Kevin Durant Shooting Drills and Workout With Videos

What about on the pop out doing a jump stop? would that be as effective?

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The first video (where Durant posts, cuts and then drives to the hoop) presents a very good example of an almost perfect basketball move. "Almost"—because it''s a traveling. And it will be traveling all the time. Right, they don''t call it in the NBA. Right, good players execute the sweep really fast. But it doesn''t change the fact that the move is illegal. Which raises the question of how and what we teach as coaches. Should we teach players to be 100% law-abiding, so to speak, vs. real-world-effective?

General statement is simple: if you want to go to the hoop with one dribble and finish off the "correct" foot (e.g., jumping off your left foot when you go right and lay it up with your right hand)—your pivot foot (as you start your drive) should be your right foot if you go right and your left foot if you go left. Otherwise it will be a traveling. Why? Because it''s mechanically impossible to adjust your feet if you go, for example, right off your left pivot foot. Remember, we consider one-dribble-drive situations only. Remember also, that the ball should leave your hands before you lift your pivot foot. Just try it in slow motion, and you''ll see. If you go right off your right pivot foot life is easy: right foot on the ground, left foot goes forward, the ball is thrust forward, now the pivot foot is lifted (left foot on the ground), one step, right foot on the ground again, the ball is caught, one step, finish off the left foot with the right hand. But with your left foot as pivot... you won''t be able to do that. And what really happens in most cases is that players just quickly change their pivot foot while the ball is still in their hands.
Check 0:54–0:58 sequence on the video. As you can see, the ball is still in the Durant''s hand as the pivot (left) foot has already left the floor. You can watch any NBA game, rewind any drive of that kind (there are a plenty in every game)—same thing. Traveling all the time. It doesn''t mean that the sweep as a move is wrong per se. Of course not, it''s very effective. But—as long as we stay in the realm of idealistic, imaginary basketball where every violation is noticed by the refs—you should know: if you perform the sweep of that sort, your options do not include a convenient, "comfortable" one-dribble drive. You should either jump off the "wrong" foot (Steve Nash is probably the best in this department), or shoot on the first step, or incorporate another dribble. And you will never be able to start your drive in that lightning-quick manner. You can only be lightning-quick when you go to the right—off your right foot, or to the left—off your left foot.

That''s why, I think, it''s critical to teach players to be able to use either foot as pivot. And to be patient with that, not try to define a pivot foot too soon. For example, one very common teaching pattern is (for right-handed players) "jump stop to receive the pass, get the ball while in square position, put the ball on your hip, pivot on your left foot to protect the ball from the defender, then jab step with your right foot to create space". Great, but this way you voluntarily lose the best option you could ever have— immediate drive to the right off your right foot. Yet so many players just do not do that. They''re used to use only one foot as their pivot, and that''s how they do it. By the way, that hurts them in various post-up situations too.

"Shoot with either hand" is a very well known recommendation. "Drive off either foot", I think, is none the less important.

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Concur with Stepan. Traveling on the first step of the dribble is SO common now that referees don't want to have to stop the game every time a player does this. However, it is still a prominent part of the travel rule, in high school, college, NBA and FIBA.

If you are going to use the sweep and not travel you have to really practice being ball quick in order to get the ball released as you take your first step.

In the shooting workout video, most of the repetitions with the sweep have a travel violation of picking up the pivot foot before the ball is released for the dribble. On the sweep and pull-up shot, the player does a better of job of getting the ball down on the first step, so it is just a matter of emphasis and awareness.

To fix this anomaly, try insuring that the ball hits the floor with the foot of the first step. Consider it a "sync point" for the timing of the 3-step attack.

This is not to take away from the point of the video, which is the effectiveness of the post cut. Great job on the write-up and presentation though. Appreciate all you do in sharing tips for young players to get better.

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Thanks for the comments, Rick and Stepan. You have some good picture-takers (eyes), because I had to put that in slow motion to notice the travel off of the 1 dribble progression.

Stepan, I'm not sure if you're saying to disregard the move altogether or not. I certainly would not. It's highly effective and as Rick said, the move just needs to be synced.

Stepan, I agree on your statement on "correct" jumping foot or finishing hand. Jump off whatever foot gets you to the rim the quickest. Finish with whatever hand that you need in order to score. You don't want to slow down for the defense to catch up. And you don't want to give the defense an easy block to use the "correct" hand.

Thanks guys!

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I hadn't really considered the traveling aspect of that move, so thanks for the heads up on that. However, I have a middle-school daughter who learned that move from a basketball camp she attends (by former NBA player, Dave Jamerson). She has used it a bunch and has never been called for traveling. That is in both middle school and travel basketball. My daughter is not very quick, but this is a deadly move to beat a defender.

