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What if I told you that one of the most under utilized/taught skills in basketball for many players and coaches was something so simple most of us learned how to do it in grade school yet many players and coaches rarely use it?
Time for a thread
Time for a thread
As many of you may have guessed that skill is playing off two feet and using jump stops at the end of drives. There are so many situations that arise in the course of a game where a player has a massive advantage if they use a jump stop. Let’s first define the when and why.
Here are 2 easy rules to live by:
2 feet- When your shot has a chance to be blocked or bothered… go off two feet.
1 foot- When you need to be quick or clever… go off one foot.
That’s when… but why?
2 feet- When your shot has a chance to be blocked or bothered… go off two feet.
1 foot- When you need to be quick or clever… go off one foot.
That’s when… but why?
Most players are taught from a young age to go off 1 foot when finishing & the one thing most players are missing when they make mistakes (bad shots, TO’s, miss open teammate) is time. That is because going off 1 doesn’t allow you any time to process the info, going off 2 does.
Stand on 1 ft and have someone push you… you fall easily. Stand on 2 feet with a wide base & have someone push you… now you can take that contact & even initiate contact back w/ balance and power. Jump stops allow us to play through contact and even initiate it when finishing.
The most effective weapons playmakers have when they get to the paint are fakes!! When you jump stop this allows you to fake the defense in order to move them and open a scoring opportunity for you or a teammate.
Here is one thing we have learned through years of playing and coaching the game… referees reward control. If you can master playing off two feet in traffic you will get more foul calls because you will look like you are in control, powerful, and the aggressor.
When you play off 1 foot you often end up realizing a pass is available when you are in the air. Making this pass is extremely difficult and can lead to sloppy TOs. Jump stopping allows you to make these passes on target & even pivot to find open players you would miss off 1.
You can’t grow four inches tomorrow but you can start jump stopping more tomorrow. If you play off two feet in the paint it will allow you to play bigger than you are. You will have the efficiency and effectiveness of a player 4-5 inches taller.
Playing off 2 feet allows you to throw off the timing of the shot blocker. Defenders are used to timing the 1 ft layup. Right-left-layup. They can time the steps and contest the shot easily. Playing off two feet makes you unpredictable and gives you the element of surprise.
