CP Wolves 2022 shooting drills on Dr Dish! #workEthic pic.twitter.com/hkld6l2y4M
— Coach Myers (@WolvesSelect) March 15, 2016
I chose this video from Twitter among many similar drills. Why do four players need a rebounding and passing machine?
First, rebounding machines are marketed as increasing repetitions; there is no way that at that pace, they could not get up as many shots by rebounding their own balls or working together.
Second, the rebounding machine does not do anything to make the shot more game-like.
Third, the rebounding machine has all but eliminated actual exercise and physical activity from the shooting practice. If one of the primary reasons that we support youth sports is health and physical activity, why do we eliminate the actual physical activity?
Fourth, not as much here, as the girls make one pass off the catch, but often when shooting directly from the machine, we eliminate passing repetitions. That means that we have to add a stationary passing drill to replace the lost reps. Does that make practice more efficient? It does make practice more constant and block, which has been shown to reduce transfer.
Fifth, like a pitching machine, every pass is theoretically perfect. Will passes in games from teammates be perfect?
These objections relate simply to the use of rebounding machines in general, not the specific drill or its execution. If a player is in the gym by him or herself, the rebounding machine can increase the number of repetitions and reduce the time chasing after balls. However, when you have multiple teammates is there really a need? Does it provide any advantage? To me, this is lazy practice.