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Joe, it's not my eyes (not even my glasses superimposed on them&#9786) that should receive credit, it's my understanding of what is possible and what's not. You just can't go off the left pivot foot to the right, take one dribble and finish jumping off your left foot. Never. So when I see a player defining his pivot foot and then driving like that I just know it's a traveling, no need to watch the replay. Unfortunately (or maybe not) refs wouldn't wait to see how the player finishes on the rim, they either call a violation immediately (very rarely) or "let the guys play".

In fact, I made two major points in my rather prolonged previous post.

First, do we only have to teach what is "correct" and in accord with the official rules of basketball? It's just a question, I don't know the answer. Quite a few popular moves are illegal. For example, take a classical drop step to the baseline (Tim Duncan's favorite): a couple of dribbles into the lane to move the defender (let's say, attacking his chest with the left shoulder), the left foot is planted, the ball is caught (so the left foot is now a pivot foot), the player pivots on the left foot, then the right foot is planted, then the left foot is lifted and planted again to find balance, little jump hook. Travel? Nope, play on!
See, for example, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1-2PYoGhA (around 0:48).
Personally, I don't teach this move because I know: it's illegal. The only way to execute this move correctly is to shoot a one-leg jump hook (off the right foot). But it's only natural to plant the left foot! Everybody does that, and many to a great success! So... should we teach that?

Second, I tried to emphasize not the move (the sweep) itself and not even the way the move was executed. The point is, there are things that are just impossible. The sweep itself is a very good move, one of the best against a close defender. And the reverse pivot is one of the staple moves, too. It's all fundamentals, the very grit of basketball. And, of course, you can combine these two all right, no doubt about it. But you can't expect taking one dribble and dunking the ball with ease after that. It is not what you should train. Because it's impossible. Again—if we respect the rules (see above). And what you should train was perfectly described by Rick: synchronize, learn to put the ball down in time, focus on the first step.
But most of all—understand that you won't blow past your defender going in the "uncomfortable" direction (and by "uncomfortable" I mean the direction opposite to the pivot foot initially defined). If you want to blow, if you want to shine and throw down monstrous dunks go right off your right foot and left off your left foot. If you go the "uncomfortable" way (which is an absolute necessity in many cases) you can still be very effective, you can still take your man to the hole... but it won't be an easy ride of glory. You should be prepared to shot a teardrop (tremendous asset for any player), to finish jumping off the "wrong" foot, to stop on both feet, to add an extra dribble... And this is what should be taught and practiced. Not the reverse pivot-sweep-one-dribble-slam dunk combination. Reverse pivot, sweep, TWO dribbles, dunk off the left leg? Yes, it's possible.

But the question remains: do we only have to teach what is "right"?

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Stepan,

Regarding travels, I don''t know the answer either. I think a coach just has to do what they believe in and go with it. Personally I think that as long as the player is moving the ball towards the floor before their pivot comes up, I''m good with that. If it''s a blatant travel, we''ll address that. But I''m personally not a stickler for making sure they are precisely following the rule book. I think that would be a full time job and there''s enough to do for these kids the way it is.

Regarding the pivot moves... Are you saying coaches should not teach and players should not practice the reverse pivot-sweep-one-dribble-layup/dunk from the perimeter?

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I'm only saying that it can't be executed without traveling, let alone some unrealistic scenarios like throwing the ball 15 feet ahead and then picking it up under the rim.
Blatant traveling or not... that's the way it goes. And who am I to say that it goes wrong? In the rules you won't find a special definition of what a "blatant" traveling is as opposed to "non-blatant". Traveling is traveling. And vice versa, non-traveling is non-traveling. Have you seen many players who would catch the ball, raise one foot, put it down, make their move, then raise the pivot foot and stay this way for some time without trying to get rid of the ball immediately? Have you seen many coaches who would coach that? I haven't. The assumption is "you can lift your pivot foot first, but only a fraction of a second earlier". Wrong, nothing like that in the rules (FIBA & NCAA). You can raise your pivot foot and rest on your second foot as long as you like. Of course, unless you start dribbling the ball after that or put you pivot foot back on the floor. I like to play "egret" to illustrate this rule for the new players. I ask one of the guys to pass me the ball, then I catch the ball and raise one foot like an egret in the water. Travel? "No travel, coach". Then I put my foot down, raise my pivot foot and now play an egret with my pivot foot in the air. "Travel, travel!" No travel. As shock subsides, players start realizing how many new opportunities this "new" rule brings, especially in the post.

