At the high school and college levels, most basketball coaches prefer their players not to be too sophisticated with their basketball moves, as the heart of the game is scoring, not showing how many tricks they can maneuver. Also, most of those tricks are pretty risky; if the players cannot do it correctly, a turnover is likely to occur. However, in some situations, those sneaky basketball tricks we often see NBA players do can come in handy. The important idea is that you should know how to perform them correctly and should try to use them sparingly to avoid unnecessary mistakes.
1. Cross dribble
Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson are really good at this. The crossover dribble is basically a weight shift trick that allows you to use your drive to the rim to your best advantage. To properly perform this basketball trick, you need to drive hard to your left foot (assuming it’s protected by your right), move the ball diagonally across your body with your right hand, catch the ball with your left hand, then do a long crossover step to the basket with the right foot. This move is a no-no when you’re being closely watched; it could be quite easy for the defender to steal the ball from you. Also, never extend your left hand to catch the ball. Instead, let it bounce to your left side. By reaching out, you automatically expose the ball to your defender and can dribble the ball off your foot.
2. Dribble with turns
Use this basketball trick when you are in the open court and the defender is blocking your way to the basketball. To execute this move (assuming you’re right-handed), dribble hard with your right hand toward the defender, plant your left foot slightly forward, do a quick 180-degree pivot with your left foot, then switch to a left dribble. hand at half rotation. With your back to the defender, complete another 180-degree turn with your right foot and you should be facing the basket again. Two downsides to this basketball trick is that you’ll be momentarily forced into a blind spot while spinning, and if you do this move too quickly, you can lose your balance.
3. Pass through the back
This is a high risk move, so either do it right or don’t do it at all. A good time to perform this trick is in a two-on-one counter attack situation. To pass the ball behind your back effectively, the momentum must come from your arm and fingers, not from rotating your shoulder. By turning your shoulder, you are letting defenders know that you are about to pass from behind. Also make sure you have good communication and mutual understanding with the teammate you are passing the ball to.
4. Fake change of pace
This can be a very useful move when you’re double-teaming. The more depleted defenders are, the more likely they are to fall for this trick. When you’re about to get a double team, just slow down and plant your front foot. Keep your head up and straighten up a bit, so the defenders think you’re slowing down. When you see them, also slow down, speed up by pushing off with your front foot, sprint past and head for the basket.
5. Shot blocking
Shot blocking is another thing we see more often in the NBA than in high school or college basketball games. Most tall players can easily block a shot, but not all of them can do it well. Here are things to remember when blocking a shot:
1.) Don’t block just to block. Try to deflect the ball to where your teammates can get an easy rebounding position.
2.) To avoid foul problems, keep your hand up so it looks like the shooter is putting the ball in your hand.
3.) Keep your feet planted on the ground. Jumping could make you vulnerable to being tricked.
