How to Easily Get Past Your Defender with the Hesitation Move (Step by Step)
If you clicked on this article, I assume you want to learn the hesitation move – a basketball move that leaves defenders in the dust!
The goal of the hesitation move is to get defenders to temporarily rise up out of their defensive stance, giving you an extra second to dribble past your defender on your way to the basket.
And when the defenders get off their feet, the crowd will get off their feet as well!
Your hesi will not only earn you a trip to the basket but it might also earn you a viral clip on social media!
But how do you execute the hesitation move?
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to instantly add the hesitation move to your dribbling arsenal…
Step 1 – See The Open Lane
First and foremost, be in a triple-threat position while making the hesitation move. Being in a triple-threat position means you are in a position to either pass the ball to an open shooter, attack the basket, or shoot the ball off the dribble.
Obviously, the hesitation move is most effective when the dribbler has all three of these options available. The more of a threat you are to make a jump shot off the dribble, the more effective the hesi will become.
Do you want to know who uses the hesitation move to great effect?
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Curry has one of the best hesitation moves in the NBA today because defenders have to respect his jump shot.
Curry always positions himself where he can create an open lane to the basket with his hesitation move. He normally starts by dribbling on the left side and then goes towards the middle with his strong hand.
That way, Curry always has a straight path to a right-handed layup when his hesitation move freezes the defender at the top of the key.
Step 2 – Get The Ball Into The Dribble Pocket
Now you have the lane to the basket in sight, it is time to change the defender’s eye level.
How do you do this?
You pretend like you are about to shoot the ball! You just raise your dribble higher than normal.
The key is to establish eye contact with the defender. If your eyes go up as you get into your dribble pocket, your defender will naturally rise up to match your eye level.
This gives you a split-second advantage to get by your defender!
Something to be careful about: keep your dribble below your waist and place the ball between your dribbling hand and the floor. Otherwise, the referee will most likely call a carrying violation on you.
Step 3 – Align Your Feet To The Basket
By getting the ball into your dribble pocket, you have successfully convinced the defender that you are going up for a shot. You are now a step ahead of the defender.
You MUST align your feet the right way if you are to take advantage of this extra step.
There are two ways you can align your feet out of the hesitation move.
Stationary – feet are aligned towards defender (use this to set up the crossover)
On the Move – lead foot is pointed towards basket (use this to set up the in-n-out dribble)
My advice would be to experiment with aligning your feet both ways, then stick to what works best for you. Your footwork will eventually develop over countless repetitions to where it will be second nature to you.
Step 4 – Fan The Ball With Your Off Hand
Fanning the ball is defined as raising your off hand as you get into your dribbling pocket. It will look as if you are mimicking your shot motion just as you are making the hesitation move.
The goal of fanning the ball is twofold: 1) to keep the ball away from the defender’s hands; 2) to convince the defender that you are going up for a shot.
The key is to move your off-hand directly in the defender’s line of sight.
Good defenders will look at the torso region. If you can alter the defender’s line of sight, then will change the defender’s eye level.
To do this, place your off hand parallel to the ball just as you rise up for the hesitation move. It will look like your off-hand is a guide hand for when you shoot the ball.
Step 5 – Set Your Eyes On The Rim
Surely, you have heard this before from your coach.
“Look up while dribbling! Don’t look on the floor!”
Let me take it a step further from your coach: always look at the basket while dribbling.
Again, to sell the hesitation move, you have to convince the defender that you are going to shoot the ball. Having your eyes on the rim means you are a threat to shoot the ball.
Step 6 – Make An Explosive Direct Step
You just made a nice hesi! You are now one step ahead on the defender!
Now it’s time to make an explosive direct step to get to the basket!
Take one hard dribble to the free-throw line area. You will then be in an ideal triple-threat position: you can either attack the basket, take the short jump shot, or pass to an open teammate.
All three of these options are great!
But what if the defender catches up to you?
Step 7 – Get Low With Shoulder (To Defender’s Hip)
Once past the defender, you should get as low as possible in order to setup the final move.
A rule of thumb is to dip your off arm lower than the defender’s lead hip, which automatically puts you a step ahead of the defender.
Think of it as a race to the free-throw line between your off shoulder and the defender’s hip.
When you win that race, you are in control of what happens next. Dipping your shoulder also helps you make the next move.
If you pull up for a jumper, you’ll need to start from a lower stance to generate power for the jump shot.
If you attack the basket, getting low will give you the power to finish strong.
If you pass the ball to an open teammate, staying low gives you more power if the ball is going all the way to a shooter at the three-point line.
