Bridget, the defender, has just turned thirteen and Ally, the shooter is sixteen (pictured in the photo).
Bridget’s elevation is incredible and from a two foot take off her vertical jump is close to impossible for anyone her age group to contest. Why? Bridget plays netball and basketball.
Netball helps her basketball skills and basketball helps her netball skills and this is something I never believed both codes working together could achieve. One of Bridget’s roles in her basketball team is rebounds in both offence and defence.
All players need to elevate especially the shooters and their opposing defenders. When a defender gets a rebound it is classes as a turnover and is perceived the same as an intercept. Positioning to receive the rebound is important as well as the ability to elevate to receive the rebound.
Practicing a two foot take off with your players is the first basic skill to achieving a vertical jump. When performing a vertical jump the maximum height is achieved when a person takes off and lands on the same spot. To jump and move on an angle will take the height out of the rebound.
Line your players up about a step away from a transverse line. On ‘Go’ players approach the line with one foot, bent knee in a semi squat position, bring the other foot to the line with a bent knee then jump. Make sure stance before jumping is feet as wide as shoulders as this is a balanced jump using core strength. The lower body is the power behind the elevation so players need to come in with bent knees to use their lower body strength.
A fault when coaching the two foot take off is that the feet are either to close or too wide before jumping. If this is the case the maximum height will not be achieved.
Using cones lined up down the court and a small distance apart is a progression of the skill. Players start at one end of the line of cones. Work on coming in with the right leg first down the line of cones then work on the left leg going back. So players come in next to the cone with their right leg, bent knee, then left leg (feet as wide as shoulders, with a bent knee and perform a vertical jump landing exactly where they took off then move to the next cone. Ask players to keep their eyes up.
Once players have this skill the strength behind the vertical jump can be explored eg. light dumb bells, squats, wall jumps and many more. As this website develops programs will be posted. Jumping the Shot and Setting up for Rebounds will be available next week for subscribers with video and instruction. There are also drills for subscribers under the Coaching Resources drop down box then go to Defending and the session is Defending in Front.
