Ball Handling Moves
Spin Move - Back to the Basket
This is a great move against body-to-body contact, or if a defender is playing overly aggressive defense
on you while your dribbling the ball. It is a very difficult move to master, but once you do, it will open
your game up to all kinds of possibilities, believe me. With the spin move I usually invite body contact
with the defender. I WANT the contact for two reasons: 1) I want the defender to get comfortable.
Sometimes I bump him twice, so it seems almost rythmic. 2) I also want to use the defender's own body
as a PIVOT POINT. A pivot point is simply a point of contact that you spin off of.
Here's a breakdown of the move spinning to the right: Your head is looking over your left shoulder,
surveying the court. When you actually make the move, you will make an inward head-fake before
quickly spinning the opposite direction. The ball is being dribbled with your right hand as you survey. As
you make the head fake to the left, you will also make a hard dribble inwards, making the defender
think the opposite. As the ball makes it's way up off the floor, that's when the spin occurs, so your left
hand will recieve it as the spin happens. The footwork is again, the most important aspect of the move
and also the most difficult, but be patient, it will be worth it. The key is to "slip" your back foot(right foot
in this case) around the defender's base. Notice how I said "slip". You wanna sneak the right foot back in
a sweeping motion, getting the foot as far back around the defender as you can. This is the secret to this
move. Your right foot, now on the outside of the defender, is going to be your pivot foot. Placing your
foot back here allows for proper spin balance and also allows you to get around the defender easier
after the spin is complete(because the pivot foot is now on the outside of the defender). The left foot is
again going to be your explosion point for the move. As you duck inward(to the left), your left foot
should explode the opposite away, pushing you toward the right, spinning you around your pivot foot.
Again, this is where the quickness of the move is created, from your explosion point. Push east-west,
spinning around the defender and then go north-south.
Alot goes into this move, but if mastered the spin will be lightning quick and will have defenders
completely off balance. This move should be worked on equally from both sides. Get the footwork down
first, then work on the head and shoulder action.
Stutter Step
This is my bread-n-butter move. I have gotten by many defenders over the years with the Stutter Step. If
mastered, it is extremely deadly, also setting yourself up for the various counter moves you can use
once done successfully. The key to the move is the "set-up". Usually if going to the right, I will use a soft
between-the-legs crossover from left to right to set-up the Stutter Step. The goal of this set-up dribble is
simply to make the defender think you have no intention of going North-South with the dribble. He
relaxes, becomes flat-footed for that brief moment when he thinks he has you contained, then you
explode by him. Timing is important, the set-up is important, and obviously the execution is also
important.
Here is a breakdown going to the right: As you go from left to right with your set-up dribble, your headn-shoulders should "square-up", much like the hesitation dribble, you are selling to the defender that
you have come to a stop. Once the ball is crossed over to your right hand, the right foot extends forward
slightly, but not completely. You need to save room for the explosion you are about to unleash. What I
do, is a quick "toe-tap", before fully extending the right foot passed the defender, pushing off the left
foot, which has created a North-South explosion point. While the toe tap is occuring, the ball is reaching
it's max height in my right hand, making it appear as though my dribble is stopped. That is when you
explode off the left foot, get your left shoulder around the defender, and explode to the rim. Again,
timing is everything. Practice this move, getting the set-up, the head-and-shoulders, and the eventual
explosion by the defender timed perfectly. You will have one EXPLOSIVE first step if you do.
In-and-Out Dribble
The in/out move is a staple of Tony Parker's game, using it most often in fast break situations. It is a
highly effective counter move to the crossover dribble, as you basically start the crossover before
keeping the dribble on the original side. This move is sold with your head, hands, and feet. You must
master each of these to have an effective in/out move, but when mastered, will devastate a defender
who's looking for your crossover.
Here's a breakdown going to the right: The head is going to make a quick glance inside, making the
defender think crossover. The dribble should initially start like a crossover, going in the left direction, but
instead of completing the crossover, you quickly cup the left side of the ball with you right hand,
bringing the ball back to the right side of your body. Because your hand is on the top-left of the ball, this
is not a carry. If it goes underneath, you will most likely be called for a carry. The footwork should also
start off like a crossover, but as you bring the ball back to your right side, your left foot will plant, and
explode to the right.
The key is timing the head fake, with the ball reversal, with your explosion. Getting all of these on the
same page will make for a smooth in/out move. Once perfected, you will lose very little momentum and
should be able to blow right by the defender with this move.
The Crossover
The crossover is one of the most well known off-the-dribble moves in basketball. The move is pretty
simple. Here is a breakdown going right to left:
The set-up to a great crossover is almost as important as the execution itself. Again, my offensive
philosophy is to always sell the defender the opposite of what you want to do. Dribbling right, your head
and shoulders should show hesitation dribble to the right. At the last second you plant your right foot,
creating an explosion point(see basketball terms) to the left. As you push off your explosion point, make
a quick dribble from your right hand to your left in front of your body. Make sure the dribble is low and
hard or a good defender will pick your pocket(steal the ball.) Once you have successfully gone east-west
with the ball(switching hands with the dribble), then tuck your shoulder around the defender and
explode north-south with the dribble.
Many And-1 videos have shown ankle breaking, balance losing, deadly crossovers over recent years, but
in my opinion it is one of the more dangerous moves a player can make. The reason: the basic front
crossover involves putting the ball directly in front of the defender. The risk/reward isn't there in my
opinion, which is why I use either a between-the-legs crossover, or a behind-the-back crossover. Both
accomplish the same thing, the latter two protect the ball much more effectively, but are also that much
more difficult to master. Put in the extra work it takes to master a quick crossover and you will be
penetrating defenses for years to come.