This is just another example of how real life is different from the book. As a coach, you're trying constantly to bridge this gap...

I'm just curious what other coaches think of that.

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Stepan,

Thanks for clarifying...

However I feel obligated to point out that this statement is not correct:
"you can't do a reverse pivot-sweep-one-dribble-layup/dunk from the perimeter without traveling"

If you're on the right side of the floor, you just jump off your right foot and you avoid the travel. This gets you to the basket in fewer steps and is quicker. This is a basic fundamental few coaches teach but they should. Here's a good drill and article addressing the subject:
http://www.basketballsbest.com/OffensiveFtwork.htm

I thought you were eluding to this concepts in one of your earlier posts but maybe not.

Regarding travels, if I made sure all my players were following the rules precisely 100% I would do nothing but spend time making sure players are not traveling and committing violations. We are looking at one instance of a travel (and you can barely see the ball isn't out of the hand without watching in slow motion). I'm sure there are many more if you watch film and pay close attention to the exact steps, when the ball is put down, when it's picked up, whether players landing with 2 feet at the precise exact same time, etc. I mean I could go on and on about all kinds of technical details where we would call violations on players. I won't spend time listing all those situations here but you see it in games all the time. If I did that, that's all we'd do in practice. And if refs could actually see all that, games would take 3 hours to finish.

You're right traveling is traveling. If we called every one in the game it would be pretty boring and/or every single coach would have to go about things very different. Just just my take on it.

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"If you're on the right side of the floor, you just jump off your right foot and you avoid the travel."

Jeff, my point exactly. Go right off your right foot, left off your left foot as much as possible. Do not hurry to define your pivot foot if you have a choice. Be able to go in either direction.

Regarding following the rules and observing violations, I should emphasize the critical difference: there are things that can be executed properly (at least theoretically) and there are those that can't. That's the problem. True, 2 feet might be probably landed one after another. But they CAN be landed simultaneously. So it's just a specific mistake by a particular player. Next time he'll do the same move without violation. But you wouldn't TEACH to stop on one foot instead of two, would you?
In the case of Durant's move the move just CAN'T be executed properly. You can't choose your left foot as pivot, go right with one dribble and finish off your left foot—without a travel. The only way to do it is to add an extra step before you catch the ball which is impossible in most cases.
So I'm not proposing to watch every move and stop the practice every time someone made a slightest mistake. It is only a question of what we teach and what we should teach. A question, not the answer, as I've already mentioned above.

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Jeff & Stepan, I think you guys are confusing each other and pretty much saying the same things with different terminology. I could be wrong tho...lol.

BOTTOM LINE....

This is something that should be practiced and it will make you a much better player.

Like any other move, try to avoid traveling with your teaching.

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Its not traveling until the pivot foot returns to the floor. So it doesn''t matter if they lift the pivot foot before ball leaves hand to dribble. otherwise a post drop step move would be a travel and any jump shot would be a travel.

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I think that everyone is making some good points here. I don't believe that anyone purposely teaches a move that could be called a travel.

I have seen some kids do some things that are travels and not get called.... because they are doing it so quickly its hard to detect. I had one kid do a drop step to the basket without a dribble... did this for 3 years and never got called... he was that quick. I wasn't about to change that move.

Jeff is right, the games would never end IF they called every infraction, hands on, pushing, stepping on the end line as a defensive move to stop someone beating you.

A lot of refs that I know call the game advantage / no advantage.... just to keep the flow of the game going. JMO

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Ben, in defining travel not only the pivot foot must be considered but also what a player does with the ball. You can lift your pivot foot and then shoot or pass the ball. But you can't lift your pivot foot and then start dribbling the ball. It is a major division defined clearly in the rules.
And yes, many drop steps are travels as I mentioned above (for example, Tim Duncan travels in many cases). This fact only adds to my point: what should we teach?
As for the jump shots, I can't see why they are dangerous in this regard.

Ken, moving under the hoop without dribbling is, I believe, one of the most underestimated skills in basketball. One note though: you don't have to be quick to do that. There is a variety of moves that can be executed legally at any speed you like. For example, you can perform a beautiful up-and-under move and finish strong off one leg (instead of that ugly "falling forward-trying to get rid of the ball asap" shot we see so often at all levels in this situation)—without a single dribble. When I worked with the guys on developing post game we always started with no-dribble moves. With counters, you can easily have as many as dozen perfect no-dribble moves leading to an open look at the basket.

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Stephan -

I think that you make a lot of good points in your posts here..

I always tell Jeff, Joe, Dr. Gels and some other coaches - I only wish that I knew about some sites on the net, I know I would have been a lot better coach, gaining a lot more knowledge instead of learning the hard way.

