Notice: This article was written by Steve Jordan, Coach's Notebook. Email the author at sjordan@alaskalife.net.
Rebounding is 25% skill and 75% hunger. The necessary skills are simple and easy to teach (although players often forget to use them until they are too old to jump well anymore). What cannot be taught is the innate desire to overcome the roughness under the basket and recover the basketball. Large body size helps, but small players who are tough and intense will succeed. A large body isn't effective without the hunger to go with it. One or two players who love to rebound will be a big help to any team. An entire team committed to serious rebound effort will be quite difficult to defeat.
The worst thing the defensive team can do when a shot is attempted is to stand and watch the ball on its way to the basket. They will be unprepared to deal with the rebound and will have abdicated their inherent positional advantage.
In a typical high school game, each team will miss about 25 - 30 shots. That means there are up to 60 opportunities to gain a possession for your team. Ideally, each possession should ultimately equal a shot. Offensive rebounds are especially important because each one creates an extra shot without the opponent getting a turn to shoot.
The defensive advantage is that the offensive player can be blocked out, or screened from the ball by the defender's body. To make this work, the defender must focus attention on the offensive player he intends to block out. When the shot goes up, the defensive player should be in a position between his man and the basket. Do not watch the ball. Find the player you intend to block out, block the path to the basket, then turn your back with legs and arms spread so that it is difficult for the opponent to navigate around you. Its not so important to chase the ball down or jump high in the air. Its more important to just make sure your man doesn't have a chance of getting the rebound. If all five defenders block out their respective opponent, there will be an inner circle of defenders surrounding the ball as it falls within the circle.
TECHNIQUE: Its legal to put a forearm on the offensive player to protect your defensive space. When the shot goes up, lean on the forearm (best placed on the opponent's hip) and use it to help spin around to face the basket. The sudden weight transfer will help freeze the opponent as well. Another trick ... if your back is to the offensive player and you still have contact, literally sit on his/her leg to effectively lock them down.
TIP: The closer the player is to the basket, the more important it is to keep the hands up. When players tire, shot attempts often fall short and glance off the front of the rim. There is little reaction time available. The player who already has their hands in the air will be most prepared.
The offensive advantage is that the shooter (and to a lesser degree, the remainder of the offensive team) has a better look at the shot path and can make the best judgment as to where the rebound will go. Also, because the defender will usually turn his back the the offensive player to screen him out, the defender loses sight of the offense. With the loss of visual contact goes the ability to stay with the offensive player who may move to a more advantageous position.
Once the rebound is controlled, there is a moment of transition that should be exploited. The defensive rebounder must choose between establishing a high degree of control, protecting the basketball until it can be handed off to a guard responsible for bringing it up the floor, or quickly transferring the ball with an outlet pass to a player already on the way to the other basket. The danger in controlling the rebound is that the other team may apply immediate pressure, force a turnover, and score a quick basket. The danger in initiating a fast break is the risk of a ball-handling error. The best choice is the one that fits the style of basketball you've practiced.
In general, tall players should pass after rebounding. Shorter players under duress immediately after grabbing the rebound should dribble clear then initiate the outlet pass.
Drills: