How to Perform the Euro Step in Basketball (5-Step Guide)
The Euro Step is an extremely effective move that allows a player with the ball to evade a defender and finish at the basket with a wide open layup.
It's a move that has become much more popular in recent years.
It was used in European leagues for years, but wasn't seen much in North America until around 1989, when Šarūnas Marčiulionis brought it to the NBA.
Manu Ginóbili popularized the Euro Step even further in the 2000s, and now we see players such as James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo use it regularly to devastating effect.
What is a Euro Step?
The Euro Step is a move where the player with the ball will pick up their dribble, take a step in one direction, and then quickly take a second step in a different direction before shooting or passing.
The intention is to get the defender moving one way, and then quickly stepping back the opposite way to create space.
Basketball rules allow ball handlers to take two steps toward the basket to complete a layup or dunk after they pick up their dribble, and the Euro Step is a creative way to use those two steps.
Like any move in basketball, in order to master the Euro Step, you must learn each step and practice it over and over again.
I’ll show you how.
How to Execute a Euro Step in 5 Steps:
There are many variations of the Euro Step that players can use.
But for the below example, we’ll keep things simple and assume a player is attacking the hoop from the right side of the floor.
Now, time for the tutorial:
1. Dribble Toward the Basket
A traditional euro step starts with a player who has the ball attacking the basket.
It doesn’t matter which hand your dribbling with or which side of the court you’re on, the euro step can be used anywhere on the court.
During this example, remember there’s a player between you and the basket
(or else you wouldn’t need to use a euro step, would you?)
Make sure you aren't dribbling the ball too far in front of you, otherwise there’s a chance the defender might steal the ball from you.
2. Pick Up the Ball
As you’re closing in on the basket and the defender in front of you, pick up the basketball while your left foot is on the floor.
This is the “gather step”.
The key is to pick up the basketball when you’re close to the defender and close enough to the basket that you can finish with a layup.
3. Take Your First Step
After you’ve picked up the ball, take your first step with your right foot.
Remembering that our example uses a player attacking on the right side of the floor, this step should be towards the baseline side of the defender.
4. Take Your Second Step
At this point, the defender has hopefully taken a step towards the baseline to cut off where they thought you were going to go.
It’s at this point that you sweep the basketball across your body and take your second step - with your left foot - in the opposite direction.
The offensive player can sweep the ball low (knee height), across the body (chest height), or high (above the head).
(if you sweep the ball high, please make sure your elbows don’t come into contact with the defenders forehead!)
5. Lay the Basketball in the Hoop
If you’ve executed the euro step correctly, you’ll hopefully find yourself wide open in front of the basket.
Jump off your left foot, extend towards the basket with either your right or left hand, and drop the basketball into the hoop.
You’ve officially completed the euro step 🙂
Tips for the Perfect Euro Step
There are several things you should keep in mind while executing the Euro Step (or teaching it to your team).
a. Exaggerate the first step
Some players struggle with the Euro Step because they’re unable to “sell” the fake when they take the first step in their layup.
Exaggerate the movement of your head and body to force the defender to shift.
If you do this correctly, the other steps will be much easier.
b.
Slow down
The Euro Step isn’t meant to be rushed.
Slow down and allow the defender to slide themselves out of the play before you attempt to finish with a layup or shot.
c. Trouble with finishing?
Some players have a lot of trouble putting the ball in the hoop after this move.
It’s an odd movement for players who haven’t practiced it much.
For example, a player executing a right -> left euro step might need to finish with their left hand while their momentum takes them the same direction.
Make sure you practice this move from all angles.
d. Euro Step to pass
You don’t have to finish with a shot every time you use this move.
Players will often find that after executing the euro step, a help defender steps across to contest the shot.
This is often the perfect time to drop the ball off to a teammate for a layup or to toss the ball out to a teammate for a three-pointer.
Conclusion
The Euro Step is a relatively new move in basketball, even though it has been in the NBA for about 20-30 years now.
Still, it wasn't truly popularized until the early 2000s and improved upon again only in recent seasons.
The Euro Step is one of the most dramatic moves a ball handler can make while they dribble.
