Question: I coach 12 and 13 year olds and I have a hard time getting the guards to box out. What can we do?
Answer: It is often difficult to teach guards to box out on the perimeter because the game happens fast and by the time they start boxing out, the ball has most likely already been rebounded and the next play is happening. It is valuable for players at this age to begin to understand the concept of tag and pursue. Tag and pursue forces the player to locate the player they are guarding, take a step towards them, make contact and then pursue the ball. If the offensive player is really trying to rebound, a good tag is needed, but if the offensive player is not trying to rebound, it might be enough to just locate the player and step towards a tag and then go.