REBOUNDING

In a sport where every possession matters, it is just as important to get more possessions than your opponent.  In basketball, there are only two ways to get more possessions: getting fouled on made shots or rebounding better than your opponents can.  Since the former relies on making shots and getting calls from the officials to go your way, the easiest way to get more possessions is to rebound more effectively than your opponent.

While many coaches will tell you that rebounding relies on having tall players, consider these facts for a moment:  Jerry Lucas (15.6 rebounds per game), Wes Unseld (14.0 rebounds per game), Elgin Baylor (13.5 rebounds per game), and Dennis Rodman (13.1 rebounds per game) are all in the top 10 in NBA history in rebounding average.  All four of these individuals are six-foot-eight and shorter.  All of these players were considered undersized for their positions, but are among the best rebounders in the history of the game.  The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that it isn't about size, but the desire to rebound that set all of these hall of famers apart from other players of a similar stature.

The drills that will be shown in this article are presented in such a way to improve a team's rebounding ability and to teach technique.

Rebounding Techniques

It should be noted that the technique that is used to teach rebounding is different from traditional and conventional methods.  Instead of having all five players block out with their backs to the offensive players, I have found a more effective method.  For defensive rebounding purposes, the philosophy used by Tom Izzo of "hit, find, and fetch" has proven to be more effective.

The technique requires the defensive man to "hit" the offensive player with his forearm, but not to knock him to the floor.  This ensures that the defensive player has inside position for rebounding.  The second part of "find" requires that the defensive player turn and look to see where the ball is.  Finally, "fetch" tells the player to go get the rebound.

Meanwhile, we teach our offensive players a simple approach: get even with the defensive player.  This can be accomplished by going to the basket and using a step-over technique to get an advantage to rebounding the ball.  Whether the player goes to the inside or the outside of the defensive player doesn't matter so long as the offensive player works to get even.

Regardless of whether we are on offense or defense, we want to rebound the basketball when it is above the rim.  In other words, we want to rebound the basketball before the ball has a chance to hit the floor.  When a missed shot hits the floor, all bets are off and it can be anyone's ball.  We want the missed shot to be ours and ours only.

Defensive Rebounding Drills

The first drills that we start with are the two-on-two drills shown in Diagrams 1-3.  In each of these drills, we will have two offensive players go against two defensive players.  When we do the defensive drills, we will have our offensive players stand where they are and stay stationary.  The two players on defense will start with the hands touching under the basket.  On the shot by the coach, they are to "hit, find, and fetch".  We also want to put an emphasis on the defensive players rebounding the ball above the rim so as to avoid the ball hitting the floor and the ball being anyone's.

Also, we will vary from where the coach shoots the basketball.  If the coach is on one side of the floor, we want the players to work the other side of the floor.  The reason for this is twofold:  First, the players are likely to start in help defense so their becoming accustomed to their positioning in help defense will be critical.  Second, it has been studied and discovered that 70 percent of missed shots from one side of the floor are rebounded on the opposite side of the floor.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

From the two-on-two drills, we move to the four-on-four drills as shown in Diagrams 4-6.  Again, the offense will remain stationary in the defensive rebounding portion of these drills while the defense will work on "hit, find, and fetch".  As in the previous two-on-two drills, the coach will change the origin of his shots so that the rebounders can become accustomed to shots coming from the middle and each side of the floor.

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Offensive Rebounding Drills

Similar to the defensive rebounding drills with two players, the offensive drills can be used with two players against two players and the coach as the shooter.  The coach shoots while the defensive players execute "hit, find, and fetch" while the offensive players attempt to get even with the defensive man either by going to the outside or the inside of the defensive player.  These drills, similar to the ones earlier in this piece, are shown in Diagrams 7-9.

Diagram 7

Diagram 8

Diagram 9

Just like the defensive drills, we can go from two-player drills to four-player drills as shown in Diagrams 10-12.  The variation of the origin of the shot by the coach can be changed just like in the defensive drills.  The only difference this time is that the offensive players can now rebound the basketball.

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Conclusions

The importance of having players on your team who are knowledgeable about how to be good rebounders cannot be understated.  With the right technique, mental awareness, and mentality, your team will be able to secure additional scoring opportunities off of missed shots on offense and take away second chances on the defensive end.  This will allow your team to take advantage of the extra possessions and hopefully lead you to scoring more points and winning more games.

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