How to block someone in basketball

There are a lot of spectacular techniques in basketball, which is why this sport has so many fans. The performance of the reception is important for the players, its entertainment is important for the fans. The block shot in basketball is liked by both of them, it meets two criteria. It has other names - a block, a banana, a bank, a bathhouse, and even a fly swatter. In this article, we will look at the block shot basketball technique, why it is so important, how to do it correctly, in what situations it will be appropriate. Also here you will find a list of the best players who are excellent at blocking and have shown their skills to the whole world.

In basketball, a block shot is called a technique when a defender blocks the ball after a shot attempt and changes its direction in a favorable direction, away from the basket. This item is very exciting, especially when done professionally. He delights fans and motivates team members to win. The player whose shot was blocked in this way is credited with a loss of the ball or a miss.

Block shots are not ordinary and simple tricks. This is not just creating a hindrance on the way to your basket, but something more. A good blocker instills fear in attackers, no one wants to compromise their professionalism with a bad throw. Dikembe Mutombo is usually cited as an example, in his performance this protective element is ideal. No wonder Mutombo is considered one of the best blockers among the NBA professional league players. He has a trademark gesture, after each blocked shot, he expressively shakes his finger from side to side, as if to say: “Not on my shift.”

Finesse

Blocking shots is necessary to protect your team, and this is the most important of the techniques. Most of the best defenders use it on a regular basis. They have a title - rim protector, which means protector of the ring.

For a successful execution, high growth is important, it is easier for a tall player to block an opponent's blow. But that's not all, you also need to jump high, correctly assess the situation on the site and respond in a timely manner. A good blocker knows when to jump, what position to jump from. A useful skill is the ability to distinguish a real throw from a false one. If you jump ahead of time, then the fans will laugh at it.

Chasedown Blocks

Chasedown is a special performance and is considered aerobatics to perform. It happens like this: the defender runs after the attacker and jumps at the moment when the ball is already flying into the ring. If everything is done correctly, then the projectile will stick to the shield and fly off in the other direction or fly towards the stands, as is often done in another game, volleyball.

This gets a standing ovation on par with a spectacular slam dunk, but it doesn't happen as often as we'd like.

In the history of sports there are special chasedown blocks. One of them was pulled by LeBron James in Game 7 of the NBA Finals four years ago. When only a few minutes remained until the end of the meeting, and the score was equal, he blocked the rivals' lake-up and these allowed his team to win and become the champion of this season.

How to block shot?

The block shot in basketball guarantees the stopping of the shot, so every defender should master it. This technique becomes a reaction to the opponent's action, so you need to be very careful. If you react to a feint, you can get a foul and give the other team the opportunity to get easy points. In order not to be mistaken, you need to look at the body and legs of the attacker, as soon as the legs come off the surface of the site, then it's time to act.

You should always stand on your toes, from this position you can react to changes in the situation in a matter of fractions of a second. During the jump, it is important to control the position of your body and limbs. You need to jump strictly along a vertical path, without deviating forward or to the sides. If you lean towards the opponent, then you can commit a violation - touching. Hitting the ball backhand is very spectacular, especially at the moment when it has not yet left the attacker's hands. But this, too, can provoke a touch. It is more practical to block-shot at the moment when the ball is already released.

Another important point: to bet or not to bet. The player needs to objectively evaluate their own physical data. Performing a technique is appropriate if you are well prepared in general and ready to jump at a particular moment. You should not try to block someone who is superior in skills and size, this often leads to a foul and lost points.

The best blockers

In basketball, each player has personal statistics. These defenders excelled in block shots.

Hakim Olajuwon

He has 3830 completions, averaging 3.09 per game, and is the clear leader in total. This is a versatile basketball player, he has shown himself equally well both offensively and defensively. Included in the four of those who made a quadruple-double. This is the name for a set of more than ten points due to block shots, assists, rebounds and interceptions.

