Offensive Rebound

An offensive rebound happens when the player in offensive misses a shot (either a free throw or a field goal) and repossesses the ball. Offensive rebounds give teams a chance to land points and to tie up the defense. As rebounding is mostly a team-wide effort, individual players must learn the proper technique to consistently snag the ball out of the air.

The offensive player’s attempt to do a rebound is matched by the efforts of the members of the defending team to box out the offense. Defeating these moves comprises the critical part of an offensive rebound. One can either do a fake-out or swim move to box out the defender and do a successful rebound.

As the name suggests, a fake-out is an attempt to fake a cut in the left to quickly slide to the right and to effectively bypass the position of the defender. This technique requires quick footwork and a convincing execution to make the move effective.

If the defender stretches their arm out to the sides, the player on offensive needs to put their arm over the defender’s arm without committing a foul. The offensive player slides their outer foot in front of the defender’s outer foot to step through and box out the defender. It is called the swim move.

When performing a rebound move, catching the ball with both hands is crucial. If a player does it with one hand, opponents will find it easy to slap the ball out of it. They can then take possession and proceed to make a move to score. Losing control of the ball is also a possibility when catching it single-handedly.

Once the offensive player gets a hold of the ball, they must immediately attempt to shoot it. The player can also choose to pass the ball to a teammate who might be in a better position to score.