This is a GREAT site for coaches & players of all ages & levels.

..... but trust me on this one, it WAS a travel, this kid would drop step and bring his other foot around, put it on the ground and power up... two steps - no dribble is travelling. I had another kid who wanted to do that.... he tried it in games and got called for the travel, he wanted to know why HE was getting that call and Chris wasn't. I had to tell him that he was too slow... so I showed him the proper way, a pound dribble between his legs as he made the move... all was good after that.

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Ken, it seems like your quick guy vs. slow guy situation is a perfect example summing up all the discussion. :) You know that someone on your team is effective though illegal, rules-wise. You have a choice: to correct or to let him enjoy his ability to violate the rules. You chose to let him enjoy. Is it wrong, in my book? No way, it is not. But I see the crossroads here, and an obvious one. Ok, if I'm the head coach of the Celtics tomorrow I'm not gonna try to fix some of Kevin Garnett's bad habits in the post. He obviously travels in some 30 % of his one-on-one moves—I don't care, he is a great player, refs call him for that once a season.
But if you coach a younger player, and your responsibility is to develop his game... what should you do? What would you do? That's the question.

Some things just go unnoticed. There are certain grey zones that most coaches and players prefer not to think of. This particular move that we can see on the top of this page is one example of such grey zone. Durant does that, MJ did it (remember his famous one-hand fake, a couple of jabs, then a diagonal drive across the lane and magnificent finish on the rim?), everybody does that. But it's illegal. Not in some particular case, it's illegal by nature, you just can't do that right. Hadn't Durant committed a travel he would have had to finish off the right leg or shoot a floater on the previous step. No way to change that. This grey zone has a very simple decoding key: illegal.

...but everybody does it, and it's effective. Should I teach it?

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why even post this video. left hand left side not even fundimental

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Parker, what do you do if you are finishing on the left side and the defense is on your left side? Do you still try to finish with your left hand and give the defense a better chance to block it or do you protect the ball from the defense and finish with your right?

If you are a good basketball player, you should have the ability to finish with either hand and either leg from each side of the basket.

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You beat me to that Joe.... I agree, the good players can do that. If not, you are limiting yourself to how you can finish. JMO 2


If you are a good basketball player, you should have the ability to finish with either hand and either leg from each side of the basket.

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After doing these drills, i felt that i had better shooting chances in a game. I can also impress others with these sweet moves. especially the girls.psychic. But if you just practice these drills, this can get you better shooting opportunities in a game.

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Hi, all. I know this is two years after the discussion was had, but after reading all the comments, I disagree with Stepan's premise that it's impossible to direct drive for one dribble and then take two steps without traveling. I break it down to my kids all the time and it goes like this:

First of all, it is imperative that you teach your kids to explode off your pivot foot, not the stepping foot. When you put the weight on your stepping foot, your pivot foot naturally lifts off the ground. By putting your weight on the pivot foot and pushing off it while the ball is leaving your hand, you eliminate the traveling violation before the dribble.

So now the question becomes, can we make this move explosively without traveling after the dribble? The answer is yes, and it has to do with our footwork before we pick up the ball.

If you think about it, we don't only take one step while we dribble. While we can do so, that's not commonly the case. Try it right now---take a basketball and do right-hand pounds while moving down the court at game speed. How many steps are you taking during each dribble? It's not 1, that would be awkward and constraining for the ballhandler. We naturally take two steps with each dribble. We can take more steps if we push the ball out, but the natural motion is a pair of steps on every dribble.

So the same goes on a direct drive. The ball can leave our hand while the right foot is moving forward. It can then hit the ground and come back into our hand as the left foot is moving forward. As the ball comes back into the hand, the player then steps right/left and finishes with a right-hand layup off the left foot.

Stepan is right that many players do this move while traveling, but it is not impossible to do without traveling. It can be very difficult to learn how to do it, and then to learn how to do it explosively, but it can be done and I have done it with several of my players.

While it's naturally easier to crossover drive for a one-dribble finish, the direct drive is a more complex move and also a more effective one because it allows you to cover more ground during the dribble.

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All the best for all the player . in furtur in your places i will be.

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Great video, I will be sure to work on this.

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I will be sure to include this in my game. However, in the second part of the video, the teen that was demonstrating the moves was traveling. He would get the ball, pivot, and then swing the other one around without dribbling. Any good ref would call that traveling. However, I get what they are trying to say, and it is a great idea!

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This play is not that good no more learn some more better plays like a fast break play

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finist says: 10/10/2022 at 2:33:01 PM thanks for the negative comment Like     login   register