Dikembe Mutombo

His name has already been mentioned in this article. One of the most effective blockers in the history of the sport. Did 3289considered blocks, which in terms of the number of matches is an average of 2.75 for each. As many as four times he was recognized as the best defenseman in the NBA. His gesture of shaking his fingers began to be repeated by other players of different levels.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

He has always been highly regarded as an attacker, but few people attached importance to his blocking skills. And in vain, because he is in third place in this rating, he completed 3189 cans during his career, which is 2.57 for each meeting.

Mark Eaton

Ranked fourth in total with 3,065 but leads in average at 3.5 per game. No one else has such an indicator. Mark Eaton is an interesting figure in basketball, he did not think about professional training until the age of 21, but the height of 225 cm could not go unnoticed. He was drafted 72nd, but after the first season in the NBA, it became clear that this is one of the best defenders of all time.

Tim Duncan

He is called the most powerful forward, and also - "Mr. Fundamental". Such universal players are appreciated. In defense, he plays not very impressive, but very effective. Completed 3020 receptions, 2.17 for each exit.

David Robinson

Nicknamed The Admiral, he is Tim Duncan's mentor and partner. They were called “twin towers”, and only the most daring and desperate dared to attack their basket. In personal statistics, 2954 blocks, 2.99 per game.

Patrick Ewing

A true legend, the best center of all time. He was always distinguished from others not only by his powerful dimensions, but also by his special intuition. He seemed to always know when to block and when to jump out. True, his instincts let him down when Michael Jordan ran one of his most famous dunks through him. On account of his 2894 great performances, 2.45 in each match.

Shaquille O'Neal

Bet 2,732 pots at 2.26 per game on average. With his impressive size, Shaquille has always been very mobile. His achievements in attack are discussed more often, but one cannot ignore the fact that he became a member of the second NBA defensive team three times.

Tri Rollins

He built a career as a defender, and it turned out great for him. Several times he got into the first and second defensive teams. Made 2542 blocks, 2.2 per meeting.

Robert Parish

Rounding out the top block shots in basketball with 2,361 shots, 1.47 per game. He is the leader in the number of executions of this move among representatives of the Boston Celtics franchise.

Punishment heavenly.

The Sportbox.ru reviewer takes a look at one of the most formidable weapons of the NBA's greatest center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and explains why such an effective basketball technique has become a relic of the past.

I don't like the words "greatness" and "legendary". It always seemed to me that for all their pathos, they sound very mean. They are used when there is no time, opportunity or desire to specify what is the uniqueness and originality of this or that character, work of art, act. Meanwhile, every greatness has its own distinct trait: Diego Maradona's run against England at the 1986 World Cup, the creeping flight of Michael Jordan, who later became the visual personification of an entire industry, Usain Bolt, pointing to the sky after another sprint record. These poses, captured for history, are something like paintings, summing up the accomplishments of their authors. Some are sweeping, bold, others are smooth, verified.

Karim Abdul-Jabbar's painting against the background of all the others looks not just clear, but mathematically impeccable. And even though he did not invent the hook throw (this technique was used before him by the progenitors of the center position, George Mikan and Cliff Hagan), but it was Jabbar who raised the hook to the rank of art, made it a personal hallmark and proved that this is a throw against which, in principle, it is impossible to defend , is a lethal weapon on the basketball court.

It is not necessary to invent something to be remembered by posterity. Cavemen invented drawing, but people will always remember the names of Da Vinci and Van Gogh. No one knows who Dean Berry is, the Georgetown University reserve point guard who played in the 19 season95/96 for a total of 50 minutes. But it was he who, at one of the training sessions, approached the still young Allen Iverson and showed him how best to do the crossover, which then became synonymous with the style of play of the daring playmaker.

Even before converting to Islam and taking the name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the very young Lew Alcindor was diligently honing his hook throw on the grounds of New York. “I played against guys much older than me, and this was the only shot after which the ball did not fly off in my face after another block shot. Therefore, I learned it at an early age and could perform it even at speed, without prior preparation, ”Jabbar explains his choice.