It's meant to fake a defender into thinking you're heading to the basket one way, only to quickly change gears and head to the basket in the other direction.
This will create space between the ball handler and the defender, making for a much easier layup chance and easy basket.
Ultimate Hoops - How to master the Euro Step
downloadable .pdf
The Euro step is a must-have basketball move in your toolkit. Here the basics of the move and how to progressively practice at home.
About The Euro Step
The Euro step also known as two-step, or long lateral the offensive player picks up their dribble, takes a step in one direction, and then quickly takes a second step in another direction. In this basketball move the offensive player gains the ability to fake out the defender to better attack the basket.
The move is difficult to defend against and also limits the ability for the defender to take a charge as the attacker is driving the basket. The offensive player simply steps to the side of the defender to avoid the charge. Other advantages of the Euro step is the ability to throw off the timing of the defender anticipating to block a shot.
Background
Yes, you guessed it, the Euro step gets its name from the decades it was used in European basketball leagues. The move was brought to the NBA by Šarūnas Marčiulionis in1989, and popularized in the 2000s by shooting guard great, Manu Ginóbili.
Although, it was commonly seen in the early 2000’s the move wasn’t technically legal in the NBA until 2009. The previous rule was a player could only take one step after completing a dribble. In 2009 the rule was changed to “a player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball”.
More recent NBA players to champion the move are James Harden, Dwyane Wade, and of course reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Euro step goes right to the edge of being a traveling violation some officials not familiar with the move may even call it as such. The 2009 two step rule was the first time any league, at any level has explicitly allowed two steps in the game of basketball and it has been difficult for fans watching at home to fully understand it arguing the legitimacy of these athlete’s explosive steps.
Explosive Footwork
A FiveThirtyEight study shows Antetokounmpo can cover 15 feet off a single dribble when driving the basket, given Antetokounmpo’s 7-foot-3 wingspan the Greek Freak is able to start his Euro step from the 3-point line. Weaponizing footwork and stretching the rules to the very limit is changing the way the game is played.
Can you imagine if Michael Jordan had been allowed to take two steps, how many more points would he have scored a game?
Each NBA player has put their own spin on the move; LeBron James completes it with his elbows high, Russell Westbrook goes in for the dunk, Kyrie Irving keeps the ball low and finishes with a layup, Harden extends his arm trying to catch a foul, and Wade was known for dropping his lethal floater.
When to Use the Euro Step
Any time you are going to the hoop with momentum.
Euro Step Practice Progressions
A. Two Steps – No Dribble
Practice first by taking a jab step followed by a side step. Master long, explosive steps.
B. Two Euro Step – Add Dribble
Add your dribble to the jab step – side step combo. Starting inside the 3-point line.
C. Add Finishing Move
Add your shot, layup, reverse layup, finger roll, dunk, floater, fadeaway, quick shot etc.
D. Two Euro Step – Add Distance
Backup starting your Euro step from the 3-point line.
E. Two Euro Step – Add Angles
Start Euro step from different angles and distances on the court.
F. Dribble – Euro Step
Add more dribbles as if you are bringing the ball up the court. Place a cone, chair or chalk mark for an imaginary defender.
G. Add a Defender
Practice against a friend, family member, coach, etc. trying the move from different angles, directions, and speeds.
Euro Step Tips
Start slow, get your footwork down and maintain control before adding quickness
Jab + explosive step. The first move is a jab, the second move should be long and explosive step in a different direction
Pound the ball before you jab step - to give you momentum
Rip ball or sweep the ball over or under the defenders hands as you side step, to protect the ball from getting striped
Long steps – cover as much distance as you can separating yourself from the defender and gaining either a better look to shoot or a closer distance to the hoop making it easier to score
Don’t be predictable, switch up the direction, timing, speed, and angle
Throw your shoulders in the direction of your jab step to sell the defender on your fake
Our Top 5 Euro Steppers
Study these top NBA players to improve your Euro.
1. Manu Ginobili 🐐
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. James Harden
5. Russell Westbrook
Now it’s time to get to work, start practicing the Euro step to add to your scoring arsenal. For inspiration, watch the NBA players putting the Euro step to use.
