Erin Hoops

Improve Your Game

Item #04

Fundamentally, if each person is blocking out (boxing out) her/his own check properly, the offensive team would never get a second shot.  Weakness by any one may mean an easy follow up and a basket.

You should be between your man and the basket any time the shot is taken.  You therefore have the advantage on her/him to start with.  When a shot is taken your first and most important job is not to let your man get in a position to get the ball.  Therefore, on a shot from out on the court, you watch your check for a count of two after you hear a teammate shout "Shot" or see a shot being taken out of the corner of your eye.  

The ball is now in the air.  

Watch your check.  Don't turn and watch the ball in flight to the basket.

Continue to watch your check.  Face your check.  See which way s/he is going to go in toward the basket.  

Then turn in her/his path.  Practice this turn on an imaginary check.  The turn should be a reverse pivot of 180 degrees.  You must be able to do this reverse pivot in both direction, i.e., right or left.

Once you've made your turn, keep your check on your back or butt.  Pressure/Push her/him gently away from the basket.  Move with her/him continuing to block her/his path to a good rebounding position.  You can use a hand to feel behind you when you have no bodily contact with your man...but you should be in contact with the person you are boxing out enough that the hand contact is rarely necessary.  Use your hand when you feel you are loosing contact, so you do not have to turn away from the rim and the rebound area where you are likely to get the ball.

If s/he doesn't go toward the basket, that's helpful for your team.  You should still turn stepping forward as you turn on the two count.  The step forward and turn will put your back/butt against her/him , then start to push her/him further away from the basket.

In all cases when you turn into your box out give as little ground to the basket for your check as possible.

An effective box out also involves a wide stance with the elbows out and hands bent forward, if you are not feeling where your check is.  Note: extending your arm fully out to hold your check from running around you constitutes a defensive foul on your part.

Theoretically, the ball should bounce off the rim and onto the floor in front of you or one of your teammates who is also defensively boxing out.

The farther out on the floor you are when the shot goes up the more time you have to spend watching her/him and keeping in her/his way.

Once turned.  Once you have you check under control in an effective box out.  Then, and only then, look and see which direction the ball is going and as it caroms off the board/rim you go after it AGGRESSIVELY, releasing your box out.  As you go aggressively for the ball throw your hands upward to add lift to your jump and to help you catch the ball at the highest point possible.

No one can tell where a rebound is going to go.  The jump and arm raising timing comes just as you see the ball go right or left, or out in front, or falling down close to the basket.

You MUST go up to meet the ball as high as you can, and with your arms fully extended.  You want to catch and control the ball as high as you can get it.  If you are a great jumper, once you catch the ball, and while still up in the air, bring the ball down into your chest area, shoulder high, with your elbows out ward like wings.

Land with the ball chested and elbows out.

Land with your feet spread.  The greater the floor area you can land on and maintain you body balance the better.  If you land off balance it is then difficult to make an effective, quick, pivoting release pass your "Outlet" shouting teammate.

Also click and see - Offensive Rebounding in the links below.