Dave Smart first step
 | 1 First step is basically a sweep or closeout situation. A sweep situation is a catch with no closeout (he's there on the catch), you have to be able to penetrate the defence. Attacker 1 is sitting on his non-dominant left pivot foot (75% of his weight), ball in the right pocket in triple threat. They go pretty much permanent pivot foot, it puts you a half step quicker because you are in a position to shoot. 1 figures out where there is the most light going directly to the rim, sells opposite, makes a low and long first-step move to get past defender 2. 1 always goes by 2 shoulder to hip, swimming and fouling with his other hand. Push the ball in front (drop and chase), you are not dribbling, a ball above the waist will be called a travel. Sell opposite with a jab step or a hard sweep to the other leg if the defender is bodied up, or an upfake if he is backing off. If 2 is bodied up and forcing right (up on 1's left hip), 1 sells with a sweep to his left leg (sit and rocker step) or a jab step right, jab and go if he doesn't move. Be quick with the right foot, don't shift weight on a jab step. Never jab across your body. If 2 is backing off, sell with an upfake and C (make a letter C with the ball, attack right). Be slow with an upfake, move the ball 5-6 inches, sell with your eyes, catch the ball with the pivot leg bent in a V. On a closeout situation, you have to draw him to you, it becomes an upfake. If 2 is straddling 1 with his top right foot in the middle of 1's stance, he thinks he is forcing right but is forcing left, and 1 will attack the top foot, forcing 2 to open up. Mads Olesen - 2 is static, 1 goes by him by reaching, grabbing and going to the basket with one dribble. |
 | 2 1 then jump stops, passes to 2, and comes out as the passive defender on 2.Going left, crossover to go, it's a bit easier, you aren't going to jab across your body. If 1 forces left and is bodied up, 2 just goes left, or sweeps right to freeze him then goes left (on the sweep, Smart takes the ball to his left hip then right hip, and jabs right at the same time). You have to sit on the left leg when you sweep right. If 1 is backing off, upfake and J - bring the ball straight down then attack left (if you use a reverse letter C, your weight goes to the right foot, you lose the V, that's when you are going to travel). goxavier.com - Guard iso - the defender guards very tight, fouling and reaching, the attacker must be ball tough and sweep through several times (4-5 seconds) before going by strong and tight to the defender for a one-dribble pull-up, see Footwork - Ball tough. Tony Bergeron - shot fake first to get a defender out of stance, rip thru left or right. If he stays in stance, jab directly at him, back him up to get off a shot, or if he overplays with one foot too high, attack the lead foot. See Footwork - 5star pairs jab vs close-out. Hal Wissell - a good shot fake gets the defender to straighten his legs, creating space to shoot over him. Chris Paul - whenever you jab move the ball too, that's the only way the defender is going to move (you can't go without the ball), if the defender moves, jab and crossover. Stan Van Gundy - on a crossover step, sweep the ball below the knees. Tim Duncan makes a sweep from one shoulder to the other, Allen Iverson sweeps from one ankle to the other then back to the same ankle, and Kobe Bryant sweeps from shoulder to hip. Ettore Messina - he does not like players holding the ball, players should be square as they catch and make their move immediately or give it back up (shoot, drive, make one shot fake if unsure what to do, then pass if nothing is available). He always starts 1-on-1 drills from a catch, this is what happens in a game, starting a jab series from a stationary held-ball position encourages isolation play and lack of ball movement, which he does not like. Taylor Allan Chris Oliver - an attacker will never be more open than when they first catch the ball. Two feet in the air before a catch, no pause on the catch, as soon as your feet hit the ground you are immediately into your shot, pass, or drive. A rip occurs off offensive cutting action (e.g. off a screen), instead of squaring up. jump stop on a catch, immediately step towards the basket with a push-out dribble. If a first dribble is not towards the rim, or the defender gets chest to chest, counter on the second dribble, behind the back is the preferred counter, the attacker can continue forward movement (with between the legs, the ball goes backwards or to the side first). Kirby Schepp - teach players to understand what they are going to do with the ball before they get the ball. The old days of square-up triple threat are dead. Be able to play before you get the ball. Augie Johnston - A jab step is at about a 45-degree angle, and not too big, you can bring it back to shoot. Use the ball, it adds to the fake, protect it on the opposite hip, then the ball is an axe and you're chopping down a tree. Coach Nick - Split and go (YouTube) - triple threat is dead, you want to attack on the catch, catch to shoot (use the hop) or split to go - as the ball is in the air you get in the air and split your feet, whichever foot is forward is the direction you go. You almost can't go wrong if you split and go since the guy is running at you. See Shooting - Beat the closeout, Scrimmage - George Karl 45-54-45, 4 on 4 on 4. |