Share your workout on social with hashtag #KeepPlaying
9 Definitions Every Basketball Player Should Know
Learning to Speak the Same Language
Learning to Speak the Same Language
WE DECIDED TO HELP THE BEGINNERS LEARN BASKETBALL LANGUAGE, TO NOT BE LOST ON THE COURT AND UNDERSTAND BETTER.
!!! If you haven't seen the first article with 11 terms, read it first:
!!! If you haven't seen the first article with 11 terms, read it first:
Basketball terms everyone should know
This word in basketball has two meanings: sometimes they say this about the bench. "Sit on the bank." And sometimes they call it a block shot. We hope that you will distribute cans, and not sit on it.
Another definition for a block shot:
Pick and roll
One of the simple combinations in basketball, which is based on the interaction of two players. The first moves with the ball, the second puts a screen (peak) and after the screen he turns around (roll) and moves to the ring.
Pick and pop
This combination is a variation of the pick and roll, only in this version the player who puts the screen does not move towards the ring, but opens up for a throw.
The difference in playing the combination will be in reading the actions of the defense.
In the 1990s, Utah and their duo of Karl Malone (2 in all-time scoring) and John Stockton (1 in all-time assists) often played this combo.
Eurostep
One of the ways to complete the attack in the passage is when the first step is taken in one direction and the second in the other. This movement began to be popularized by Manu Ginobili, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo stands out with this technique from his size, sweeping steps and powerful dunks from not the most convenient positions.
See a short and simple analysis from the Greek:
Back door
A type of offensive interaction when a player without the ball runs behind his defender and receives a pass there. For a better understanding, watch the video:
Ankle breaker
A term that is often heard in relation to street basketball, although it is sometimes seen at the professional level. This phrase refers to a situation where the ball carrier makes some movement and the defender goes down. In some cases, the ankle is twisted along with this ...
Coast to coast
This is the name given to the passage of one player from his ring to someone else's in a fast break.
Double, triple (triple-double) and quadruple-double
All these terms refer to achievements in statistics per match. Each game is recorded: points, rebounds, assists, block shots and interceptions. When 10+ points are observed for 2 indicators of them, it will be a double. If according to 3 indicators - triple, if according to 4 - quadruple-double.
Interesting fact: Russell Westbrook is the second player in history to average a triple-double per game in 1 season. However, he is the only one who has done this more than once.
Interesting fact
Only 4 people in the history of the NBA collected a quadruple double. The last one was recorded in 1994 by David Robinson.
Do you want to take your first steps in basketball or improve your basic skills? We have a Basic Basketball Skills workout for you. See the schedule and sign up:
SIGN UP
Coach: Yuriy Bespalov
- Professional player of the INANOMO 3x3 team; - Champion of Russia 3x3 2019; - Winner and medalist of the MOFB championship; - MLBL Summer League MVP 2017; - Multiple participant of Moscow Open; - Champion of Moscow 3x3 2017; - MVP GrunisCup 2017.
IF YOU LIKE THE ARTICLE, DON'T FORGET TO SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
MORE ARTICLES FROM
BLOG
We write useful articles about basketball training, basketball shoes and everything related to this beautiful game.
Overview of Dr.Dish CT
basketball cannon What did you play in November in the VTB United League?
Converse All Star BB Evo Mid and Converse G4 Wholehearted Collection High Top.
How the NBA prepares for the 2020/21 season
Nike Kyrie 7. Basketball shoe review.
2 months in Nike Zoom Freak 2
#THIS IS YOUR GROUND on social media:
8 times non-superstars changed the NBA
South Park has a great episode in Season 6 "It's been on The Simpsons." This is the one where Butters, as Professor Chaos, is trying to come up with a way to conquer the world, but it turns out that all the options he came up with have already been depicted in The Simpsons before him.
In my case, it doesn't sound like "It's already been on The Simpsons", but like "This has already been written on the Tribune before you. " Initially, I wanted to write a text about how various techniques of modern basketball appeared, but then I came across the material “Elementary game. Who created basketball in its modern form.
