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  1. #1
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    Default How to beat the big dude.

    Looking for ideas or tips. Constantly I find my self on breaks and often the only person I have to beat is the other teams center waiting under their ring to block me. I get intimiadated and end up taking like a short 10ft jump shot but am looking for tips to get to the ring with out getting blocked.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    Eurostep is all you need. It's not easy to master though.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    I think it sort of depends upon a number of factors. For one, how much bigger is this guy than you are? Is it a 6'7'' to your 5'6''? Second, is he cutting you off on the break or just more or less waiting near the basket for you? If he's not actively defending you (again, if he's more or less established position below) a Euro-step or spin may not be effective. To be perfectly honest, in a secondary break situation (like the one I'm describing above) where a defender has the opportunity to set himself near the basket and he's much larger than you, a pull up jumper isn't the worst choice in the world.

    On the flip side, if it's more of a bang-bang fast break on the run situation, where the big man is perhaps running along side of you or is very quickly trying to get beneath the basket but still moving, I always encourage initiating the contact. Some of the easiest shots to block come when an offensive player is doing everything in his power to avoid the defender. This allows that defender to extend and block many shots. But when a player dictates the contact, it becomes much tougher for the defense to pick their spots.

    For instance, I'm no Dikembe Mutombo, but I'm about 6'3'' or 6'4''. Last week I played against a dude three years younger than me, but standing only about 5'10'' and carrying a significant amount of weight. I felt maybe I'd have to purposely not block his shot all the time to make things more fair. However, he actually ended up being awfully savvy at dictating contact, as I mentioned, and he was able to get off a lot of layup attempts I wasn't really planning on letting him get off. His bumps were just enough to displace my timed jump and it put the proverbial ball in his court. He surely still had a pull-up jumper in his repertoire, but when he drove, he had no problem confronting the defense and displacing them, thus allowing a relatively open layup attempt.

    Another option on the fast break, as always, is the reverse layup. If a big man is trying to time out a block, he more or less has to plan on you finishing on the same side of the glass. Attempting a solid reverse will neutralize most of what the trailing defender was planning.

    But more than anything else, make sure you're aggressive and unafraid of anyone and everyone on the basketball court. If a big man's getting back on defense and he's not planning on taking a charge, don't be afraid to attack that guy with fury. Basketball can often be skewed heavily in the offensive player's favor. If you blast to the hole and you collide with the non-stationary defender, you're usually either going to have an opportunity to make your shot, you're going to get fouled, or both. For me, if I'm opening up on a break and I spy a defender attempting to run back, I'm winding up and attacking like a freight train.
    Last edited by Rake2204; 09-03-2012 at 09:24 AM.

  4. #4
    Good college starter Burgz V2's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ai2death
    Looking for ideas or tips. Constantly I find my self on breaks and often the only person I have to beat is the other teams center waiting under their ring to block me. I get intimiadated and end up taking like a short 10ft jump shot but am looking for tips to get to the ring with out getting blocked.
    taking the jumpshot is not necessarily the wrong thing to do in that situation. if you can hit that shot it will actually force the big to come meet you earlier if he knows you can make it.

    on 2 on 1s you should always try and attack the rim though. the best way to beat a big guy on the break is to use your momentum to your advantage. you have a running start and he might be running too, but he'll probably be back-pedalling or something like it.
    when you get to the point where you're thinking about going for the layup, you have to set your defender up where he'll be least likely to make a play.
    like i said your speed and momentum should be your advantage here. when you jump, find your defender and literally jump into his chest. dont swing your arm out because its an offensive foul but keep both hands on the ball and jump into his chest with your shoulder. this will likely

    1) get your defender under the basket where he can't make a play on the ball

    or

    2) give you more than enough space to finish

    the teams i've coached i like taking the pads off the wall and bumping them during fast break drills telling them that I shouldnt be bumping THEM but they should be bumping me.

    i try not to rely on the eurostep in this situation because it actually has no counter if someone steps in front and reads it. if you're REALLY quick it can be useful but it can lead to some bad habits. I think you're much better off doing it this way because you are not shying away from the contact, rather, you are embracing it and using it to your advantage

  5. #5
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    if he is soley there waiting for you under the basket then you basically have to do a tear drop or pull up for jumper


    if he is running with you either trailing or right there with you, do a pump fake or dream shake to get him in the air then finish

    reverse lay up to use the rim to get better position


    there's another option, just dunk on the guy.......lol

  6. #6
    o()xxx[{::::::::::::> SourPatchKids's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    I've played a lot of guys like Rake said, and their was a kid on my middle school team who was kinda chubby, a couple inches shorter than me, but was super aggressive and loved contact. I remember hating to guard him in one on one drills cause I would always receive a headbutt to the teeth and my coach would just be lie good job playing physical!

  7. #7
    Out here Pushxx's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.


  8. #8
    Serious playground baller
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    ^^^ one of my favorite moves, they catch on quick though so come up with a counter. I like to do that fake then spin then go up and under.

    Steph Curry does it well too

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x_C9EVES7M

  9. #9
    College superstar kNicKz's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.


  10. #10
    Game. Set. Match. bdreason's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    10 ft jumper is a good shot. Problem with streetball is that if you take it the rim, the defender has no incentive not to foul you. There is no fouling out or free throws.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    in the paint floater. It's very easy to practice and it should be reliable after a month of practice

  12. #12
    Mohamed Bamba IGotACoolStory's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    Right, use a floater. Any person 6-0 and under should probably have that shot down. Or I don't know how you got through high school basketball unless you have insane hops and just dunked on people.

  13. #13
    Local High School Star 2swift4u's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    I find the euro step to be a helpful move when the defender is basically waiting for you under the basket. So far when I did it the defenders always bought it and kinda went out of my way. But you really have to practice the euro step a lot in order to do it on the fly without having to think too much about the steps.

    making contact right before the layup also works well, but I'm not really good at that so I can't give you any advice.

  14. #14
    Saw a basketball once
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    If you're playing in an officiated game I like to try to get off a quick pull up jumper first to get him thinkin faster for the block. Then follow it up with a spin/drop step, followed by an up and under.

    Basketball is much easier when you are moving at the pace you want to and your opponent is having to change directions and is thus thrown off.

    If they're really really really really good and more athletic, get used to setting lots of picks and trying to get him to follow you out of the paint.

  15. #15
    #Trump4Treason nathanjizzle's Avatar
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    Default Re: How to beat the big dude.

    theres nothing wrong with killing the fast break because someone is ahead of you. but if hes a big slower dude and hes at the rim and you must finish over him my advice is, slow down your approach to the basket and get closer to the basket than you would trying to attack the rim immediately. This allows you to not have to do a crazy athletic move just to finish since your closer to the basket, once u get close enough, just out jump him, hes too big to elevate faster then you, and the fact your closer to the rim youll have a quicker release.

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