Shot Fakes

         Shot Fakes are really simple, but are very effective on offense in many ways. However, it is important that your shot fake has good form so it actually looks like you are shooting, and not just pumping the ball up and down. DeVenzio states," A good shot- fake is a bend of the knees and a look at the rim with the ball cocked at the chin. From that position you can do anything- shoot, drive into the basket or throw a quick pass. It is a mistake to go through the upward motion of the ball" (90). Before I read STUFF Good Players Should Know, I would fake like I am going to shoot with my whole body. It was really slow and didn't even look like I was shooting- the defense never fell for it. Also, I was off balance, because I would shot fake really fast and stand straight up. Now, I stay low and look at the basket, and keep the ball at my chin as if I was going to shoot. In this position, I am able to do more moves after the defense reacts to the shot fake, and the shot fake looks like I am about to shoot.

         Shot Fakes don't make the defense jump all the time, but they are still  efficient. In the right position, faking a shot will gain you an advantage if the defense doesn't go for it. During a shot fake, if the defender doesn't react, you can just shoot it since you are already in position (DeVenzio 90).  Shot fakes help a lot when I get the ball, because it helps me determine what the defender is like. If they don't react or move, I shoot. If they do react, I drive or pass in out. Before I used shot fakes, I didn't know what to do with a defender in front of me- Should I just drive? Is she close enough to block my shot if I shoot it? Now, I know how to read the defense and what moves I need to do to help my team be successful.

What are some other things you can do on offense? What moves do you do to read the defense better?

DeVenzio, Dick. Stuff Good Players Should Know: Intelligent Basketball from A to Z. Victoria, TX: PGC Basketball, 2014. Print.