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Quote from: Raptor on April 02, 2011, 06:52:58 pm

What's up with that? You see everybody with their ankles taped several times in the NBA... wtf? I think that puts the knee to an even more disadvantageous position than just wearing high cut shoes alone. If you combine them both, the knee has to really compensate for the lack of ankle mobility.

why do you care?

I NEED to remember that no one remembers pickup games. Play without a conscious and test shit out.

Quote from: Petey0109 on March 27, 2011, 10:14:46 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja4L-DJgFLg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsUaLY1aME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYhGGQy8c_E
Any tips on my crossover. i am trying to make it look like Iverson's crossover
I was bored at home no ride to the gym.

Obviously, since you even mentioned it, it's tough to work on a certain basketball skill without a gym. So no problem there, at least you're doing something.

However, I wouldn't do it in the kitchen for multiple reasons, I would go out to the street/parkinglot/driveway.

Here's my tips on your crossover than I would tell the kids I coach:
1. Do. Not. Emulate. The crossover is a tough move that relies on quickness, ball control and timing. If you're trying to emulate somebody elses crossover, you're throwing in a whole new set of parameters that could be holding back your body-type's potential. Iverson had long arms, low-center of gravity, lightning-quick moves, and didn't weigh hardly anything. All these things attributed to his crossover. Trying to emulate his crossover on looks is one thing; trying to emulate its -effectiveness- is a whole nother ambition and it's the one I would aim for.

2. This one is tough if you have to practice in the kitchen a lot. But don't worry about going side-to-side on your crossover. A good form crossover is actually side-to-backwards-step, then go. I'll try to explain this one as best as I can but it's tough without a visualization. Imagine, you have a defender right in front of you. Step 1, attack to your right (his left) to make him step back with his left foot. Step 2, cross over from your right hand to your left while stepping back slightly (a few inches) with your left foot. This causes an exact opposite change of direction that you are controlling in your defender, he -has- to react. He's giving you too much space if he doesn't. Step 3, time your next move with the defenders close-out. As he steps up to you after you stepped back, then you blow by him with your left as he's stepping towards you leaving him in the dust and you with a clear path to the basket/etc. (Side note: My best move is by using the double crossover, instead of blowing by him with my left when he steps up, cross it back over to your right hand and go that direction. It requires slightly better skill on the crossover, but it's a stronger move for most people as they are right handed most of the time and it will be me attacking with my dominate hand.) If any of that wasn't clear, just ask.

3. Now, the move above was described for a 1-on-1 type, halfcourt offensive move. You also have in-transition crossovers that you do not step backwards on. These are your more consistently -highlight reel- type crossovers. You have to remember the speed that the top-level elite players are moving at. Even from a standstill, it's practically transition speeds once they start moving. With this crossover, the main thing to remember is move your shoulders with the ball around your defender (Example: When crossing from left to right at full speed, drop your left shoulder with the ball when you cross over to your right, and get your left shoulder past your defender. Then you're by them.).

4. Don't focus on the crossover as a way to embarrass your defender. If you're out to embarrass somebody you're not looking for your teammates, you're not making the correct play and you're 9x out of 10 taking your team out of their offensive sets. Iverson was the king of the crossover, but he wasn't the consummate teammate. He dominated the ball and his teammates suffered for it. Sure he got points, won a few games and got some awards. But no rings. His gameplay was unique and amazing to watch, but other than 1 above-average year, he didn't win much of anything. It's a bad mindset.

The crossover is a great skill to have in your bag of tricks, but it should be one of many. Dribble hard and strong, work on manipulating the ball and your defender to the parts of the court where you're more successful and capable of helping your team more often and you'll go a long way.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions on other subjects. I tend to write novels in my replies but I try to be informative. Good luck!