Most of the time, a straight line hesi is going to work. But what happens when it does not work?
Here is why a crossover is the perfect countermove to the hesitation move.
How to Do a Crossover Hesi
The logical countermove to a straight-line hesitation move is a crossover. When the defender is thinking you will go straight, crossing over will give you an extra step past the defender.
But how do you execute the crossover of a hesitation move?
Check out this video below!
Here are three scenarios in which a crossover off a hesitation dribble would be most effective.
Scenario #1 – Hesi in Transition
When pushing the ball in transition, you will have your defender backpedaling to stop the ball. Your defender will sprint back to cut off your straight line to the basket.
A hesitation move followed up by a crossover is the immediate answer to the defender stopping the ball.
You take the exact same steps as you would a normal hesitation move.
The defender will not be able to change directions fast enough to stay in front of you!
You would just crossover instead of going in a straight line.
Scenario #2 – Retreat (Or Step-Back) Hesi
Using a retreat dribble is most effective whenever you are being pressured with the ball, but it can also setup your hesitation move.
When using this to setup the hesi, it will get you past any defender who is too close to you – since you can go forward faster than most defenders can go backwards.
As you make the retreat dribble, stop on a dime and take one step back. Drop your hips and shoulders to protect the ball, then power off your back leg to move past the defender.
Once you gain experience with this move, you will know how to time the move so you can get past the defender each time.
Scenario #3 – Lateral (Or Sidestep) Hesi
The lateral dribble is a sidestep hesitation move intended to set up a baseline or sideline drive to the basket. You want to start 1-2 steps to the side of where you want to attack the basket.
The lateral hesitation dribble is comparable to the retreat hesi in that this move is intended to get the defender closer to you, except you take a sidestep dribble instead of taking a step-back dribble.
To execute this move effectively, get into your dribble pocket as soon as you are taking the sidestep. It should all be in one quick motion like you are taking a sidestep jump shot.
Make sure you land on the balls of your feet so you can immediately attack the basket in a straight line.
FREE Hesi Drills & Workout Plan
If you want to get better and master the hesitation move, I have put together a workout that has all the drills and all the things that you need to know to get better at this. If you want that click the link below to get the free hesi move drills and workout plan.
https://oneupbasketball.com/hesi-moves-workout/
Ultimately, the hesitation move is intended to make the defender hesitate!
The speed of the game increases as the level of competition improves. So if you learn to change speeds with the hesi, you will always have an advantage over your defender.
By following these seven steps, you will not only juke out your defender but you will also get a great shot for you or your teammate!
Chris Paul Hesitation Move & The Importance of Counter Moves [VIDEO]
By Joe Haefner
Check out this great video done by Brian Waters of X-treme Basketball on the Chris Paul hesitation move. .
Key Points to the Hesitation Move
Change Speeds
By changing speeds, this keeps your defender off balance. If you just have 1 or 2 speeds, it's easier for the defender to adjust to your pace. How
do you think somebody as slow as Larry Bird got by NBA players?
Stay Low
Keep the hips down. This helps you stay in an ideal position to explode by the defender. You might show a tiny lift in the hips to fake the defender.
Ball Out To Side
Depending on the defender's position, keeping the ball out to the side allows you to shield the ball from the defender. If the defender is
overplaying the ball, simply cross the ball over to the other hand and drive past.
Look Up
Sell the fake with your eyes. If the defender sees you look up, they naturally tend to lift their body up as well because they think you are going to slow
down, shoot the ball, or pass the ball.
Explode
Drive off the back foot and get the first step down to the ground as quickly as possible. This sets you up for an explosive 2nd step as well.
Push the Ball Out
It's very important to push the ball out in front of you to avoid the defender from poking the basketball out from behind.
The Importance of Counter Moves
Brian also mentions the importance of the counter move in the video. This is extremely important.
If the defender starts to cheat, you can give him the hesitation move and quickly counter it. This is great to do after you have pulled off
your "go-to" move a couple of times and you see the defender start to cheat.
In the video, Brian uses the crossover move. The wrap-around dribble or behind-the-back are
good counter moves to the hesitation move as well. Personally,
I used the wrap-around dribble in high school because it was easier for me to keep the ball away from the defender while changing directions and continuing
my momentum forward.
If you perfect this move and a counter, that is great. Don't waste your time on all of the other stuff. You don't have enough time in the
day to get really good at every move. At best, you would be mediocre. Personally, I made this mistake. If I could do it again, I would pick a move
and a counter move and perfect those moves. Spend 5 to 10 minutes every day on them in half-court settings and full-court settings. Play some 1 on 1 with
your friends who are hopefully good defenders.
