Coaching Youth Basketball - Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21 Here's a butt, there's a butt, everywhere a butt, butt
Now we come to the brutal side of the sport. Basketball is not a you touch me = you fouled me! Watch a college game and you'll see what I mean. Watch the forwards and centers close to the basket battling for position. Every time the ball goes down the court you'll see bodies jockeying for position.

Basketball can be a hard physical, contact sport. My team of 8th grade girls has been playing for 5 years. In those 5 years, my players have had 1 broken arm, 8 broken fingers, a concussion, a broken wrist, and about 4-6 bruises and cuts per girl, per game. But these are girls you say, they are supposed to be sugar and spice and all things nice. Yeah right!!!! There's more physical contact and more trash talking amongst the girls than between the boys.

Ok, you caught me, I strayed and went on a tangent. So what does hard physical play have to do with butts? And the answer is REBOUNDING!! Alright, so you know peanut butter and jelly go together, but butts and rebounding??

I could be wrong, but I believe it was UCLA's John Wooden who taught his players that once someone shoots:

Don't watch the ball in the beginning, LOOK TO SEE WHERE YOU SHOULD BE POSITIONED AROUND THE BASKET AND GET TO THAT POSITION.
Then move anyone out, who is in the way
Then rebound
Now I believe I am right that this is Coach Wooden's general philosophy. If I am wrong, I sincerely apologize. I still believe the principles are correct. So how do you move someone out of a desired position? If you use your hands or arms or shoulders to move them, then you have just fouled them, and fouls against you are not good things. But if you place your butt against them and slowly but strongly push them out of the way, you normally won't receive a foul. What you can't do is wind up and quickly hit them with your butt and send them flying. This is a foul for sure.

So here's a little drill for your next LS.

THE BUTT DRILL

There is a circle in the center of your basketball court and it's drawn on the floor. Place a ball in the middle of the circle on the floor. Place player A just inside the circle, facing the ball. Place player B behind player A, again facing the ball. A must be able to feel B behind them at the start of this drill. When you blow the whistle player A's job is to keep player B from getting the ball for at least 5 seconds. And player A is not allowed to turn around to see where player B is. B must try to get around A to get the ball. When you first teach them this drill, the kids may feel awkward about butting up to someone. After they learn how to do it, this will become one of their favorites.

This drill teaches them how to keep someone from getting position for a rebound. To get a rebound you have to finally look to see where the ball is going in order to catch it. That's why you don't let them look to see where their opposing player is in the butt drill. They have to do it by feel.

Once they get good at the butt drill, then you move on to actual rebounding. Have 6 kids in a semi-circle around the basket. You shoot and they must fight for position to get the rebound. It will get aggressive and you may have to calm them down at times. Having to calm them down is a good thing. You want aggressive players, but not overly aggressive. Remember, fouls are not a good thing!

Rebounding is the hardest thing on the court because rebounding is nothing more than technique and desire. Even if you are positioned, you stiil have to have the desire to fight for that ball. Other players are going to try to move you out, steal it from you, and jump on your back to get that rebound. You have to want it more than they do, it's just that simple. I WOULD GIVE OUT MORE REWARDS AND POSITIVE PRAISE FOR REBOUNDING, THAN FOR ANYTHING ELSE YOU DO!!

Here's a quote from a friend of mine, Coach MPH, that he posted on Chalk Talk, my favorite website. "Defense wins games, AND REBOUNDING WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS !" Guess that tells you how important he thinks rebounding is.

Sbay Coach, another friend of mine, posted this quote for me from a book by the late Ricky Birdsong, "THERE IS NO GLORY IN REBOUNDING, JUST VICTORIES!!"

Are you starting to see the big picture? Your kids have been trained to think that the 3-point shot is the cool thing. They've been taught that ESPN will show hi-lights of a great dunk. When was the last time tv showed someone get great positioning and fight for an outstanding rebound? How about never!!! You have to praise these kids and reward them with tootsie rolls, ice cream, whatever it takes, if you want to get your share of rebounds.

Here's another way to get them to rebound, tell them that a rebound is nothing more than a pass to them. Their job is to get that pass. Do whatever it takes, but make rebounding the exciting thing. In your next scrimmage, don't count points from only baskets. Here's a new way to count, 2 points for a basket and one point to the team that gets the rebound. Make rebounding fun and 20 years from now your kids will say that you were a great teacher of the game.

And remember to come back to this website because chapter 22 is due very soon.