Boxing Out?? Perfect example

[Papa33]

I admit to a obsession with rebounding, particularly the need to box out aggressively and properly. I offer here a brief video from another thread showing a perfect example when it is not done well. Unfortunately, the player involved is Olivia, but it is not a "sin of omission" which she owns alone. As I've noted elsewhere (some might say I do it obsessively), a fully effective box-out, while really very simple, is all too rare . . . on every team.
Below is a YouTube video of a recent Uconn practice:



Start at 2:56. At 3:01 a shot goes up, and Liv takes a good stance, but does not step back and make contact or seal her opponent (Piath) behind her, or claim several more feet of "ownership" for a rebound. Note also that Paige does the same thing, following the ball's flight and stepping in, toward the basket, making her less able to claim a long rebound.

Proper, effective move: as shot goes up, look for opponent (not at the ball), slide/step out toward them, take a low, strong stance, contacting them at about the thigh level and resist being pushed in toward the basket. This maximizes the floor and rebound area you control. Your opponent has to go over your back to reach the ball.
Simple, right? When I was coaching, we spent time every day on a rebounding drill (1-on-1, 2-on-2, etc.) with penalty sprints for everyone on the defensive team if even one member failed to box out properly. It worked.

 

[eebmg]

I admit to a obsession with rebounding, particularly the need to box out aggressively and properly. I offer here a brief video from another thread showing a perfect example when it is not done well. Unfortunately, the player involved is Olivia, but it is not a "sin of omission" which she owns alone. As I've noted elsewhere (some might say I do it obsessively), a fully effective box-out, while really very simple, is all too rare . . . on every team.
Below is a YouTube video of a recent Uconn practice:



Start at 2:56. At 3:01 a shot goes up, and Liv takes a good stance, but does not step back and make contact or seal her opponent (Piath) behind her, or claim several more feet of "ownership" for a rebound. Note also that Paige does the same thing, following the ball's flight and stepping in, toward the basket, making her less able to claim a long rebound.

Proper, effective move: as shot goes up, look for opponent (not at the ball), slide/step out toward them, take a low, strong stance, contacting them at about the thigh level and resist being pushed in toward the basket. This maximizes the floor and rebound area you control. Your opponent has to go over your back to reach the ball.
Simple, right? When I was coaching, we spent time every day on a rebounding drill (1-on-1, 2-on-2, etc.) with penalty sprints for everyone on the defensive team if even one member failed to box out properly. It worked.

So true. When a rare quality boxout is made, the game announcer always points it out so excitedly link a pink unicorn sighting.

 

[ochoopsfan]

It is part of the game that isnt on the score sheet, or box score, but is just as important as getting a rebound.

 

[CocoHusky]

@Papa33 and other coaches will surely recognize the device in the picture which is essential and designed to make sure every shot results in a rebound. I don't see it being used much anymore but maybe it should be. If you combine this device and use a method of scoring rebounding drills where Every player can be awarded 2 points for using proper technique boxing out and one player is awarded 1 point for actually getting the rebound you can quickly become a better rebound team.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

@Papa33 and other coaches will surely recognize the device in the picture which is essential and designed to make sure every shot results in a rebound. I don't see it being used much anymore but maybe it should be. If you combine this device and use a method of scoring rebounding drills where Every player can be awarded 2 points for using proper technique boxing out and one player is awarded 1 point for actually getting the rebound you can quickly become a better rebound team.

yeppers, it's kinda like that dog doorbell thing in another thread -learn it, do it, and then u don't have to think aboot it no more.

 

[UConnHometown]

Start at 2:56. At 3:01 a shot goes up

I am more intrigued that this shot is actually Amari smoothly sinking a 3-pointer. Something for all of us to look forward to in the next few years

 

[cwaduke]

Basics; if you are a musician, learn your scales and arpeggios (hundreds of them). If you are a carpenter, learn your tools, materials, angles etc. Whatever we do, there is no substitute for fundamentals, and there are no shortcuts to mastery of them. It isn't easy, or fun at times, but necessary if more than mediocrity is desired. The reward to being fundamentally sound is always knowing what you are doing, or what you don't know. You will always know where you are going.

 

[eebmg]

Geno mic'd at practice. He has more patience than I would have if seemingly same mistakes keep occurirng.



The clearest message.

Force me to play you or force me to bench you. These are the only 2 choices.


I would love to know what happened in the last play that got Geno so inwardly frustrated but the entire team thought it was great.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I admit to a obsession with rebounding, particularly the need to box out aggressively and properly. I offer here a brief video from another thread showing a perfect example when it is not done well. Unfortunately, the player involved is Olivia, but it is not a "sin of omission" which she owns alone. As I've noted elsewhere (some might say I do it obsessively), a fully effective box-out, while really very simple, is all too rare . . . on every team.
Below is a YouTube video of a recent Uconn practice:



Start at 2:56. At 3:01 a shot goes up, and Liv takes a good stance, but does not step back and make contact or seal her opponent (Piath) behind her, or claim several more feet of "ownership" for a rebound. Note also that Paige does the same thing, following the ball's flight and stepping in, toward the basket, making her less able to claim a long rebound.

Proper, effective move: as shot goes up, look for opponent (not at the ball), slide/step out toward them, take a low, strong stance, contacting them at about the thigh level and resist being pushed in toward the basket. This maximizes the floor and rebound area you control. Your opponent has to go over your back to reach the ball.
Simple, right? When I was coaching, we spent time every day on a rebounding drill (1-on-1, 2-on-2, etc.) with penalty sprints for everyone on the defensive team if even one member failed to box out properly. It worked.

Good one! Stepping toward the offensive player- key point. Step towards player with your back to the basket while you're doing that.
I was taught in college to step with one foot between the opponent's feet and pivot. This move automatically stops the player in their tracks. One more key point: after you have neutralized the offensive player, then you go after the ball! This negates any size disadvantage. You see players box out perfectly and then not pursue the ball and the taller player can still reach over them. (seen it with Nika) We were also taught to call out, "shot" whenever a shot goes up, so if a player loses sight of the ball, they still know to rebound.

 

[CocoHusky]

Geno mic'd at practice. He has more patience than I would have if seemingly same mistakes keep occurirng.


The clearest message.
Force me to play you or force me to bench you. These are the only 2 choices.
I would love to know what happened in the last play that got Geno so inwardly frustrated but the entire team thought it was great.

I believe it might have been Mir's team finally making consecutive defensive stops. Typically practices do not end until a team makes consecutive stops, thus the team celebration. Geno might have been exasperated because it took so long.

 

[pacific 44]

Coach on the floor. When E.F.Hutton,i mean E.F. Westbrook speaks, people listen.

 

[Bigboote]

There are some really good points in the first several posts. I think they can be summed up in two points:

1) Rebounding is a team effort. Your boxout is as likely get a teammate the rebound as it is to get you the rebound.

2) It needs to be automatic. I love cwaduke's analogy -- scales and arpeggios create muscle memory. As a practice session begins with scales, maybe every basketball practice should begin with boxing out (and end with free throws). Wes Unseld regularly gave up 4-5 inches to his mark, didn't have a great vertical, but he was a great rebounder because his body understood what he needed to do.