Box out drill

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Basketball drill · Under-10 and up

The coach shoots from the top of the key. Each of three defenders has to find the player they are guarding, make contact, pivot into them and hold them off the glass. Then they go and get the ball. The team that gets the most rebounds wins. It is the drill that turns rebounding from height into a habit.

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Time: 10 minutes
Players: 7: 3 on offence, 3 on defence and a coach to shoot
Equipment: 1 basket
2 or 3 balls for the coach

Setup

Offence on the two wings and at the left elbow. Each defender starts in help position, between their player and the basket.
The coach has the ball at the top of the key, then shoots.
On the shot every defender calls "Shot!", finds their player, makes contact and reverse-pivots to put their back into them.
The offence tries to get round to the ball. Defenders hold their box-out until the ball hits the rim, then go and get it.
A defensive rebound is a point to the defence; an offensive rebound or a putback is a point to the offence. First to five, then swap.

Coaching points

Find a body before you look at the ball. The ball will come down. The offensive player is the one who is moving.
Hit first. Step to your player and make contact with your forearm, before they get going.
Reverse pivot so your back is against them: knees bent, rear end low and wide, arms up and out.
Hold it, then go and get the ball with two hands and chin it, elbows out.
Offence: do not stand behind your defender. Spin off the contact or go round it, and do not push them in the back.

On the run sheet: Shot! Find a body, hit first, reverse pivot, sit low with your arms wide, then go get it

Progressions

Make it 4-on-4 with a post player, so someone has to box out in the lane.
The coach passes to an offensive player, who shoots, so the defenders have to close out first and then box out.
Make it a fast break: the defender who rebounds outlets to a guard, and the drill becomes transition.

How it runs

The coach holds the ball at the top of the key, with offensive players on both wings and at the left elbow and a defender guarding each from help position. When the coach shoots, every defender steps to their player and makes contact first, then pivots so their back is against them and sits low. The offensive players try to get round. In the animation the box-outs are good, and when the ball comes off the rim, the defender who boxed out the right wing goes and gets it. The diagram draws the missed shot as the ball dropping straight to the rebounder. In the gym, the coach shoots and it comes off the rim.

Play every rep live. A box-out drill where the offence stands still teaches defenders to hold a statue, and the habit you want is the hit.

Why rebounding is a habit

Most missed shots come down within a few feet of the basket, and the team that gets the ball gets another possession. Height helps, but the player who hits first usually wins it. That is why a well-coached youth team out-rebounds a taller one. It is not a natural skill. Young players watch the ball, and this drill makes finding a body the first thing they do.

The mistakes to watch for

Watching the ball instead of finding a body. Waiting for the offensive player to arrive, so they run round you. Standing up straight with your arms down. On offence, going over the back of the defender, which is a foul.

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Page updated 13 November 2026 · Basketball play designer · All drills