Tom Izzo’s 5-on-5 competitive rebounding drill From Tom Izzo, head men's basketball coach, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Our teams are always strong on the boards because we place a philosophical emphasis on rebounding. We do that with a combination of rebounding drills, strength training (through weight lifting), and by developing a rebounding mindset.

The following rebounding drill is highly competitive, and it helps players improve on the offensive and defensive glass.

Competitive rebounding drill

This drill is a competitive game. The first team up to 10 points wins. Teams get one point for a defensive or offensive rebound, and one point for scoring. The Xs and Os switch places after each game. There is no out of bounds.

Tom izzo rebounding drill 1DIAGRAM 1: The Xs (defense) are set up in the lane as shown, and the Os (offense) are positioned on the perimeter behind the 3-point line. A coach with a ball wanders the perimeter and can shoot at any time. The coach never shoots from the same spot during the drill.


tom izzo rebounding drill 2DIAGRAM 2: When the coach cocks his arm to shoot, the Xs run and box-out the Os, who are breaking to the boards.

The coach intentionally misses a jump shot, and the two teams battle for the rebound.


tom izzo rebounding drill 3DIAGRAM 3: If a defender secures the rebound (X4 as shown), he or she immediately turns, locates the coach, and throws an outlet pass. The defensive team is then awarded a point.

All players hustle back to their starting positions, and the drill resumes.


tom izzo rebounding drill 4DIAGRAM 4: If an offensive player grabs the rebound (O4 as shown), he or she tries to put back the offensive rebound and score. The offensive team would receive a point for the offensive rebound and a point for the made basket. O4 is not allowed to pass to a teammate on the scoring attempt.

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