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Session Plan · U16 · Small group (up to 6) · 45 min

Rebounding: Front Turn, Keep Them Off the Middle

Why it works

Most missed shots come down in the middle of the floor, usually on the side away from the shot. A rebounder who reaches the middle gets the ball, however big or athletic the player boxing them out. So the defender front-turns into the attacker's path to the middle and sends them baseline, behind the backboard, where the ball rarely lands. Now size matters less than position. A front turn keeps the middle closed and is easier to jump from than a reverse turn. After that, timing wins: whoever finds the ball first jumps on time and takes it at the highest point.

The thread through every block

  1. Shot goes up, call "Box!"
  2. find your player
  3. front turn into their path to the middle, one foot in the paint
  4. forearm contact, push them baseline
  5. find the ball, jump on time
  6. get it out. Not in the contest: take the next play.

Setup. 6 players, 1 coach, 1 hoop, 4 balls, bibs. Pair players by size (a bigger player with a smaller one) for Blocks 2 and 3.

Prints on A4 for the clipboard: diagram on the left, rules on the right, and no block split across a page.

Warm · 5B1 · 6B2 · 9B3 · 9Finisher · 12

Warm-upFind the ball off the glass5 min

T12snap it off the glass above the ring,turn, touch the partner's ball, catchbefore it lands
One player snaps the ball off the backboard above the ring with one hand. Before it comes down, they turn and touch the ball their partner holds out (T), turn back and catch. Add a second touch when it gets easy. Two pairs at a time, a side each.
  • One-hand snap pass off the backboard above the ring. The ball can't touch the floor.
  • Partner stands behind holding a second ball. After each pass off the glass: turn, touch the partner's ball with both hands, turn back and catch. Add a second touch, then switch hands.
  • Count catches in a row in 30 seconds; swap. Two pairs work at once, one each side; the third pair waits and counts.
  • Theme link: a rebounder who finds the ball early can jump on time. Here that's the whole job.

Block 1Front turn, front turn6 min

AB11Cshaded = where the ball landsA: goes middle → front turn, forearm, holdB: goes baseline → push them behind the board
The coach shoots from the right; the defender on the help side calls BOX and front-turns into the attacker's path to the middle. Attacker tries the middle (A) or the baseline (B), half speed. The defender then goes and gets the ball.
  • Adds: an attacker heading for the ball, at half speed.
  • Defender on the help side, attacker on the weak-side wing. The coach shoots from the other wing. As the shot goes up, the defender calls "Box!", front-turns into the attacker's path to the middle and keeps one foot in the paint.
  • Attacker goes middle: forearm contact (hold your own shirt, no grabbing), hips into them, hold. Attacker goes baseline: push them on, behind the backboard. Then go and get the ball.
  • Reverse turns aren't allowed in this block; only front turns.
  • Rotate after 3 reps: defender → attacker → line. Both sides.
  • Progress when: the attacker never reaches the shaded middle. Then the attacker goes full speed.
  • Regress if: defenders turn too late. The coach calls "Box!" a beat before shooting.
  • Cues (questions): "Where did they want to go?" "Where were your feet when you made contact?"

Block 2Close out from the middle, then box9 min

131122Cclose out from the middle: nose ontheir inside shoulderput-back basket = attack point
Coach passes to the elbow. X1 closes out from the middle, without touching the shooter; X2 on the help side calls BOX and front-turns O2 baseline. Both attackers crash. A put-back scores a point for the attack.
  • Adds: a live shot and a second pair, so both defenders have to box out at the same time.
  • Coach passes to the attacker at the elbow, who shoots. Their defender closes out from the middle side, nose on the shooter's inside shoulder, without touching the shot, then boxes out the shooter.
  • The help-side defender calls "Box!" and front-turns their attacker baseline. Both attackers crash.
  • Attackers who get the rebound shoot it straight back. A put-back basket scores the attack a point; a defensive rebound scores the defence a point.
  • Three pairs: attack, defence, waiting. Defence gets the ball: the defending pair moves to attack and the waiting pair defends. Attack scores: they stay on attack and a new pair defends.
  • Progress when: the defence wins most possessions. The shooter can shoot from anywhere on the arc.
  • Regress if: shooters keep getting to the middle after their own shot. The closeout defender boxes out first and doesn't contest.
  • Cues (questions): "Which side did you close out from?" "Who was in the middle when the ball came off?"