In the future, fate gave the player another incentive to focus on improving what he was already far from an ignoramus. While playing for the university team, Alcindor became the target of one of the most significant cases of racial segregation. The NCAA leadership, citing the player's excessive dominance, forbade him to score from above. Each Alcindor dunk was punishable by two free throws and a return of the ball to the opponent. The same penalty as for a technical foul. Liu adapted and used the circumstances to keep improving. The result - three championships in a row and 88 matches won out of 90.

All this shot lacked was a catchy name, but this "problem" was quickly dealt with by Eddie Doucette, a Milwaukee staff commentator who was Jabbar's first team in the NBA. During the next throw, Doucette said in amazement: “Did you see this hook throw?! The ball flew along such a trajectory, as if it had fallen from heaven - this is a skyhook.

And, indeed, Jabbar raised this technique not just to the rank of art, but rather even brought out the basketball theory of mechanics. Every movement during the execution of the hook was precisely justified and verified. The next few sentences will be like an excerpt from a physics textbook, but still try to realize how much physical and mental work needs to be done in order to bring this work to automatism.

You don't have to jump high to be efficient. The main thing is that the pushing leg is in tension even in the jump phase. A vertical straight line, which can be visually drawn from the toe of the pushing leg and further up, serves as a kind of axis for the entire structure. To increase the center of gravity and, thereby, increase the ability to control the balance, Jabbar squeezed his right leg at the knee. To increase the distance between the defender, he extended his left arm, and thus the opponent was isolated from the throwing arm not only by the body of the center, but also by additional space.

But the main thing was not even all of that. “When you throw with a hook, you force the defender to wait for the moment when you jump up. And since this throw consists of more elements than the standard one, the defender somehow tries to calculate the distance and time to block you. And while he is busy with all this calculation, you have the advantage of surprise. Plus, all these thoughts take a fraction of a second, and most often the guardians simply do not have enough time to block the hook, ”Jabbar explained.

Many searched for an antidote. At first, they tried to patronize Jabbar together, but both in the Bucks and in the Lakers, Karim had such partners, a pass to which brought almost the same guaranteed two points. Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jamal Wilks, Michael Cooper - choosing which one to double guard against is like choosing how to commit suicide. A free player, albeit not with a hook, but still scores.

Others tried to block the old fashioned way, but even here no one could find a refutation of Jabbar's theory. “I don't remember anyone blocking my hook. Maybe there were a couple of times, but in those cases when I simply did not see the second player. Manute Bol (the famous Sudanese center with a height of 231 centimeters) was 13 centimeters taller than me and repeatedly tried to cover me, but it never came out, ”summarizes Jabbar.

But like any art form, hook throwing has had to undergo changes over time, and radical ones at that. Today, few people have this throw in their arsenal. For modern centers, it is too difficult, especially in the current pace of the game. In addition, it requires a whole set of initial data from the player: a soft brush, plasticity, polished movements. In modern realities, centers are more focused on the physical game, they devote more time to working in the gym, and the growth of muscle mass directly affects the above components. Many fifth numbers hardly convert free throws, to say nothing of the hook throw.

And, perhaps most importantly, each time has its own characteristics, and the words of another outstanding Lakers center, Shaquille O'Neal, speak about this best of all. “This is one of the most effective shots in the history of basketball, but I am a child of hip-hop and the 90s, for me it simply does not look cool,” Shaq admits with a guilty smile.

And there is much more truth in this than meets the eye. “Hook throwing is not a technique that makes girls squeal. However, it requires constant polishing. I worked on him knowing that I would use him to become the highest scoring player in NBA history. I had a goal and I achieved it. Modern guys have different goals, and for many it simply does not make sense to spend so much time working out the hook,” Jabbar said.

And, indeed, the end justifies the means. The modern NBA moves further and further away from the rim every year and moves towards the 3-point line.

Learn more

• 
  How to do good moves in basketball
• 
  How to make a homemade mini basketball hoop
• 
  How to anchor basketball hoop
• 
  How many fouls in basketball to foul out
• 
  How many scholarships does syracuse basketball have
• 
  Basketball how to play the game
• 
  How do i become a basketball player
• 
  How to set up a basketball hoop lifetime
• 
  How to meet and date a basketball player
• 
  How can we play basketball
• 
  How to be a good score in basketball