If you want to spend a couple of minutes working on other dribble
moves, that is fine. That way, you are still competent with those dribble moves and can use them
when needed.
This year, my advice would be to perfect a go-to dribble move and a counter move. Once you have perfected the move in a year or two, you can add another move
to perfect.
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Basketball (from English basket - basket, ball - ball) is an Olympic sport, a sports team game with a ball, the goal of which is to throw the ball into the opponent's basket more times than the opposing team does at the set time. Each team consists of 5 field players.
Contents
The history of the emergence and development of basketball
Basketball rules (briefly)
Basketball field
Basketball
Basketball hoop and backboard dimensions
Refereeing in basketball
Basketball Federation
The history of the emergence and development of basketball
In 1891, in the United States of America, a young teacher, a native of Canada, Dr. James Naismith, trying to "revive" gymnastics lessons, attached two fruit baskets to the railing of the balcony and suggested throwing soccer balls into it. The resulting game only remotely resembled modern basketball. There was no question of any management, the players threw the ball to each other and then tried to throw it into the basket. The team that scored the most goals won.
A year later, Naismith developed the first rules of basketball. The very first matches under these rules caused their first changes.
Gradually, basketball from the United States penetrated first to the East - Japan, China, the Philippines, and then to Europe and South America. After 10 years at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, the Americans organized a demonstration tour between the teams of several cities. The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed in 1946. The first match under her auspices took place on November 1 of the same year in Toronto between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers. At 19In 1949, the association merged with the US National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1967, the American Basketball Association was created, which for a long time tried to compete with the NBA, but merged with it 9 years later. Today, the NBA is one of the most influential and well-known professional basketball leagues in the world.
The International Amateur Basketball Federation was founded in 1932. The federation includes 8 countries: Argentina, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania. Sweden, Czechoslovakia. Based on the name, it was assumed that the organization would only lead amateur basketball, however, at 1989, professional basketball players received admission to international competitions, and the word "amateur" was removed from the name.
The very first international match took place in 1904, and in 1936 basketball entered the program of the Summer Olympic Games.
Basketball rules (briefly)
The rules of the game of basketball changed several times until 2004, when the final version of the rules took shape, which is considered relevant to this day.
Basketball is played by two teams. Usually a team consists of 12 people, 5 of which are field players, and the rest are considered substitutes.
Basketball dribbling . Athletes in possession of the ball must move around the field, hitting the floor with it. Otherwise, "carrying the ball" will be counted, and this is a violation of the rules in basketball. Accidentally touching the ball with a body part other than the hand is not considered a foul, unlike purposeful play with the foot or fist.
A basketball game consists of 4 periods or halves, but the time of each half (play time) varies depending on the basketball association. So, for example, in NBA a match consists of 4 halves of 12 minutes each, and in FIBA each such half lasts 10 minutes.
Short breaks are provided between periods, and between the second and third periods, the break time is increased.
The ball thrown into the basket can bring a different number of points to its team. If the ball is scored during the free throw, the team earns 1 point. If the ball is thrown from an average or close distance (closer than the 3-point line), then the team is given 2 points. A team earns three points if the ball is scored from behind the three-point line.
If in regular time both teams scored the same number of points, then a 5-minute overtime is assigned, if it ended in a draw, then the next one is assigned and so on until the winner is determined.
3 Second Rule - A rule that prohibits any player from the attacking team from being in the free throw area for more than three seconds.
Basketball Two Step Rule . The player is only allowed to take two steps with the ball, after which he must either shoot or pass.
Basketball field
The playing field for basketball has a rectangular shape and a hard surface. The surface of the site must not have any bends, cracks or any other deformations. The size of the basketball court must be 28 meters long and 15 meters wide (standard). The height of the ceiling must be at least 7 meters, and on professional sites, ceilings are raised to a height of 12 meters and above. The lighting on the field must be designed so as not to interfere with the movement of the players and must evenly cover the entire court.
Until the end of the 60s, tournaments could be organized outdoors. However, now basketball games are played only in closed areas.
Site marking
limit lines. Pass along the entire perimeter of the site (2 short front lines and 2 long side lines).
Central line. It is drawn from one side line to another and at the same time it is parallel to the front lines.
The central zone is a circle (radius 1.80 m) and is located exactly in the center of the basketball field.
Three-point lines are semi-circles with a radius of 6.75 m, drawn to the intersection with parallel (front) lines.
Free throw lines. The free-throw line is drawn 3.60 m long parallel to each end line so that its far edge is located at a distance of 5.80 meters from the inside edge of the end line, and its middle is on an imaginary line connecting the midpoints of both end lines.
