Box Out Drills for Basketball: Footwork, Contact and Games

Box out drills basketball coaches use, from one-on-one footwork and youth contact drills to close-out, help-side and scored games, with the hold time for each drill.

Box out drills teach the footwork, the contact and the hold, and this guide sorts them from one-on-one footwork to help-side and scored games, with youth drills and the places coaches disagree.

Box out drills basketball coaches run fall into a short ladder. First comes footwork with a partner who cooperates, then contact against a player who tries to get around, then box-outs after a shot, and last scored games.

This page is about the box-out itself. The technique is explained on box out in basketball, and the wider menu of scored rebounding games, War drill and transition drills is on rebounding drills. Where the hold times and the footwork differ, the options are listed side by side, and youth box out drills are marked.

Teach the footwork with no shot, add an opponent who fights, then box after a shot, and put a consequence on the rep. The ball matters last.

The Box Out Drill Ladder

Stage	What the drill trains	Drills on this page
Footwork and contact	Turn, step across, stay low and wide, keep contact	1-on-1 Box Out, Circle Challenge, Butt in the Gut
After a shot	Find the man at the release, then box	Box Out the Shooter, Close-Out and Box-Out, 3 Person Shooting
Help side	Find a man who is not next to you	2 on 2 Help Side Block Out, Cross-Box, Numbers Game, 3 on 3 Rotate the Box
Games	Hold the box out under pressure	Outside Shot Blockout, Rebound by Numbers

Footwork and Contact Drills

Start with footwork against a partner who cooperates, then add contact. The defender turns, steps across, stays low and keeps his feet moving.

1-on-1 Box Out. Two players face each other two to three feet apart, and a ball sits five to ten feet behind the defender. On the whistle the defender tries to keep the offensive player from the ball for three seconds. The offensive player must not dive.

Step across. Step the near foot across the body to the outside of the offensive player's foot.
Drop into contact. Drop the other foot to the outside of his other foot for full contact.
Stay low and wide. Keep the feet wider than the opponent's, elbows out but not swinging, and slide the feet to keep contact.
Pay for a miss. A miss costs the defender push-ups, sit-ups or a run.

Box out drills diagram of a defender facing an offensive player with a ball on the floor behind the defender

1-on-1 box out. X1 faces 1 from two to three feet away with a ball 5 to 10 feet behind him. On the go signal X1 steps across to the outside of 1's foot, drops the other foot into contact and keeps 1 off the ball for three seconds.

1 on 1 Fundamentals. One defender, one offensive player and a coach with the ball. The offensive player plays soft at about a quarter of full speed. The coach shoots, the defender boxes out, attacks the ball, chins it and outlets to the coach. The drill stays non-competitive so new skills can be learned. Flip the roles so the offensive player can learn the spin move against a light box-out.

Circle Challenge. Two size-matched players stand back to back in a circle and try to push each other out using box-out and post-up stances. The cues are:

Legs shoulder-width. Bent knees and a straight back.
Hands up. About shoulder height, just outside and slightly ahead of the shoulders.
Pull the chair. The phrase that sets the stance.
Winner stays in. The winner stays in the circle.
Run the whole team. Open the circle to the whole team so small players practice against bigger ones.

Win the footwork first, then add the fight.

For the circle drills with a ball in the middle, see the table of holds on rebounding drills. The holds run from a count of five to a count of three, and Skip Prosser's holds for three.

Youth Box Out Drills

Youth players learn contact first, then the close-out. A defender who does not touch the offensive player will not know which way he is going.

Butt in the Gut (beginner youth). The ball sits on the free-throw line. The defender starts with his heels on the circle and the ball behind him, and the offensive player stands in front of him. On the coach's "go" the defender turns with a front pivot or a reverse pivot, whichever he prefers, and puts his backside into the offensive player's midsection.

The offensive player tries to get around and touch the ball, and wins if he does within five seconds. The drill stresses contact.

Box out drills butt in the gut with a ball on the free-throw line, a defender on the circle and an offensive player trying to get around him

Butt in the gut. The ball sits on the free-throw line and X1 starts on the circle with his back to it. On the signal he turns into contact with 1 and holds him for five seconds.

Move up to the close-out. The intermediate level is a close-out and box-out drill.
Add a pump fake and a dive. This is the advanced level.
Teach a "shot" call and a chopped shoulder. A 12-week youth plan builds both.

The wider youth set is on rebounding drills. For youth practice structure see basketball practice plan. Make every young player touch his man before he looks for the ball.

Box Out After a Shot

After a shot the defender finds the man at the release, then boxes.

Box Out the Shooter. A shooting line stands on the wing and the box-out line at the free-throw line. The first defender defends the wing shooter and lets him shoot. As the shot is released the defender checks the shooter, goes to the ball and gets the rebound, even if the shot goes in. The shooter tries to rebound, but no second shots are allowed.

Pay for the offensive rebound. If the offensive player gets it the defender does five push-ups.
Pay for a bad outlet. A bad outlet pass costs the passer five push-ups too.

The coaching point is the perimeter box-out. Do not use the under-the-basket seal on a player out on the perimeter, because he gets around you or you foul.

Find and check him. Check him with a forearm.
Arc him outside. If he tries to go around, arc him outside, then pursue the ball.
Switch to the standard block out. Do this if a stronger man pushes you into the paint.
Go to the nearest elbow. Do this if he releases to half court as a safety.