It was a shame. So I decided to change the format a little and make a list of non-star (or at least non-legendary) players who contributed to the NBA game, which few people remember or know about.
I'm sure someone has already written something similar. But if the episode about the secondary nature of creativity in South Park was already in 2002, then in 2018 there is clearly no point in claiming originality.
Mark Price - passing double screens
One of the most underrated innovations for one of the most underestimated players.
Install the Tribuna.com app for Android and iOS. It's all about sports!
Situation: Declarer is screened by one of the front row players. Together with the “big” of the attacking team, the player who keeps him in defense rises to the top. So Price was the first who thought of not running around the “big” who came out for safety net, but sharply leaking between his defender and the opponent’s front line player.
Price doubled the screens and learned to leave two defenders behind him at once, which gave him a meter or two of free space for a medium shot or floater.
“Funny story. The first time I did this technique was by chance in a game against Philadelphia. It was my second year in the league, so I tried my best to improve my game and add new moves to my arsenal. Defending against me at the time was Maurice Cheeks, a four-time All-Star and one of the best defensive players in the league, who was selected many times for the defensive best team.
So, in one of the episodes, I passed a barrier and suddenly saw an absolutely empty space in front of me, as if the Red Sea had parted in front of me. I immediately darted into this corridor and scored an easy ball. I remember how we returned to our half and Cheeks said to me: "You did great." I remember these words, so immediately after the game I reviewed that episode in the recording. Later, I often look for opportunities to pass the screen in this way, so this movement entered my attacking repertoire, ”Price himself said.
Today Dwyane Wade organically incorporated this element into his game...
...Russell Westbrook...
...Damian Lillard (with a run).
Today, every self-respecting point guard should know that he has this option when passing the screen. Thank you Mark Price for this.
Tim Hardaway - UTEP Two-Step
The move mentioned in the subtitle is a sub-type of crossover, where the player first makes a transfer under the foot, and then again sharply transfers the ball to the other hand already in front of him. (The original name of the reception is a reference to the University of Texas at El Paso, where Tim studied). Hardaway mastered this skillfully and became one of the first in the NBA to make the crossover his signature weapon.
After him, Allen Iverson made his “chip” the transfers of the ball, so I considered it necessary to include Hardaway in my list, because this dude managed to break the “crosses”, return and continue to terrorize the defenders with his tricks long before the NBA was everywhere elements of streetball and ostentatious sweeping transfers of the ball entered.
Charles Barkley said in 1991 that "Tim Hardaway is unstoppable." Magic Johnson also admired his sharp transfers of the ball: “He is just like a sheriff from the Wild West. Two ball shots to the floor, bang bang, and you're dead. I love the way he does it."
Install the Tribuna.com app for Android and iOS. It's all about sports!
When it comes to crossovers, people have always compared the godfather, Hardaway, and the main face of this technique, Iverson. Hardaway himself naturally considered himself the father of this technical element and claimed that "Iverson always did the carrying of the ball, not the crossover." Be that as it may, thanks to Hardaway, modern basketball players have got another way to beat an opponent, without which it is difficult to imagine the modern art of dribbling today.
(And yes, Hardaway was a decent star in his day, but somehow it so happened that his legacy today is not as highly valued as, for example, Iverson's).
Kelvin Murphy - "baby" among the giants
Nate Robinson, Earl Boykins. Muggsy Bogues is all cool, of course. But just as the Word was in the beginning, so was Calvin Murphy in the beginning. A man who proved that even being 175 cm tall you can not get lost among the giant pines and prove your worth.
Yes, Murphy wasn't the first - even the "Top 10 Kids in NBA History" text includes people who played before him - but he's the one who's seen as the "pioneer" who made his name in a rapidly growing league. He managed to demonstrate his best basketball in those years when the average height of a player in the NBA was set at modern values and has not changed significantly until now (in 1983, when Murphy retired, the average height of NBA players in inches was 78.95, in 2015 - 78.93; since 83 there have been deviations in both directions, but, for example, according to basketball-reference.com, the average height has changed within one inch).
Murphy's small stature, as with African Americans, is a stretch to call innovation, but his success has set a good example for future generations and proof that you don't have to be Sean Bradley to get into the NBA.