Fake Spin - Back to the Basket
After mastering the spin move, the more efficient, fake spin move can be utilized. When playing against
a new defender, I always start off with the spin move, allowing for the fake spin the rest of the game.
Once a defender gets beat by the spin move, he's always aware of it. Even if I don't get by the defender
with the spin, just showing the quickness of it keeps him off balance and allows me to use the fake spin
more effectively. The start of the move is set up just like the actual spin move. Instead of slipping the
backfoot behind the defender for a pivot, the right foot is instead going to be your explosion point.
Breakdown going to the left: Again, the head is looking over the left shoulder. Instead of dipping to the
left, the head will make a quick half spin toward the right, before turning back to it's original position.
More than any other move, the head-fake is of utmost importance. The defender will immediately think
spin when he see's the head turn toward the right, even though no other part of the body moves in that
direction. The shoulders stay square until you explode left. When that happens you will duck your left
shoulder around the defender. The ball is being dribbled just like the spin move. When you're about to
complete the fake spin, the ball should be at it's peak. With this move the ball will never switch hands,
making it a much easier move to master. The footwork is the exact opposite of the spin. DON'T slip your
back foot, instead explode with the right foot by pushing off, exploding to the left. Your left foot will be
your pivot foot.
This move is an easy move to master. The difficulty is more above the shoulders. Concentrate on timing
the head fake, developing your quickest half head spin, and then exploding off your right foot. Again,
mastering the spin move is the key to it's counter, the fake spin. Do that, and the defender is yours.
The Stutter-Butters
This is a great counter move once you've mastered the stutter step. In this move, you are essentially
selling the stutter step to the defense, then setting yourself up for the wide open jump shot.
Here's a breakdown going to the right: Same set-up and execution as stutter step(see stutter step in this
section). Once you have taken your first dribble and first step toward the rim, you make a quick stop,
pushing back off of your lead right foot. At the same time you go between the legs, crossing the ball
back to your left hand. Now the ball is in your left shooting pocket. Now comes the "butters" part. Pull
up and drain the wide open jump shot. I usually do this move after I've beaten a defender off the dribble
a few times. He's gonna overplay the drive, and because it is essentially the same move as the stutter
step(up until the last moment), he is going to be on his heels, leading to a wide open jumper for
yourself. Practice over and over so that when you stop and crossover, the ball is in your shooting pocket,
which will allow you to get the shot off much quicker and with greater ease.
Crossover (Behind the Back)
This is my crossover of choice. For one, it is a natural counter to the stutter step, which is one of my
favorite off the dribble moves, but also, it is the most difficult crossover to steal because the ball is never
in arms reach until the crossover is already completed. The move is an extremely advanced, difficult
move to master, but again, once mastered, it will make a deadly counter to the stutter step.
Here's a breakdown from right to left: I like to start the move off exactly like the stutter step(see stutter
step). At the point when you would normally blow by your opponent with the stutter, you instead use
your right foot to plant, and explode to the left, at the same time, you are making a low dribble directly
behind your back, and up into your left hand. The key to a quick behind-the-back crossover is the
direction of the dribble itself. Say the basket is North, and your left is West, the dribble itself would be in
a North-West direction. If you just go East-West, it takes away from it's effectiveness, so put in the time
to get a low, North-West dribble, as close to your heel as possible. This is where the difficulty comes in,
getting this low, behind the back dribble that doesn't stop your momentum toward the basket. Master
this, along with the stutter step, and you will be a nightmare for defenses.
Hesitation Move
In this move, you try to get the defender off balance by making him think you're coming to a stop,
before exploding by the defender. In his prime, and even now, Grant Hill was a master at this move.
Here is a breakdown going to the right: As you come up to the defender, your left foot will plant,
stopping your momentum. The left foot will then slip behind you, creating an explosion point(see
basketball terms) toward the rim. As you come to this stop, your head and shoulders will "square" up,
making it appear, at least from the waist up, that you have come to a stop. As you push off your
explosion point, tuck your left shoulder around the defender. Once that shoulder is around him, he is
beat. Explode to the rim and posterize somebody.
Spin Move
The spin move is highly effective versus overly aggresive defenders. It's also a very safe move, since as
you spin, you are protecting the ball. This is why many NBA and College point guards use this move as
they are bringing the ball upcourt against heavy pressure. Dwayne Wade is an NBA player of today that
has a great spin move.
Here is a breakdown going right to left: While moving to the right you want to jump stop with your left
foot in front, using this same left foot to reverse pivot, spinning off of your opponent, and hopefully
passed your opponent. As you jump stop, the ball should be cupped from the top with your right hand,
quickly dribbled once, before continuing the dribble with your left hand just as you complete the spin.
The quickness of the spin is created by using your right foot as the explosion point, pushing against your
momentum to the right, creating a quick spin.
Crossover (Between the Legs)
Another more advanced way to change directions and protect the ball is with a between the legs
dribble. Tim Hardaway made this move famous in the '90's.
Here is a break down going right to left: The head and shoulders should make the defender think you
wanna go right. The move should look like a hesitation dribble going to the right, then at the last second
you plant your right foot creating an explosion point(see basketball terms) to the left. As you come to
your stop, a quick "scissors" action of your legs will then get your right foot from out front, to behind
you, allowing for the crossover from your right hand to your left hand take place, again, through the
legs. The key to achieving the "quickness" in the move is practicing the "scissors" motion with your legs.
The quicker you can set-up for the crossover with the scissor, the more deadly it will be.