How To Improve Crossover In Basketball

How To Improve Crossover In Basketball

How To Improve Crossover In Basketball? When executed correctly, the crossover dribble may be one of the most disastrous moves in basketball. The move’s simplicity is what makes it so available to basketball players of all levels, but the best crossovers are executed with technique, equal parts quickness, and a hint of surprise.

It’s not rocket science to switch dribbling hands in mid-move with the crossover dribble. However, it is typically the setup move as well as moves that support the crossover that transforms a mediocre one into an ankle breaker. Is it possible that I just referred to a good crossover as an “ankle breaker”?

If you are a new hooper or have been playing for a long time but want to perfect your crossover, this article is for you. This article will teach you how to build the perfect crossover, How To Improve Crossover In basketball,  link you to some excellent online tutorials on the principle of an effective crossover, and look at NBA players from the past and present who have signature crossover skills.

Slang Terms in Common

Basketball, like any other sport, has some fairly smart slang terms to classify specific moves and situations during the game. The crossover dribble is no exception, and below are several of the best slang phrases that describe the move and also how your defender is likely to feel when it is used against them.

Ankle Breaker/Ankle Breaking

Ankle Breaker/Ankle Breaking
Ankle Breaker/Ankle Breaking

The concept of a basketball move breaking an opposing player’s ankles seems a little far-fetched, but when you see crossovers such as these, you understand why the nickname is so apt in this context.

Roller Skating

If a friend is describing a crossover move they performed in a game, they may mention that their defender was on roller skates. If you’ve ever seen somebody on rollerskates who shouldn’t be on them, imagine this scene in a basketball game. If you can’t, here’s a fine example of someone who can.

Shook

This is a more subjective term than ankle breaker or roller skate. For the first two, imagine someone attempting to break an ankle or looking ridiculous on roller skates whilst also defending someone. Getting “shook” is simply someone shaking you out of your jersey as a result of a crossover. Speaking of being shaken, here’s LeBron James, the greatest player in the world, getting shaken by Steph Curry a few years ago.

How To Improve Crossover In Basketball

How To Improve Crossover In Basketball? As I mentioned earlier in the piece, the flawless crossover combines several factors and is primarily determined by the timing of the move as well as the positioning of your defender once you execute it. The beauty of a crossover is how many different variations there are of the same move. This video depicting the best crossovers of the last decade exemplifies the huge disparities in the transition from play to play.

Certain players rely more on specific crossovers than others, and some are more versatile with their crossover moves, but at the end of the day, players must feel who their defender is, what their footwork looks similar to when the player is about to perform the crossover, and how well you can fool them with your counter-move beforehand.

The counter-move is probably more critical than the crossover so because the key to crossing somebody over is to get them leaning one way or off-balance, then quickly cross the ball and make a move in the opposite direction. Let’s go over the fundamentals of the crossover and afterward look at some counter-moves you could use to make the move more effective.

To begin, you are dribbling the ball toward your defender while reading their body language and footwork. Then you take a step in one direction. When your defender bites on your first move, you will dribble the ball from one hand to the other, crossing it in front of your body.

That is the most basic explanation for the crossover. Now, let’s go over a few of the best counter-moves you can employ to set up your defender for the ankle-breaker:

Dribble at high speed

Dribble at high speed
Dribble at high speed

When you do a speed dribble, you put your head down as well as dribble the ball quickly in a straight line. When using the speed dribble, you would then read your defender and when they are running in one direction, you will stop on a dime as well as cross the ball in the opposite direction.

The Space Between The Legs

You will dribble the ball between your legs, and once the defender bites on that move, quickly cross the ball over to the opposite hand and head in that direction.

Dribble in and out

When done correctly, the in-and-out dribble is a great move for any player’s arsenal and can be your new favorite finishing move once playing basketball. Begin by pushing the ball to the center of your body with one hand, then bring it back to the side with the dribbling hand. You can complete the crossover once the ball is back on that side of your body and the defender is biting on the fake.

Conclusion

How To Improve Crossover In Basketball? The crossover is an excellent offensive move that any level basketball player can learn. I would recommend that you master that move first because the variations are limitless. Remember that no matter how fast you are, anybody can master a crossover. The most important aspect of the move is also that you set up your defender ahead of time and blow up after your crossover, allowing you to execute it on even the most skilled opponent.

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