Triple threat is the position when a player facing a defender receives a pass but has not dribbled yet. The offensive player's feet are slightly wider than shoulder width and slightly on the balls of their feet, their knees flexed, with both hands on the basketball in front of them or almost resting on their thigh, presenting the defender with an opponent able to move in any direction. One foot is held as the pivot and the other slightly ahead. From this, the player can choose from three options: to jump-shoot, to dribble (drive) past the defender or to pass it to a teammate. There are also options to get the defender out of their defensive stance by using jab steps and pump fakes.
Pivoting is the act of rotating one's body while keeping the ball of one foot in place on the floor. Most of the player's balance should be on the pivot foot while slightly raising the heel in order to pivot on the ball of the foot. Pivoting can be done with or without the ball as it is an important tool to quickly change direction or orientation to the basket.
A jab step, also known as side step, is performed when a player holds onto the ball before dribbling while his non-pivot leg performs a jabbing forward or side motion. This move is used to test defender's defensive weaknesses and stance. A combination of the pump fake, the drive, the shot and the crossover drive can be performed along with the jab step to lure the opponent out of his defense. New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is well known for taking the jab step, as was 13-year pro Kiki Vandeweghe. When the player does this, the defender falls off from their defensive stance, creating a space between the player and the defender, allowing them to take a quick mid-range jumper, a three-pointer, or a drive "to the lane."
A pump fake (also called a shot fake) is a feigned attempt at a jump shot, restrained before the feet leave the ground. The pump fake is a fundamental move in basketball, used to cause defenders to jump (known in basketball slang as "lifting" the defender) or be shifted off-balance. Its main applications are in the low post area, where a player is much more likely to have his or her shot blocked. On the perimeter, it is useful in creating open lanes to the basket by "showing" the ball enough to entice a defender to attempt to block or steal it, allowing the dribbler to penetrate easily. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade are known to be masters of the pump fake.
An offensive move intended to produce a foul call on the defensive player. A typical strategy is to drive into a defensive player whose feet are not stationary. When the two players make bodily contact, a blocking foul can be called on the defensive player. If the defensive player has a set position (i.e., both feet are stationary and arms are not in a downward motion), the contact can result in a charging foul against the offensive player (this is known as taking the charge for the fouled defensive player). Another way of drawing contact is to pump fake and then jump towards the defender, make contact and then shoot; this gets you to the foul line. If you make the basket (often made in the paint), you get the basket and one foul shot.
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Basketball" and "Rebound (basketball)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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