Killer Basketball Crossovers and Moves

If you think that you play basketball well, but do not have the killer crossovers and moves in your repertoire, then you are surely mistaken. These crossovers are learned over time and require a lot of practice, but once mastered, these moves help you beat any good player. Crossover, in basketball, literally means a maneuver in which a player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to the other. This is a very simple move, but if mastered with perfectness and speed, it becomes an offensive move called a 'killer crossover'. Did you know that even the great Michael Jordan was a victim of a killer crossover?

When a player executes a killer crossover, defenders generally fall, stumble or remain motionless while they try to play defense. This is known as 'broken ankle'. When a player becomes a victim of a killer crossover, he is often ridiculed and becomes an object of mockery in the opposition team. Sometimes, due to the embarrassment, players leave the field, when they have their ankles broken.

In the above para, I mentioned that the great Michael Jordan was a victim of this trick. It was Allen Iverson, in the game against Chicago Bulls, who broke Jordan's ankles. Allen Iverson mastered the killer crossover at a very young age, while still in school. NBA point guard Tim Hardaway, who played for Miami Heat, is another player who is master of the killer move and has broken many ankles in the basketball arenas. The victims knew that it was coming, but still they could not react. That is the wonder of killer moves and crossovers.

Killer crossovers and moves create a fear among the defending players. Hence, a player good at it, already has a psychological edge over the defender. Some other good moves are:

Alley-Oop: Alley-oop is an exciting move to watch. There are various kinds of alley-oops that players perform. They are:

• You go for the basket and there's a defender in between, who is 6 or 7 feet tall. Just bounce the ball so hard on the ground that it goes above him and you go around him and catch the ball, putting it in the basket.
• This can also be done while passing the ball to a teammate too. When a player is there between you and your teammate, you just bounce the ball so high that it goes above his head and directly reaches your teammate.
• Catch the ball, throw it at the basket board, jump, catch it in mid-air when it bounces back after hitting the board, and slam dunk it.

Tornado: This is another offensive move. During this move, the defender gets confused thinking you are passing the ball behind his head, but actually you spin it, after faking the passing of the ball over his head. This gives you time to move for the basket, while the stunned defender is left thinking.

Spin Cross: Take the ball in your right hand and fake a fast start to the right. The defender thinks you are moving rightwards, but then quickly block the start and turn 180 degrees, while bouncing the ball on your back, from right hand to left hand. Again, when the basket is in your left hand, continue turning 180 degrees bringing the ball in your right hand. Fake another start towards the right, and then move leftwards, while the defender is left frozen wondering.

Hardaway Crossover: This move was a trademark style of Tim Hardaway to break ankles of defenders. Dribble the ball under the leg opposite to handle i.e. if the ball is in the right hand, dribble it under your left leg and immediately switch back the ball. Do not let the ball bounce too much, just puzzle your defender.

The Punch: In this move, positioning of the ball is the key. The ball should be kept close enough to the defender, so that they make an attempt to take it, but not so close that they reach before you. This move is finished by knocking the ball between the defender's legs with the fists.

These are a few killer moves out of many basketball tips and tricks. Master these killer crossovers and you can beat any player in the game. Remember that even great players like Michael Jordan have been a victim of these deadly crossovers.