How to Play Basketball Blog – Everybody Knows, Right?
Today we continue our focus on basic offensive fundamentals you can use to improve your game. This fundamental principle is one that everybody knows but I am not sure that people even understand why it is important. Everybody knows after they shoot they should follow their shot right? I mean if you barely started playing basketball today you would probably know that. The question is why would that even matter to follow your shot? Glad you asked!
Offensive rebounds are a morale killer for a defense. They do all that work to stay in front of you, fight through screens and contest your shot but when they do not finish the defensive possession they have to do it all over again. It is like moping the kitchen floor only to have somebody spill red fruit punch on it 15 minutes later. Now you have to break that mop out and clean it again. Because it is such a morale killer it gives the offense a mental edge. When you shoot the ball you get a feeling for where it is going. Is it left? Is it short? Is it too strong? This puts you in the best position to get a rebound because you have the advantage of knowing where the ball is going. If you follow your shot you will always have a step on the defense because they are just guessing based on the flight of the ball, you actually shot it so you know where it is going.
Another reason offensive rebounds are important is that they give you extra possessions. It is really difficult to win a game when the other team has more offensive possessions. If you have more possessions you increase your chances of scoring more than the other team. If you can give your team more possessions then you are basically giving your team a better chance at winning the game. We track blocks, steals and rebounds because all of these things give your team a chance at an extra possession. Offensive rebounding numbers were used to evaluate players in the draft. It is a big deal to give your team extra possessions so following your shot could lead to extra possessions for your team. Who doesn’t want more shots?
Moral of the story is to follow your shot as it will make you a better offensive player and a more versatile contributor to your team’s success.
You can see the other 3 areas of offense you can improve by ordering a copy of the book here How to Play Basketball: A Guide to Getting Better By Playing Pick-up Games
You are your only opponent
Coach Wilkins
Coach/Owner of Hoops Education
Former D1 Player/Former AAU Coach/Former HS Coach
Author of How to Play Basketball: A Guide to Getting Better By Playing Pick-up Games
P.S. Make sure you follow us on twitter @HoopsEducation
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