The Rebounding Holes Drill: Fast-Paced Reps for Securing the Ball
A breakdown of the rebounding holes drill, a fast-rotation station drill that trains players to attack marked spots around the key, secure the ball with two hands, and finish with a strong pivot or outlet.
What the Rebounding Holes Drill Is Solving
Most rebounding breakdowns happen because a player arrives late to the spot where the ball is going to land, not because they lack timing or leaping ability. The rebounding holes drill isolates that problem by removing live shooting and defense entirely, so every rep is purely about reading a trajectory, closing the gap fast, and securing the ball at its peak. Because reps come every few seconds instead of every few minutes like in a live scrimmage, a single ten-minute session can produce more rebounding touches than an entire practice of five-on-five play. Coaches like this drill specifically because it isolates the mechanics of the catch and the finish rather than the broader skill of positioning against a defender.
Setting Up the Holes
Mark four or five spots with cones, floor tape, or chalk dots: both blocks, both elbows, and the top of the key just inside the three-point line. Each spot should sit far enough from the rim that a player has to take one or two explosive steps to close on the ball rather than simply standing under it. For a full five-spot setup you need either five coaches or feeders positioned around the perimeter with a ball each, or two to three feeders who rotate quickly between spots while players cycle through in a set order. Younger or smaller groups can run the drill with just three holes and a single feeder tossing off the backboard, while a well-staffed high school practice can run all five spots simultaneously with a queue of two or three players waiting at each one.
Reps Per Rotation and Keeping the Pace Fast
A typical rotation asks each player for three to five reps per hole before moving to the next spot, which keeps a five-hole circuit under two minutes per player and the whole group moving inside a ten to twelve minute block. The entire value of this drill collapses if the pace drags, so feeders should have the next ball ready before the current rebounder has finished landing and pivoting. Coaches running this with limited staff often stack two or three balls per feeder so there is zero delay between tosses, and they call out the next player's name a half-second before the toss to eliminate hesitation at the catch. If a group is large enough that lines back up, shorten the rep count per hole rather than letting players stand and wait, since standing around is exactly what this drill is designed to eliminate.
Coaching Points at the Point of Contact
Every rep should end the same way regardless of which hole it came from: two hands meet the ball at the highest point the player can reach, elbows out to create space, and the ball immediately comes down to chin level rather than staying extended where it can be poked away. Landing should be a wide, balanced base with knees bent, not a one-footed landing that leaves a player off balance and vulnerable to a foul or a travel on the next move. From that base the player pivots away from where the toss or contact came from, protecting the ball with their body before deciding whether to go back up strong or turn and find the outlet. Coaches should watch the pivot foot closely in these reps since sloppy footwork under fatigue is the single most common error players revert to once the pace of the drill picks up.
Scaling for Age and Skill Level
For younger or less experienced players, run only three holes, slow the toss down to a soft lob rather than a shot off the rim, and require a full stop and secure before the next toss comes. As players get older and more skilled, use all five holes, feed off missed shots or backboard rebounds instead of direct tosses so the ball comes off at unpredictable angles, and cut the pause between reps to force players to reset their base immediately. A useful progression is to start every group with tosses and graduate to actual jump shots taken from each spot once players can consistently secure and pivot cleanly, since a missed jumper produces a far more realistic carom than a coach's toss ever will.
Adding Competition and Contact for Advanced Groups
Once footwork and hands are solid, pair two players at each hole and toss or shoot a single ball between them so they have to box out or fight for real position before the catch, which turns a mechanical drill into a live-action one without needing a full scrimmage. Another progression has a defender start with a hand on the rebounder's back, releasing contact the instant the ball leaves the feeder's hand, so the rebounder has to find and seal the body before turning to locate the ball. For varsity or club-level groups, award a point system across the rotation, tracking clean two-hand catches versus balls that get tipped away or bobbled, since the competitive framing keeps effort high once the novelty of the drill itself wears off.
Pairing It With SixSevenBall's Rebounding Library
The rebounding holes drill works best as a warm-up or activation piece rather than a full rebounding block, so pairing it with a follow-up drill that adds decision-making or contact rounds out the session. SixSevenBall's own drill library includes several rebounding drills built for exactly that purpose, including Rebound and Outlet Pass, which extends the chin-and-pivot habit into a full-speed transition read, and Chin It Rebounding Drill, which isolates the same securing mechanics this drill teaches. For groups ready for live contact, Circle the Cone Rebounding and Three-Player War Rebounding both add positioning and box-out elements that the holes drill deliberately leaves out, making them a natural next step once the fundamentals are locked in.
Fitting It Into a Practice Plan
Because the rebounding holes drill is short, loud, and physically demanding in a concentrated burst, it works best early in practice as an activation drill or midway through as a change-of-pace segment rather than as the only rebounding work of the day. Ten to twelve minutes is typically enough to get every player through two or three full rotations without the pace dragging or attention wandering. Coaches short on practice time often run it as part of a rotating station circuit alongside ball-handling or shooting stations, so the whole team gets rebounding volume without dedicating an entire practice segment to it. Running it at the same point in practice each week also helps players build the habit of resetting their base and chinning the ball until it becomes automatic under game speed.
Frequently asked questions
It is a station-style rebounding drill where four or five spots, or holes, are marked around the key, typically at each block, each elbow, and the top of the key, and players rotate through them catching rapid-fire tosses or shots so they get high-volume reps securing the ball, chinning it, and pivoting away from contact.
Three to five reps per hole is standard, which keeps a full five-hole circuit under about two minutes per player. If lines start backing up because a group is large, shorten the rep count at each hole rather than letting players stand around waiting for their turn.
Yes, and it is actually an easy drill to scale down. Use three holes instead of five, slow the toss to a soft lob rather than a live shot, and require a full stop and secure before the next ball comes, then add speed and hole count as players get more comfortable.
Ideally one feeder per hole with two or three balls each so there is no delay between tosses. Programs with limited staff can run two or three feeders who rotate quickly between spots, though the drill loses some of its rapid-fire value as feeder count drops.
Secure the ball with two hands at the peak of the jump, chin it down immediately to protect it from being poked away, land in a wide balanced base rather than on one foot, and pivot away from the direction contact or the toss came from before going back up or finding an outlet.
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