How to Practice Boxing Out in Basketball

Once you understand the fundamentals of "Hand,Hip,Hold" in boxing out, it is time to practice the technique with a partner. This article focuses on practicing boxing out with a partner. This can be done with just two people or you can spread the whole team out on the court and do it as a group.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Basketball (for each pair of players)
• Whistle
• Stopwatch

1. Each player chooses a partner for the drill. One player is on Offense and one player is on Defense.
2. The Defensive player faces the offensive player and assumes a defensive position.
3. Place a basketball 3 feet behind the Defender.
4. Coach blows the whistle. The whistle represents that a shot was taken.
5. The Defensive player yells "Shot..Box".
6. The Offensive player tries to get to the ball and touch it before the whistle blows again.
7. The Defensive player uses the "Hand,Hip,Hold" box out technique to keep the Offensive player away from the ball (See article "How to Box Out in Basketball").
8. Coach blows whistle to stop the drill. The coach can vary the length of the drill. A 3-second duration is a good baseline to start from.

Tips & Warnings

• Have the players switch from Offense to Defense.
• To increase the focus of the players, make it a competitive drill. You can award one point for each box out event ... the Defense gets the point for keeping the Offense away from the ball or the Offense gets the point for touching the ball.