Posting #11, August 20, 2008

JOHN WOODEN’S THREE KEYS TO REBOUNDING

For those of you that remember watching Coach Wooden’s UCLA teams, one of our signatures was, when a free throw was being attempted, all Bruins had their upper arms parallel to the floor and hands above their shoulders. Some speculate that this was designed, in part, to distract the shooter. They have missed the point. Hands above the shoulders was one part of Coach Wooden’s three keys to rebounding.

Each off-season, while coaching at UCLA, Coach Wooden engaged himself in a research and development project. He chose a subject of study, sent questionnaires to those coaches he felt were knowledgeable in the subject, and read every article and book that dealt with that subject. At the end of the summer, he compiled all the data and drew conclusions.

One off-season, he tackled rebounding. At the end of the summer, when he analyzed the data that came from all the experts (coaches of great rebounding teams), he found they had three common curriculum factors:
One: Assume every shot is missed,
Two: Get your hands up, and
Three: Go get the ball.

WHY REBOUNDS ARE MISSED
Sounds almost too simple, doesn’t it? But upon further analysis, here lies the antidotes for the three main reasons players miss a rebound: They are out of position, The ball bounces past them, and Someone beats them to the ball.

Reason One: OUT OF POSITION—The average time span between the release of a shot and the rebound is less than three seconds. Any delay in initiative, even for a fraction of a second, will put the player in a position where he must react, rather than be proactive. This, most certainly, puts him at a disadvantage; he has lost good rebounding position.   

Antidote: Assuming a shot will be missed results in the early block out and early maneuvering for offensive rebound position.

Reason Two: BALL BOUNCES PAST THEM—Many rebounds bounce quickly, sometimes right over the rebounders head.  

Antidote: Hands above the shoulders allow players to grab those rebounds. 

Reason Three: SOMEONE BEATS THEM TO THE BALL—Lack of aggression and pursuit is the cause for many missed rebounds. The opponent gets to the ball first and grabs it away.

Antidote: Going after the ball, like it was trying to get away, makes a player a contender for the rebound, even against aggressive opponents. 

FINAL WORD: If I were to choose which of the three keys was the most important, I would choose the latter. This choice is based on experience. As a player, I had an insatiable appetite for the missed shot. I wanted it badly. I never assumed the shot was going in but sometimes I didn’t have my hands up or was out of position for one reason or another. But, it was my pursuit of the ball that allowed me to snatch it away from everyone else that was competing for it. .

I say this because I want you coaches to know the importance of teaching your players to go after the ball. It is the difference between average and good rebounders. It is the difference between average and good rebounding teams. From my experience, I can divide all of my teammates (that were forwards and centers) into two groups: Those that went after the rebound like it was trying to escape, and those that waited for the rebound to come to them. Those in the latter group never became rebounders. Many in the first became great ones.

Coaches: You must teach blocking out, especially you coaches that have teams of smaller size or less athleticism than your opponents. On the defensive end, teach them to block out when the shot is taken or before. Teach them to move with their hands above their shoulders. And, by all means, teach them to beat their opponents to the ball.