Fast Five Plus: Rebounding

There's no one way to succeed at rebounding. I believe that great rebounders are born not made, but certain factors apply. If a player is a fantastic rebounder with an unorthodox technique, then I won't try to reinvent the wheel. That doesn't mean that less effective rebounders can't improve or that teams can't improve. 

1. On the defensive boards, positioning and toughness dominate. On the offensive boards, cultivate aggressiveness and anticipation. 
2. Block out with hands up. Coach Wooden emphasized the "jumping frog" position. You can't rebound with hands down and I believe that medicine ball training can help develop better 'hands'. 
3. Rebounding margin was one of the 'big four' analytic factors in Dean Oliver's pioneering evaluation of statistics and results. 
4. Rebounding 'matters'. 
   A cursory look at NBA defensive rebounding shows some correlation between defensive rebounding and results. 
   
5. Coach Tom Izzo of Michigan State is famous for using football helmets and shoulder pads to aid in rebounding training. 
6. Another approach is making ALL rebounds LIVE, including made baskets. The offense can "score again" after made baskets in this drill. 

Jeff Haefner shares some ideas about improving rebounding...discussing anticipation, aggressiveness, and positioning. 

Two areas that don't get much attention include: 1) practicing tip-ins and 2) tip outs. Notre Dame won a game in the tournament with a tip in and even though you can't grab the rebound, you might tip it out to a teammate. Individually, I'd practice tip-ins by trying to miss underneath in a way that saw the ball bounce off the rim to become available to tip. I wouldn't overindulge time on this, but it's a small point that might help some players. Some programs have basket inserts that force rebounds and that's an alternative. 

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