How To Box Out In Basketball: A How-To Guide

Boxing out in basketball is a tough concept for many players. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but box-outs are an important part of the game and can be a great help to your teammates who might miss a box out. We’ll talk about box-outs in this blog post, including what they are, how they function, and how to use them more successfully on the court.

What Does it Mean to Box Out in Basketball?

In basketball, a box out is when you stand in between your opponent and the goal. It’s your responsibility to box out your rivals if one of your teammates shoots, preventing them from stealing the rebound. If your teammates are dribbling toward or away from the basket, you can box them out for them as well!

Is Boxing Out Illegal in Basketball?

Basketball box-outs are not prohibited, although some of them can be dangerous and result in injuries. It’s vital to avoid boxing out your opponent even more when they box out against the backboard or on top of you as you attempt to rebound a missed shot if they are stiff. If this happens more than once, things will probably get out of control very soon.

How Do Box Outs Work?

Box outs work by strategically positioning yourself on defense while simultaneously boxing someone else out. Boxouts are quite effective once learned, but they require solid footwork and positioning abilities, so it will take some practice before it comes naturally!

Once an offensive player drives toward one side of the court (for example left), the defender should be box out the opponent on that side (in this case, box-out right). This creates a wall of sorts between your offensive player and their goal.

What are Some Ways to Perform Better Box Outs in Basketball?

There’s no secret formula for box-outs – it just takes practice! However, there are some tips you can use to improve your boxouts:

• Box-outs should be aggressive, but not overly aggressive. Step back if you’re going after a rebound so aggressively that anyone who touches you even slightly will cause a “foul” to be called; in certain cases, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Make sure both of your feet are placed correctly if you box out with your feet. It follows that one should be in front for blocking and one should be behind for pushing off when jumping.
• Do not immediately box out! Even if they are taller than you, boxing them out vertically will only give your opponent a chance to rebound for free. Make yourself “invisible” to their vision instead by using angles or even boxouts from behind; this will prevent them from realizing what hit them.

Remember two things when doing box-outs: good position is key and always keep one hand free as an outlet.

What is The Correct Way to Box Out in Basketball?

Get Close To The Backboard

First, get close to the backboard to box out. If you’re too far away, then it will be easy for your opponent to get around you and reach the hoop!

While being directly in front of the basket is ideal, you should box them out from behind or at a slight angle so that they cannot see you coming. A box-out is preferable to none at all.

Position Yourself

Next, box out between yourself and your opponent. If you box them from behind or on the side, then it will be very difficult for them to get around you – plus they’ll have a tough time seeing what’s going on!

Again, if they are taller than you, don’t box them straight on; instead, use angles and be assertive in getting into position with strong footwork.

Select Your Opponent Wisely

The opponent nearest to your basket should be boxed out. When they drive toward one side of the court (let’s say the left) while you are on defense, box them out as hard as you can! Whether another player is dribbling toward or away from the basket, box out in either direction depending on where their momentum leads them.

Low Hips, Wide Feet

Next, box out low with your hips. This way it’s much easier to box them out and gain ground on those rebounds!

Keep your feet wide apart for balance – this will be helpful when you jump up to box someone out or go after a rebound yourself.

Spread Your Arms Straight Out At Your Sides

Put your arms straight out to your sides and box out. You’ll be in the best possible position to retrieve rebounds and prevent offensive players from driving toward their goal if you use this box-out strategy!

Push Backward

When boxing-out, always push backwards with your butt! This helps you get leverage and also makes it more difficult for the opponent to box you out.

If they lean forward – push back harder so that their momentum goes backwards instead of towards the hoop where a goal is waiting for them on the other side!

Eyes On The Ball!

Look at the ball and box out. If you turn your head away, it might be too late and they’ll have passed you; in addition, you won’t know where to jump if their rebound hits you.

Extend Arms and Jump For The Ball

Jump for the ball when box-outs are being made. Extend your arms completely so that you have a large area to block your opponent with and also get more height on your boxout!

Look at the ball and box out. If you turn your head away, it might be too late and they’ll have passed you; in addition, you won’t know where to jump if their rebound hits you.

Chin The Ball

Box out with your chin on the ball. If the box you out, then it will be difficult for them to box you back – plus if their rebound comes in your direction, you can quickly jump up and grab it!