Block 3Mismatch: get it or tip it9 min

11122Cbig is behind you → tip it to a teammatepushes to the middle → contact, then gosecond and third shots count too
Same game, but the bigger defender closes out on the shooter and the smaller one boxes out the bigger attacker. If the big is still behind you, tip the ball with your outside hand to your teammate; if they push to the middle, make contact and go get it.
  • Adds: a size mismatch. The bigger defender closes out on the shooter; the smaller one has to box out the bigger attacker.
  • Small defender: front turn, send them baseline. If they're still behind you, don't fight for the catch: tip the ball with your outside hand to your teammate. If they push to the middle, make contact, then go and get it.
  • Play until the defence has the ball. Second and third shots count; keep fighting for position after the first miss.
  • Same scoring and rotation as Block 2. Swap who's big and who's small in each pair every round.
  • Progress when: small defenders win the ball, or tip it to a teammate, on most misses. Then the shot comes from the corner, where misses come long.
  • Regress if: the small defender gets pushed under the ring every time. The attacker starts a step further out.
  • Cues (questions): "Did you feel them behind you or beside you?" "Who did you tip it to, and did they know it was coming?"

Water2 min

Finisher3v3 rebounding maths12 min

12123123defensive rebound, untouched = 2offensive rebound = 2 · basket = 1rebound out to half-way in 3 sec = +1
3v3 at one hoop. The attack can't dribble until the ball is swung once, so the shots come from the arc and every miss is a rebound. Attackers decide: in the contest, or back for the next play.
  • 3v3, live. The attack starts at the arc and can't dribble until the ball has been passed twice, so most shots are catch-and-shoot and every miss is a rebound.
  • Attackers decide on every shot: in the contest (attack the ball), or back for the next play, calling "Safety!".
  • Scoring:
    • Defence 2 pts: a defensive rebound no attacker touched.
    • Defence +1: the rebounder gets the ball out to a teammate who reaches half-way within 3 seconds.
    • Attack 2 pts: an offensive rebound.
    • Attack 1 pt: any basket.
  • Swap attack and defence after every three possessions. Play two rounds of 6 minutes.

Huddle2 min

  • One question to the group: "Who won the middle tonight, and what did they do before the ball came off the ring?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Watching the ball instead of finding your player when the shot goes up is a decision error. Ask "who did you find first: the ball or your player?"
    • A late or reverse turn that lets the attacker through to the middle is execution. Fix the start: open step, then pivot.
    • Fighting a bigger player for the catch when you could tip it is a decision error.
  • Common failure: box out first, then stand. Loose balls off the second and third shots decide games. Block 3 keeps the play alive for this reason.
  • Common failure: holding with the hands. Hold your own shirt and use the forearm; the hands stay up between head and shoulders, ready for the ball.
  • Running it for 60: add 4 minutes to Block 3 and 9 minutes to the finisher, with one rule change for the second round: an offensive rebound resets the clock and the attack must get to the arc and score again within 14 seconds. Add a 2-minute huddle question at the end: "When did you decide you weren't in the contest, and what did you do instead?"

Sources

SourceUsed for
Torsten Loibl — Rebounding and Defensive FootworkMechanism, warm-up off the glass, Block 1 front turns and keeping the middle, Block 2 closeout from the middle and the put-back game, Block 3 mismatch tip-out
Guy Molloy — ReboundingFinisher: in the contest or the next play, the "Safety!" call, the no-dribble ball movement, the 14-second reset
Arik Shivek — Developing Young GuardsBlock 2 adding the box-out to a shooting rep
junior.basketball (original)Block 1 middle zone, Block 2 rotation, finisher scoring

Related

More session plans, the Session Design guide this format follows, Game-Based Practice for why every plan ends live, and blank session plan templates to write your own.

Unofficial resource. Drills are adapted from recorded coaching clinics and credited to the coaches named in Sources above; anything marked junior.basketball (original) was written for this plan. Not affiliated with or endorsed by those coaches or the organisations that ran the clinics. Full credit to every presenter.