Rebound Drill
Playing inside means you're close to the basket, and it
means you'll be expected to rebound the basketball.
Start off on one side of the basket, about halfway to the free
throw line.
Toss the ball off the backboard and explode up the the ball,
snatching it out of the air. Come down strong, on-balance, and
turn to make an imaginary outlet pass to your point guard.
Do this drill
10 times from each side of the basket. This drills works on your
jumping ability, stamina, and gets you in the habit of coming
down on-balance while quickly looking to make the outlet pass to
start the fast break.
Offensive Rebound and Put-Backs
As an offensive rebounder, a key focus area is going up
strong for the follow up shot once you've grabbed the rebound.
Start 4 or
5 feet out from the basket on the right side. Toss the ball
against the backboard and go up strong for the rebound. Keeping
the ball at chest level or above, go back up strong for the
shot, banking in the put-back shot. Do this 10 times from each
side of the basket.
Next, do
the same drill, but after grabbing the rebound, give a quick
pump fake before going back up with the shot. Inside players are
often anxious to block shots, so giving the quick pump fake will
often get a defender off his feet or out of position so you can
quickly go back up with the put-back. Do the pump fake and put
back shot 10 times from each side of the basket.
Rebound
Tip-Ins
As you progress through your career and get taller and
stronger, the tip-in shot will likely become a bigger part of
your game.
There will
be times when it is better to tip the ball back into the basket
than it is to actually come down with the rebound and attempt a
follow-up shot. Tip in shots take lots of practice, and a fair
amount of physical skill. Practice this shot, but only attempt
tip-in shots during games when you are actually pretty good at
doing them in practice situations.
Start 4 or
5 feet out from the basket to one side and toss the ball up
against the backboard so it will bounce off the rim. As the ball
is bouncing off the rim, jump up and try to tip the ball in with
your right hand (from the right side). Do this 5 times. Then,
switch to the left hand side of the rim. Toss the ball up so
that it bounces off the rim, jump up and try to tip the ball in
with your left hand.
You may
want to start off by trying to put the ball back into the rim
with 2 hands at the same time. As you get better, you can
actually try one-handed tip-ins. The key is to time your jump
properly, and use your fingertips to guide the ball back into
the rim. It takes lots of practice. But in time, you should be
able to utilize the tip in on occasion. Remember though:
rebounding the ball, coming down with the ball, then going back
up with a strong power move is often a better shot than a tip-in
(which can often be a lower percentage shot).
Backboard Toss
This drill helps you work on your jumping ability, timing, and
balance as you come down with the boards.
Start on
one side of the basket, 2 or 3 feet out from the backboard. Toss
the ball up high against the backboard as if you were passing it
to someone who is standing on the opposite block. After you make
the pass, take a step or two (as necessary) towards the opposite
block, then explode up to grab the ball out of the air, as if
you're grabbing a rebound. Really explode up into the air and
snatch the ball from the sky. As you come down with the ball, be
sure to come down on-balance, and ready to go back up with the
shot, keeping the ball in close to your chest with both hands.
Now, throw
the ball back against the backboard, over towards the opposite
block and repeat the drill. But don't always throw the ball to
the exact same spot. The goal is to vary the direction and
distance you throw the ball slightly so that each time you
explode up for the rebound, you come down in a slightly
different spot. This forces you to stay on balance, and jump
different distance and to different spots. In this way, you more
realistically simulate rebounding in a a game situation where
you're never quite sure exactly where the ball will come off of
the rim, or where exactly you're going to have to jump to grab
the ball. Make 10 tosses against the backboard (grabbing 10
simulated rebounds). Rest, and do another set of 10. |