Make sure that they don’t block any of these techniques by boxing them out low so that their hips aren’t even close to yours when they’re trying to box you back!

Pivot Away and Look For a Pass

If you box them out on the sideline, pivot away from the basket. This will keep your opponent closer to their own goal and make it more difficult for them to box you back!

Once you box out, then look around quickly for a teammate who is open under the hoop or along that same side of the court – pass it right away while their momentum is still going in one direction!

By doing this, you’ll be going in the direction that loose rebounds will be thrown from either end of the court, giving you a chance to catch them before anyone else.

Checklist for a good boxout

• Get Close to the backboard after a shot is taken
• Locate your nearest opponent
• Get into a reliable position between the goal and your opponent
• Spread arms byt be careful without fouling.
• Lower your hips to establish base
• Resist any pressure the opponent gives you
• Eyes on the ball before jump
• Time you jump properly, usually jump at the apex of the bounce.
• Grab the ball with two hands and secure it firmly

What are the Benefits of Good Box Outs?

There are many benefits to boxouts, including:

If you can master box-outs, they will become a very important part of your game! Put this strategy into practice and watch how it affects you. Then give it a try while playing games with friends or outside at your house! Please keep in mind that boxouts are useless if nobody uses them, so make sure everyone is boxing out effectively so that you can always get balls back when you’re playing basketball!

Who Should Be Boxing Out in Basketball?

We should all box out! Getting rebounds is one of the most crucial aspects of basketball, and box-outs are a terrific technique to assist everyone win those balls.

If you’re good at box-outs, then it can be very helpful for teammates. Part of playing as a team means that you need to box other players out so that others have an easier time grabbing them before someone else does.

But if nobody makes a boxout, things get much more difficult because there is only one ball and several hands are attempting to grab it at once. At that point, it’s pretty much a lost cause until someone manages to make an uncontested boxout!

But, you all have greater opportunities to score rebounds if everyone on your team is able to box out. The nicest part about box-outs is that they have many other uses if you know what to do with them, such as giving yourself more room when shooting from outside or assisting teammates in recovering errant balls before anybody else has a chance.

Control the rebound, control the game.

Rebounding has been an underrated aspect of basketball but it has the ability to affect winning at the highest level. Boxing out can literally be the difference between winning or losing a championship.

Arguably the best “box-out” player in history is Dennis Rodman with the amount of rebounds he accumulated in his career. At just 6 foot 6 inches, here are some of his CRAZY records:

• Multiple games with 30+ rebounds – Over the last 30 NBA seasons, there has been 13 games with 30+ rebounds. Dennis Rodman has five of the 13. Nobody else has more than two.
• Two 7-game streaks of at least 20 rebounds
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game for seven straight seasons – Nobody else has a streak of leading the league of more than five.
• Averaged 16.7 rebounds per game while leading NBA – No player has had 16.7 rebounds per game in a single season since Rodman in 1994-95.
• At least 20 rebounds in 159 games – From his rookie season (1986-87) through 2019-20, Rodman posted a remarkable 159 regular season games with at least 20 rebounds. Over that span, nobody else has more than 82.
•  5,000+ more career rebounds than points – Rodman had 11,954 rebounds and 6,683 points (+5,271).
• Still a Hall of Famer despite lack of 20+ point games – Rodman played 1,080 career NBA games (regular season & playoffs combined) and scored 20+ points in a game only 19 times. And STILL carved out a Hall of Fame career.
• Oldest (36) to lead NBA in rebounds – Still notched 15 rebounds per game in the 1997-1998 season.

Above is the list of the craziest records of Dennis Rodman. This proves everything you need to know about a BOX OUT. If you do the things with smallest details, you can have a career. Just know your role, do it properly, and everything else will fall into place.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, boxouts are one of the most important techniques in basketball. They give everyone more opportunities for loose balls, ensure that teammates have ample room to shoot without being obstructed by opponents, and assist players in getting rebounds. Because when you’re fighting numerous opponents at once, it’s much simpler to box someone out than to catch a rebound off of them!

Simply keep in mind that box-outs are useless if no one uses them, therefore share this blog post with others to show them how simple it is if you want your team or yourself to improve at them.