Box Out in Basketball: Technique and Drills

How to box out in basketball: find, hit and get, contact before the turn, where coaches split on hold or go, free throws, the zone triangle and the drills.

Boxing out puts a defender between his man and the rim so his team gets the rebound, and this guide covers the technique, the coaching splits, free throws, zone rebounding and drills.

Box out basketball starts before the ball hits the rim. A defender finds his man, makes contact and seals him away from the basket, so his team can get the miss. Rebounding takes desire first and technique second, and the technique is short enough to teach in one practice. This guide covers the steps, where coaches disagree, free throw box outs, zone rebounding and the drills that make it a habit.

Find him, hit him, then get the ball. Contact comes before the turn.

The Box Out at a Glance

Step	What the player does
Find	Locate his man while the shot is in the air and call "shot"
Hit	Put a forearm on his chest or shoulder, then turn and seal with the hips
Get	Take the ball with two hands and chin it
Outlet	Turn to the outside and start the break

Box Out in Basketball: The Technique

Box out basketball diagram with every defender between his man and the rim while the wing shoots

Box out basketball diagram, man-to-man. The shot goes up from the wing (2) and every defender finds his man and stays between him and the rim.

Assume every shot misses. The ball takes two to three seconds to leave the shooter's hand and reach the rim. Good rebounders use that time to take position and do not watch the ball.

Find. Locate the man during the flight of the shot. Have players call "shot" so the whole team switches from watching the ball to finding a body.

Hit. Put a forearm or a hand on the opponent's chest or shoulder first. Then drop step and seal with the hips, a low base and wide hands. Turning before contact lets the opponent step around you. A shorter player can stay lower, keep his hips under the opponent's hips and box early.

Keep the hands up and wide. Hands high make a defender a bigger obstacle and keep him legal. Hooking, holding and pushing are the fouls.

Get. Rip the ball with two hands and chin it. Turn to the outside for the outlet.

Every defender boxes out. One missed box out wastes the other four. The most skipped spots are the shooter, free throws, the nearest man in a zone and the weak side.

Find him, hit him, and the rebound is yours to take.

Perimeter and Help-Side Box Outs

Perimeter players. Guards check the shooter with a forearm and arc out to the outside instead of sealing under the rim. A seal far from the rim invites a foul or lets him get around.
Help side. Make contact outside the lane or you get boxed in.

Box out diagram with two help-side defenders stepping to their men outside the lane while the wing shoots

Help-side box out. With the shot up from the wing (2), the weak-side defenders (X3 and X4) step to their men and make contact outside the lane.

Practice help-side boxing on purpose, because drills that pair players side by side skip it.

Make contact outside the lane, every shot.

Hold or Go: Where Coaches Split

Coaches disagree on what happens after contact.

Hold the seal. Circle drills ask for a held seal for a count, five seconds or three.
Cut out and go. The player cuts out and goes to get the ball.
Split by location. Hit and hold near the rim, and hit and go from midrange out.

Which one you teach is a coaching call for your age group and your team. Coaches also split on how many players to send to the offensive glass. Whatever you choose, write it into rules that assign roles.

Free Throw Box Outs

Free throw box out diagram with two strong rebounders on the low lane spots and a defender boxing the shooter

Free throw box out. Two strong rebounders (X4 and X5) take the low lane spots and a teammate (X1) boxes the shooter (1).

A missed free throw is a real rebound.

Feet together. Players stand with the feet together and step up the lane on the release. They do not step into it.
Hands at elbow height. A teammate calls that the shooter is boxed.
Strongest on the baseline spots. Put the two strongest rebounders on the baseline spots and have the shooting guard box the shooter.
Pinch a strong rebounder. Against a strong offensive rebounder, two defenders pinch him.
Box every shot late. A trailing team late in a close game should box out every shot, even by face-guarding.

In high school (NFHS) and college (NCAA) basketball, players in the lane spaces may move when the shooter releases the ball. Check the rule for your level before you copy pro timing, and see Basketball Free Throw Rules.

Know your spot before the shooter has the ball.

Zone Rebounding

Zone defenders rebound areas. Use a triangle. One rebounder stands on each side of the rim and one in front. The on-ball defender always boxes the shooter, and one perimeter player covers the long rebound near the free-throw line. Do not crowd under the rim, because the offense can seal you there. Offenses attack the side of the zone's best rebounder.

Zone rebounding triangle. Two defenders (X3 and X4) sit beside the rim, one (X5) in front, the on-ball defender (X2) boxes the shooter and the top defender (X1) covers the long rebound.

Know your area before the shot goes up.

Box Out Drills

Circle box out. Pair players around the free-throw circle and drop a ball in the middle. Defenders box out and hold for a count before players switch. A holding foul gives a point to the offense.
Golden Egg. Paired players fight over a ball in a circle, and the defender must hold contact for five seconds to win.
Box out the shooter. Wing shooters face a line of defenders at the free-throw line. The defender checks the shooter and turns to box the instant the shot goes up.
Slide rebounding, 4-on-4. Defenders slide in the key until the coach calls a name and passes to a shooter, and the other three must talk about who boxes whom.
Help-side skip pass. Run it from both wings so help-side boxing gets reps.
War drill, 5-on-5. A scored, live rebounding battle that rewards defensive and offensive boards.
Rebound and outlet. Finish the box out with the rip, the chin and the outlet into a break.

Check the box out visually in every live drill. Read more on Box Out Drills, Rebounding Drills. The other side of the glass is on How to Defend the Offensive Rebound.

Rep it live until boxing out is a habit.

Questions Coaches Ask About Boxing Out

How do you box out in basketball?

Find your man as the shot goes up, hit him with a forearm, turn and seal with your hips, then get the ball with two hands.

Should you hold the box out or go get the ball?

Coaches split. Drill a held seal for a count, cut out and pursue, or hold near the rim and go from midrange out.

How do you box out on free throws?

Step up the lane, keep your feet together and put the strongest rebounders on the low spots. A teammate boxes the shooter.

How do you rebound against a zone?

Rebound areas with a triangle around the rim, and box the shooter with the on-ball defender.

What is the most common box out mistake?

Watching the ball. Turning before contact and boxing out only the ball side are the others.

All skill pages sit under the Player Development hub and Rebounding Fundamentals. Related pages are Rebounding Drills for Basketball, Transition Defense and Basketball Defense Drills.

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