Box out drills box out the shooter with a wing shooter, a defender checking him and the next defenders waiting at the free-throw line

Box out the shooter. 1 shoots from the wing and X1 lets him shoot, then checks him with a forearm, arcs him outside and goes to the ball. The rebounder passes out to the next shooter.

3 Person Shooting. Groups of three, a shooter, a passer and a rebounder. The passer passes to the shooter, closes out and then must box out the shooter. The shooter follows his shot. It combines shooting technique, the closeout and the box-out in one rep.

Close-Out and Box-Out (youth). Two offensive players stand about twelve feet from the basket in a catch-and-shoot position. When the coach passes to one, the defenders close out. The defender on the shooter gets a hand in his face and then boxes him out, and the other defender boxes his man. If the defense gets the ball the drill is over. If the offense gets it they try to score.

Close-out, cross and box (UCLA women). X1 starts under the basket, closes out on the wing shooter, then sprints over to box out a second offensive player and rebounds the first player's shot. He speed dribbles up the floor, passes to the coach and finishes with a pull-up jumper at the free-throw line. It is good for conditioning. Find your man at the release, every shot.

Help-Side and Cross-Court Box Outs

The man a defender has to box is often not next to him. These drills train the search: slide with the pass, find the man, make contact.

Cross-Box. Four players, two on offense and two on defense. An offensive player stands on each block with a defender between him and the basket. On the shot the defenders sprint to the opposite block and box out the other player. If the offense gets the rebound it tries to score, and the drill runs until the defense secures the ball. The point is making contact to slow the offensive player down.

Box out drills cross box with two offensive players on the blocks and two defenders sprinting across the lane to box the opposite man

Cross-box. On the shot X1 and X2 sprint across the paint and box out the offensive player on the opposite block, making contact to slow him down.

2 on 2 Help Side Block Out (Skip Prosser's competitive rebounding drills). Slide with the pass into a denial or help stance, then find the man and box. Meet the cutter outside the lane and keep him "outside of our house."

3 on 3 Rotate the Box (Skip Prosser). The man you box out is not next to you, so defenders talk, find him, make contact and push back, and do not go for the ball until it touches the floor. The exact rules come second-hand, so treat these as an account of Prosser's drills.

Box out drills help side block out with a weak-side defender meeting a crashing offensive player outside the lane

Help-side block out. With the shot up from the wing, X3 steps out and meets 3 outside the lane, so 3 cannot crash to the rim untouched.

Numbers Game. Two teams of five at opposite ends. The offense has ten seconds to get open, and if a player does, the player at the free-throw line can pass to him. If nobody gets open the free-throw-line player throws up a missed shot. Offensive players hold up fingers on one raised arm.

Win the rebound. Whichever team gets the rebound earns a point.
Name the fingers. The defense earns another point if both defenders can say how many fingers their man was showing.

The point is that a defender must find his responsibility to box him out. The coach reminds players to put a hand in the passing lane and go up with two feet and arms extended. Find the man before you look for the ball.

Scored Box Out Games

Put a point on the box-out so the hold matters under pressure.

Outside Shot Blockout. Half-court 3 on 3 or 4 on 4, played to ten.

No shots in the lane. An offensive rebounder cannot put the ball right back up inside.
Score both ways. A score is a point and a defensive rebound is a point.
Keep the ball after a make. The offense keeps it.
Offensive rebound point. Discouraged but allowed as an option.
Call your own fouls. If the defense fouls, the offense has to call it.

Rebound by Numbers (Skip Prosser). In a zone setup the coach calls two numbers, and those two offensive players go for the rebound against defenders who have to box. For Rack Up, Seesaw, Let It Bounce and the War drill see rebounding drills, and for the other end of the floor see offensive rebounding drills and how to defend the offensive rebound.

Where Coaches Disagree

Coaches split on whether to hold or go. The drill you choose depends on which box-out you teach.

Approach	What the defender does
Hit and hold	Seal and keep the man off the ball for a count, or until the ball hits the floor. Counts in the drills above run from three seconds to five
Hit and go	Make contact, then release and attack the ball
Hold near the rim, go farther out	Hit and hold close to the basket, hit and go from midrange and out
Check and arc on the perimeter	Forearm check, arc him outside and pursue the ball
Cut out	Meet the man outside the lane and knock him back, as in Skip Prosser's cut-out War drill

A hold drill and a go drill train opposite habits, so pick the approach that matches the one you teach in games. Whichever you choose, tell players what a legal box-out looks like.

Keep both hands up. Never wrap the opponent.
Know the fouls. Hooking, wrapping, holding a jersey and pushing with the hands.

Pick one box-out and drill only that one.

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Questions Coaches Ask

What are the best box out drills in basketball?

For footwork, 1-on-1 Box Out and Circle Challenge. For contact after a shot, Box Out the Shooter. For help-side work, Cross-Box and the 2 on 2 help side drill. For a scored game, Outside Shot Blockout.

What are good youth box out drills?

Butt in the Gut with a five-second hold and a front or reverse pivot, plus the close-out and box-out drill.

How long should a defender hold a box out in a drill?

It depends on the drill. 1-on-1 Box Out uses three seconds, and Butt in the Gut uses five. The circle drills with a ball hold from three to five.

How do you teach players to find their man on the weak side?

Use Cross-Box and the help-side block out so the defender has to travel to a man who is not beside him.

Should every player box out?

Yes, because one missed box-out wastes the other four. Perimeter defenders check with a forearm and pursue the ball, and near the rim you hold and hit and go farther out.

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