Video: How to Improve 1 v 1

In it's simplest form, basketball success on the offensive end is about breaking down the defense.  The basic building block of that strategy is the ability to beat the man who is covering you.  Once you're able to beat that man then you begin the process of determining whether you're ability to read a defenses reactions is faster than the defensive rotation.  As an offensive player you need to stay one or two steps ahead of the defense.  You need to anticipate what the defense is going to do once you set the dominoes falling when you beat your man.  The key to get the whole process started is beating the man that is covering you.

There are some qualities that you need to keep in mind when you are trying to beat the man covering you:

  1. Be aggressive with your moves.  Do not sit there spending too much time dribbling in front of the man covering you.  He will time your dribble and beat you.  Rather be aggressive.  Make a strong move quickly.

  2. Feel comfortable with fakes, rips and jab steps.  These are your friends.  They help you get a defender moving in one direction without you taking a dribble.

  3. Minimize the amount of dribbles you take.  If you take more than 3 dribbles in your efforts to beat your man you have dribbled too much.

  4. Attack the front foot.  Always look at how the defender is covering you.  If he has one leg in front of the other then always attack that leg.

  5. Use a direct path to the basket.  The old saying "go around the defender" is a misnomer.  You don't want to go around him.  What you want to do is attack his front hip.

  6. Learn to be as low to the ground as possible when making your move.  Your shoulders should be making contact with the defenders hip.  If your shoulders are above the defender's hip your too high.

  7. Be prepared for a countermove if the first move is covered.  Once you make your attempt to beat him if you see you haven't gotten past him be prepared for a counter.  It could be a crossover, a spin, or a step back just to name a few.  Remember you're looking to create space.


 

Nice video from I Love Basketball explaining how to beat your man one on one.

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