Basketball Rebounding Meets Transition Defense: Why Tagging Up Wins Games
About 5 years ago, I coached a team that had a constant problem:
When we sent players to crash the boards, we’d give up easy layups in transition.
When we sprinted back to protect the basket, we hardly got any offensive rebounds.
It felt like a no-win situation. I hated the idea of giving up layups in transition. Those points are killers and are hard to overcome.
At the same time, I hated the idea of giving up on offensive rebounding in order to get back. Very few high school teams shoot a high enough percentage to completely forgo the offensive boards.
That’s when I came across the tagging up system. It’s a unique approach to offensive rebounding and defensive transition that attempts to solve this exact dilemma.
In this article, we’ll cover:
What tagging up is
The pros and cons of the system
How to teach it to your team
What Is Tagging Up In Basketball?
When most people think of “tagging up,” they think of baseball. A better visual would be the game of tag.
Tagging up is a rebounding and transition defense system where every offensive player is responsible for making contact with a defender the moment a shot goes up. In that way, they are “tagging” up with the closest defender.
At first blush, that seems silly. Why would you run to the defender and put yourself in position to be boxed out? As we’ll see later, that's not really what you’re doing. . .
For now, we can summarize the system in 2 key points:
-
Instead of blindly running to the glass, players first locate and “tag” the closest player to them (make contact). This will usually be the player guarding them. However, there are certain circumstances - transition, when the defense is in rotation - when a player will tag with someone other than the player guarding them.
When they tag, they must always be on the “high” side, meaning they are between their tag up and their defensive basket. This is the transition defense portion of the system. By staying on the high side, you should NEVER give up a layup.
From there, they either pursue the rebound or, if the defense secures it, they’re already matched up and sprint back in transition.
In short: tagging up forces accountability. There’s no standing and watching. Everyone has a job.
What Are The Pros Of Tagging Up In Basketball? Here are 5
Coaches who run the tagging up system point to several big advantages:
-
More Offensive Rebounds – Players don’t leak out early. Everyone is engaged in the rebounding battle. It allows you to send all 5 players to the glass on every shot (with the “fly by” exception we will cover later).
-
Better Transition Defense – Because players are already tagging someone, they’re matched up quickly on change of possession.
-
Simpler Rules – No more “2 crash, 3 get back” or confusing responsibilities. Everyone tags up. Everyone crashes. . . everyone has clarity.
-
Improves Your Boxout – Tagging up forces your players to become better at boxing out. Why? Because on every shot, all 5 defenders have to do it. When games come around, you’ll see your defensive rebounding improve, too!
-
Great For Pressing – The puts you in position to pressure the ball immediately. You can easily press off MISSES as well as makes.
What Are The Cons Of Tagging Up In Basketball? Here Are 5
Of course, tagging up isn’t a magic solution. There are some drawbacks:
-
Foul Trouble – All that extra contact can lead to more fouls. Players must be smart to not draw fouls going over the back of their tag up.
-
Can Result In Mismatches – Because offensive players are tagging up with the closest player, you can’t control who they end up guarding. At times, you’ll have a big defending a guard, or vice versa.
-
Discipline Required – If even one player doesn’t tag, the system breaks down. Even when players think they can get an offensive rebound by going on the low side or not tagging, they must restrain themselves. Similarly, if a player flys by a shooter and leaks out, that offensive player must go with their tag up. Tagging up requires full commitment!
-
Challenging In Transition – Tagging up in transition is hard! When you have a numerical advantage (4 on 2, for example), it’s not always clear who players should tag up with. In those situations, you must have excellent communication.
-
Takes Time to Teach – Younger or less experienced teams may struggle to grasp the concepts quickly.
How to Teach Tagging Up?
If you want to experiment with tagging up, here’s how to start:
1 - Teach “Scrumming” First
On every shot, players must immediately find and touch their man.
After finding their tag up, players should scrum their player towards the basket. When scrumming, players use their lower body to drive their player towards the rim, creating more space for them to corral offensive rebounds. It’s crucial that players don’t scrum with the upper body, as that leads to fouls.
2 - Add Rebounding Battles
Once players are tagging consistently, add the fight for the rebound. Offensive players should look to scrum with their arms up, ready to back tap potential rebounds.
Reward hustle plays and offensive boards.
Tag up 2v2 is a great drill for this.
Tag up 2v2 Dril
Position players anywhere on the court.
On the shot, the offensive player tags up while the defense boxes out.
Play through the rebound
3 - Build Into Transition
If the defense secures the rebound, tagged players are already matched up.
Teach them to sprint back with their tag up and protect the rim. One great drill for this is to start with a shot and then play 2 trips.
2 Trips Tagging Up Drill
One great drill for this is to start with a shot and then play 2 trips.
The offensive shoots (the defense allows the shot) and then tags up.
From there, you play it down and back.
The offense can try to score on an offensive rebound.
If they score, they can press or just match up.
4 - Progress to Live Play
Run 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5 scrimmages where every possession is played out.
Add scoring systems:
+1 point for an offensive rebound
+1 for a transition stop
-2 for a missed tag
Early on you will have to be very strict about tagging up. It will take time to make it a habit.
If you have the manpower, chart your tag ups. Set a goal of 75% to start. Progress from there.
Is Tagging Up Right for Your Team? Some Factors To Consider
Like any system, tagging up works best in certain contexts:
Teams with good size and athleticism may benefit most. However, that’s the case for any system. . . so don’t let that dissuade you if your team isn’t big & athletic.
Against teams that love to run, it provides better transition accountability. It also makes it harder for your opponent to leak out as they become concerned about giving up offensive rebounds.
If you like to press, it’s a great way to be able to pressure all the time. Keep in mind, if you only press on makes, you are pressing less than half the time. Tagging up allows you to pressure on every possession, make or miss.
If your team is foul-prone or struggles with discipline, it might create more problems than it solves.
Finally, if you're a coach who is strict about defensive matchups, you might want to stay away. Tagging up takes away some of that control.
The key? Patience. You won’t get good at it overnight. However, if you stick with it, you’ll see the benefits.
Should Your Team Tag Up?
Tagging up is a creative way to blend offensive rebounding and transition defense into one unified system.
It’s not perfect — and it won’t fit every team — but it’s worth exploring if you’ve struggled with the rebound vs. transition tradeoff.
At the very least, it forces your players to engage on every possession, make contact, and play with toughness.
And that’s a win in itself.
|
|||||||
Facebook (145k Followers)
YouTube (152k Subscribers)
Twitter (33k Followers)
Q&A Forum
Podcasts