BASKETBALL REBOUNDING

Big dominant players tend to maul smaller players that have established an inside position while both are going for a rebound.  Size is sometimes the answer however, basketball smarts is the answer most of the time.  If you are fouled going for a rebound, or going after the ball for any reason, you obtain possession of the basketball even if you've never touched it.  Smaller players often find themselves in the paint when a shot goes up.  Instantly that player becomes a rebounder.  All basketball players are allowed their space on the court, when that space is encroached upon, and the referee sees it, a foul is called.

Outside the paint a smaller player has an advantage on long rebounds because most of the time smaller players are quicker to the basketball than taller or bigger players.  I make these distinctions because basketball has often been called a game conducive to tall athletes.  It is true that tall basketball players sometimes have an advantage on the inside just because of height, but intelligent smaller players can mitigate a height advantage most of the time.  This demonstrates one of the reasons I love coaching basketball; removing what is only percieved limitations from basketball players' minds.

When a long shot misses it generally rebounds long, and just as generally that rebound follows a geometric pattern.  A rebounder's responsibility is to configure where a shot may rebound to, if in fact it misses.  Give it your best guess.  (If one is playing "In The Zone" it's surprising how consistently correct that best guess is.)  The point here for you to understand is; if you actually consider the flight of the ball, and therefore the resultant rebound, you will often be correct in your assumption.  If yours is the best guess on the court, you get the rebound.  Why bother fighting for position and putting yourself in jeopardy of committing a foul if the rebound is not going anywhere near you?  I'll tell you why!  What if you're wrong?  If you're in the paint you always fight for inside position.  Elsewhere on this website I mention cross-training, specifically karate.  If you understand positioning and leverage, the way it's taught in martial arts, and your opponent does not, who do you think will aquire the preferred inside position?  Now, I'm not suggesting that you break your opponent's leg, only that cross-training helps, maybe in many ways you have yet to realize. 

A shooter unfamiliar with the E-Book, "The 'Mental Key' To High Percentage Basketball Shooting" offers up plenty of opportunities for rebounding.  Very few basketball players rebound a basketball well.  Dennis Rodman became an NBA basketball player, even an all-star, because he was great at one aspect of the game, basketball rebounding.  He was one incredible rebounder.  Dennis wasn't much of a shot or a dribbler, he was however darn good with a fast-break outlet pass.  Dennis was fortunate enough to discover his niche while still playing high school basketball, this gave him many years to work on and perfect his rebounding technique.
Most of the books listed below have many rebounding drills.  I suggest you pick a different rebounding drill for each and every practice, run that rebounding drill until your muscles ache.  Persistence and determination will improve your rebounding technique and give you a kind of rebounding sixth sense.  Many players that have a difficult time finding a spot for themselves on their basketball team can earn a spot simply on their rebounding talents.  If you pull down 10+ rebounds per game, you are guaranteed many minutes of playing time.