Five Sneaky NBA Tricks: How To Play Basketball Like A Pro

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 these tricks are quite risky; If the players cannot execute them correctly, a turnover is likely to occur. In some situations, however, those sneaky basketball tricks that we often see NBA players do can be very helpful. The important idea is that you should know how to perform them correctly and you should try to use them sparingly to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

1. Cross dribble

Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson are really good at this. Cross dribbling is basically a weight shifting trick that allows you to use your momentum to the rim to your best advantage. To perform this basketball trick to the right, you must push hard towards your left foot (assuming you are protected by the right), move the ball of your right hand along your body in a diagonal trajectory, catch the ball with your left hand, then take a long cross step toward the basket with your right foot. This move is a no-no when you are being closely watched; It could be quite easy for the defender to steal the ball from you. Also, never reach out with 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. Spin Dribble

Use this basketball trick when you are on the open court and the defender is blocking your way to the basket. To execute this move (assuming you’re right-handed), dribble hard with your right hand toward the defender, put your left foot slightly in front, do a quick 180-degree pivot with your left foot, and then switch to dribble with your left. hand in the middle of the rotation. With your back to the defender, complete another 180-degree pivot with your right foot and you should be facing the basket again. Two downsides to this basketball trick are that you will be momentarily forced into a blind spot while spinning, and if you do this move too fast you can lose your balance.

3. Pass behind the back

This is a high-risk move, so do it right or don’t do it at all. A good time to perform this trick is in a two-on-one counterattack situation. To pass the ball behind your back effectively, the momentum must come from the arm and fingers, not from turning the shoulder. By turning your shoulder, you are revealing to defenders that you are about to make a pass behind your back. Also make sure you have good communication and mutual understanding with the teammate to whom you are passing the ball.

4. Fake change of pace

This can be a very useful play when forming a double team. The more exhausted the defenders are, the more likely they are to be fooled by this trick. When you’re about to double-team, just slow down and put your front foot on. Keep your head up and straighten a bit, so that defenders think you are slowing down. When you see that they also slow down, accelerate by pushing your front foot, run past and go to 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 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 straight so that the shooter appears to be putting the ball in your hand.

3.) Keep your feet planted on the ground. Jumping could make you vulnerable for being tricked.