Trent Tucker - 0.3 second rule
On January 15, 1990, with 0.1 seconds left in a game against Chicago, Knicks player Trent Tucker managed to get the ball and hit a three-pointer before the game was up. The shot counted, the Knicks won.
After the game, Bulls coach Phil Jackson protested furiously, and the NBA quickly adopted a new rule requiring a stopwatch to have at least 0. 3 seconds to complete a shot. Less than 0.3 on the clock - and only the option with a sketch on the ring remains. Since then, only David Lee has won the only match for 0.1.
Michael Adams - the first "bullet"
The first three-point shot in NBA history was scored by Chris Ford of the Celtics on October 12 1979th. We all know that Larry Bird was one of the early long-range shooters who adopted the three-pointer as a full part of his game. But do you know how many 3-pointers Bird shot on average per game? No more than 3 pieces in the best years.
In the 90s, a whole galaxy of talented shooters appeared in the NBA, who made the three-point shot an integral part of their offensive arsenal. Here is a list of some of them. At the same time, in brackets, I indicated the number of long-range shots per game in the record-breaking season for this indicator in a player's career.
Steve Kerr (2.9)
Tim Legler (3.2)
Jeff Hornacek (3.2)
Dell Curry (5.2)
Mark Price (5.3)
Glen Rice (5.6)
Mitch Richmond (6.4)
Dale Ellis (6.4)
The further down the list, the bigger the numbers. It was all the more surprising to find a guy who managed to create something in the 90s that could only be repeated a dozen years later, or thanks to changes in the rules.
Denver Point Guard Michael Adams S1990/91. 66 games, 35.5 minutes, 26.5 points, 10.5 assists and 8.5 (!!!) three-point shots per game with 2.5 hits and a percentage of implementation of 29.6.
It was the perfect storm - a utterly useless team (20 wins) playing at a mind-blowing pace (113.7 possessions per game) with no defense (1st in the league in points per game and last in conceded). Adams was not just a bullet, he was a unique character for his time, who for one year turned into the most unashamedly ineffective rogue sharpshooter in the league.
Since his amazingly anomalous season, only George McCloud of Dallas in 1995-96, who was shooting 8.6 threes per game, managed to conquer the bar in 8 three-pointers for the rest of the century. At the same time, we must not forget that McCloud practically cheated, since from 1994 to 1997 the three-point arc in the NBA was moved closer to the rim by half a meter to increase performance.
You could say that Adams's anti-achievement survived into the new century, when in the 2003/04 season, while still in his Hornets uniform, Baron Davis shot 8.7 three-pointers per game with a percentage of 32.1.
Since the introduction of the three-point line, only 10 players have thrown more than 8 threes in a season - the already mentioned McCloud, Adams and Davis, as well as recognized experts in this field - Isaiah Thomas (1 time) Clay Thompson (2), Eric Gordon (2), Ray Allen (2), James Harden (3) and Steph Curry (4).
Adams and Davis occupy the last two places in terms of sales percentage. Adams is 5% behind the worst player on this list after Davis (James Harden in 2016/17, 34.7%) by 5%. So it is he who can be considered the progenitor of the whole kind of bullets.
He also threw weird free kicks:
Darryl Dawkins - new design of rings and backboards
A simple story. In a 1979 game against the Kansas City Kings, Philadelphia forward Darryl Dawkins overhandled so hard he broke the backboard. Well, just like in "Moving Up", only for real. The shield just fell to pieces.
Just a couple of weeks later, against San Antonio, Dawkins repeated the trick. This time, he not only broke the shield, but also tore the ring out of it with the root.
Install the Tribuna.com app for Android and iOS. It's all about sports!
The NBA had no idea what to do at first. At first, representatives of the league warned Dawkins that he would be fined $5,000 the next time for a broken shield. Then it turned out that the fans were delighted with Dawkins' dunks and came up with a bunch of nicknames for him. The NBA changed strategy and included shield-breaking moments in its television promos.
