but rather, he just wanted his players to
“go get the ball.”  And I thought, “Easy for him to say since he had Alcindor, Walton, Wicks, Rowe, etc, which was some of the best talent in college basketball.”  So, I continued teaching my players to box out and fight for rebounds.  As time went on, it became apparent that my better rebounders were not the ones who boxed out best, but rather, the ones who went after the ball the best.  Maybe they were the tallest, but not always.  Maybe they were the best jumpers, or had the longest arms, or quickest reaction, but not always.  The common thing they all had was “a knack for where the ball was.”  They went after it, every time, on every shot, and they ended up getting more than a fair share of the rebounds. 

In later years of coaching, I still taught the “box out” and I drilled it almost every day.  But the bigger emphasis was on the defense's responsibility to go get the ball and not just box out and wait for someone else to get it.  I used terms like, “Converge to the ball,” and told players not to take off on the break until they knew we had the ball.  I taught them about the “70% Rule” that says 70% of missed shots taken from the side will rebound to the other side.  And 70% of the missed shots taken straight on will rebound straight back.  This is very helpful to offensive rebounders, but certainly is beneficial to defensive rebounders too.

As for drills to improve team rebounding and toughness, I really like “War.”  Three players stand in the key, side by side.  A coach throws the ball up on the rim and “the war” is on.  Whichever player gets the rebound, the other two defend with hands up, no fouling allowed.  When someone scores, the drill starts over.  No dribbling is allowed.  First player to three wins.  Losers get a small penalty.

“War” is not a daily drill for me, but 1on 1, 2 on 2, or 3 on 3 box out drills are.  Yes, I still teach boxing out, but the emphasis is on “getting the rebound” rather than stopping the opponent from getting it.  I do one of those drills for about 5 minutes each practice, then follow up with 5 on 5 rebounding to transition offense and defense.  This allows us to work daily on offensive and defensive rebounding, outlets, and the fast break.

Some teams do a great job of “boxing out” and still don’t get many rebounds.  All it takes is one hungry player on offense who really “wants the ball” and “boxing out” is defeated.  Train your players to “go get the ball” and they will get more rebounds.  Boxing out can help, but a desire to get the ball is more important.  Try it and see if you can Rebound from Defeat this season.

TB