Youth Basketball Rebounding Tips & Drills

It is natural for casual observers of the game of youth basketball to focus on shooting and scoring as the crux of the sport, but coaches and players know that there are other crucial factors that help to decide who is going to win a given ballgame. Rebounding is huge, and in many ways it is more important to rebound the basketball well than it is to shoot at a high percentage. Offensive rebounds provide easy put-backs and second, third, and fourth chance opportunities to put the ball through the basket, and on the other side defensive rebounding prevents the other team from having those multiple chances to score.

At the end of any youth basketball game, if you hold the rebounding edge, you are probably going to be going home on the winning end of the score. Rebounding is a science, and though height and jumping ability have a lot to do with it, anticipation and positioning are equally important. A smart player who anticipates where the missed shot is likely to ricochet depending on the position of the shooter is going to head for the correct spot and get a lot of rebounds. Good rebounding technique also requires boxing out, and this a fundamental skill that can be taught; players who consistently find their assignment and box the player out get a lot of boards and create space for their teammates to pull in some caroms as well.

Below are some tips for proper basketball rebounding techniques as well as some fun drills for your youth basketball team's practice. You can also find more free basketball skills & drills videos and tutorials online at websites like Weplay.com.

Youth Basketball Rebounding Tips

* The Golden Rule of rebounding is to box out.
* Head to the spot where the ball is likely to ricochet.
* Learn to time your jump perfectly.
* Tip the ball to a teammate if you can't grab it.
* Don't bring the ball down below your shoulders in traffic after snaring a board.

Youth Basketball Rebounding Drills

* Solo Rebounding Drill
This is a drill that players can do on their own. One player stands on one side of the basket and tosses the ball off the board and over the rim to the other side and races over there to snag the rebound. Player repeats this and does as many reps as possible in 60 seconds, rests for another minute and then repeats the drill.

* Boxout Drill
Form two lines outside the key, one for the offensive rebounder and one for the defensive rebounder. Players pair up inside the lane as the coach dribbles along the perimeter. Players jockey for rebounding position as the coach moves, trying to establish inside position in the right spot depending on where the ball is. At some point the coach shoots and players go all out to get the rebound.