A in season-1981/82 was taken out of harm's way to change the design of the rings. It was then that the first rings on springs appeared, which extinguished the energy of throws from above and transferred them to the entire structure of the ring, and not just the shield. That is why Shaquille O'Neal in the 1992/93 season “tumbled down” two rings, but did not break the shield. In addition, by that time, the shields themselves had already begun to be made from a different material.
By the way, the Kings player, who was hit by shrapnel from a shield broken by Dawkins, was relegated three years later at the age of 29years and in September 1982 committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in his car.
Caron Butler No Plastic Straw Chewing
Butler started chewing plastic straws for drinking in his youth. That's how he dealt with stress.
In the NBA, he did not change his habit and, by his own admission, chewed about 10-12 tubes per game. In 2010, he was banned from doing so by the league due to "security issues".
Sarunas Marciulionis - eurostep
The Eurostep is a basketball technique where the player with the ball stops dribbling and first takes a step in one direction, then abruptly changes direction and takes a second step in the other direction. It sounds very simple, but the reception is really very effective and, with the right performer, effective.
“It's a very creative thing, very different from what they teach us,” then-Toronto player Demar DeRozan said in 2010. “You kind of create the illusion that you’re moving in one direction, but you’re actually going the other way.”
It is believed that one of the first basketball players who brought this element to the NBA was the Lithuanian Sarunas Marciulionis. This is a common belief, but it borders on misconception.
Even before the 80s, both Julius Irving and Elgin Baylor dabbled in what is today called eurostep, but did not use this trick on a regular basis for two reasons. First, the risk of running into a run is high. A sudden change of direction makes the ball carrier seem to freeze on one foot, so the referee has a burning desire to whistle a foul. Secondly, before the massive infusion of European blood into the NBA, the entire league played, as you might guess, according to the American canons, which is tied to athleticism, and not complex technical skills.
“Americans see basketball more in straight lines, while Europeans are more inventive and come up with different ways to get past the opposition,” explains NBA personal trainer David Thorpe.
Marciulionis in character, physical build and stature was completely different from what in the 90s the NBA understood as a "European player". He was tough, tough, tenacious and aggressive.
Slow down
In this basketball move the offensive player gains the ability to fake out the defender to better attack the basket. 
Dwyane Wade
If according to 3 indicators - triple, if according to 4 - quadruple-double. 
" Initially, I wanted to write a text about how various techniques of modern basketball appeared, but then I came across the material “Elementary game. Who created basketball in its modern form. 
So Price was the first who thought of not running around the “big” who came out for safety net, but sharply leaking between his defender and the opponent’s front line player. 
I remember how we returned to our half and Cheeks said to me: "You did great." I remember these words, so immediately after the game I reviewed that episode in the recording. Later, I often look for opportunities to pass the screen in this way, so this movement entered my attacking repertoire, ”Price himself said. 
Hardaway mastered this skillfully and became one of the first in the NBA to make the crossover his signature weapon. 
Hardaway himself naturally considered himself the father of this technical element and claimed that "Iverson always did the carrying of the ball, not the crossover." Be that as it may, thanks to Hardaway, modern basketball players have got another way to beat an opponent, without which it is difficult to imagine the modern art of dribbling today. 
He managed to demonstrate his best basketball in those years when the average height of a player in the NBA was set at modern values and has not changed significantly until now (in 1983, when Murphy retired, the average height of NBA players in inches was 78.95, in 2015 - 78.93; since 83 there have been deviations in both directions, but, for example, according to basketball-reference.com, the average height has changed within one inch). 
3 seconds to complete a shot. Less than 0.3 on the clock - and only the option with a sketch on the ring remains. Since then, only David Lee has won the only match for 0.1. 
Adams is 5% behind the worst player on this list after Davis (James Harden in 2016/17, 34.7%) by 5%. So it is he who can be considered the progenitor of the whole kind of bullets. 
At first, representatives of the league warned Dawkins that he would be fined $5,000 the next time for a broken shield. Then it turned out that the fans were delighted with Dawkins' dunks and came up with a bunch of nicknames for him. The NBA changed strategy and included shield-breaking moments in its television promos. 
This is a common belief, but it borders on misconception. 