Basketball
The basketball is spherical, painted an approved shade of orange, and has a pattern of eight inlays and black stitching.
Basketball size
Circumference, mm
Weight, g
Size 7
750-780
567-650
Size 6
720-740
500-540
Size 5
690-710
470-500
Size 3
560-580
300-330
Basketball hoop and backboard dimensions
The height of the basketball hoop from the floor level is 3. 05 meters (standard). The diameter of the basketball hoop ranges from 45 cm to 45.7 cm. The ring itself must be painted bright orange. A special net with a length of 40-45 cm is attached to the ring. The basketball hoop is located at a distance of 15 cm from the backboard.
The shield to which the ring is attached also has a number of important parameters. Basketball backboard size: width - 1.8 m, height - 1.05 m. Modern basketball backboards are made of tempered glass.
Refereeing in basketball
At the basketball game there are:
senior judge and judge;
timekeeper;
secretary;
assistant secretary;
operator 30 seconds.
Judge uniform:
gray shirt;
long black trousers;
black basketball shoes.
Basketball Federation
International Basketball Federation (FR. Fédération Internationale de Basketball, FIBA).
Russian Basketball Federation (RBF).
FAQ
🚩 How long is a basketball match?
Game times vary by basketball association. In the NBA, the match consists of 4 halves of 12 minutes, and in FIBA each such half lasts 10 minutes.
🚩 What is the 3 second rule in basketball?
A rule that prohibits any player on the attacking team from being in the free throw area for more than 3 seconds.
🚩 How does basketball affect height?
No way.
We tried to cover the topic as fully as possible, so this information can be safely used in the preparation of messages, reports on physical education and essays on the topic "Basketball".
Slamdunk Journal :: Basketball techniques
Our phone number is 8-800-500-62-63.
What techniques exist and how they differ
Let's first deal with the definition: playing techniques are the skills that a professional player must possess. Sounds simple, but what exactly are the skills in basketball? What should an amateur who wants to improve the performance of his game pay attention to? Let's figure it out.
The main goal in basketball is to successfully hit the ball into the basket, and everything that happens on the court only brings the players to this moment. There are skills that basketball players work out in training to bypass rivals and make a successful shot.
Before we list them, let us remind you that basketball is a team sport, and even the most successful players do not master all the tricks perfectly. With a serious approach to training, you should decide on your position on the site and especially carefully work out the necessary techniques.
So the post must deftly pick up the ball under the hoop and throw it right into the basket. Back row players are highly regarded for their ability to pass and make accurate shots from medium to long distances. And for an attacking basketball player, it is extremely important to be able to make lightning-fast breakthroughs to the ring. All these techniques and skills are practiced in training.
What are the basic skills?
Holding the throw. Performed with two hands. Widely spaced fingers hold the ball from both sides. One of the basic skills for any player.
Catching the ball. Another basic skill that no basketball player can do without. But are you sure you know how to do it right?!
The easiest way to catch the ball is at chin level. To do this, you need to take a small step forward and stretch your arms towards the ball with widely spread fingers - a “funnel”. In this case, the thumbs should be directed towards each other and brought together up to 3-5 centimeters. This will save you from slipping and hitting the ball in the face if you catch it at high speed. At the moment the ball touches the fingers, you need to make a shock-absorbing movement and transfer it to the chest. When catching the ball above the head, the actions are similar, but you need to extinguish the speed of its flight from the top-front, and then transfer it to the chest in an arc.
One of the most difficult tricks is catching the ball flying behind. Such a pass is often used to quickly break through to the opponent's ring. For him, without slowing down, make a slight turn of the shoulder and head towards the ball, and then catch it with the far hand and move it to the chest with a raking movement.
Basic passing techniques:
There are several technically correct ways to pass the ball. One of the most basic is a transfer with two hands from the chest. In this position, the ball is most protected from the attacks of opponents, and besides, the transfer from the chest is the most accurate and reliable, regardless of whether it is carried out on the spot or while the player is moving.
Two-handed transmission from below is more often used after stops and turns. During the swing, the ball is taken to the thigh, after which it is sent to another player with a sharp movement of both hands. Such a transfer is effective for beating especially tall opponents.
One-handed passes are less accurate and more often used when speed is important. Their development should be given special attention in training in order to achieve maximum strength and accuracy.
The shoulder pass is used when the ball needs to be passed as far and as fast as possible, and the hook pass, performed in an arcing motion, is good for passing the opponent.
To get around a nimble and agile opponent, a rebound pass will also be good. It can be done with one or two hands. In this case, the push of the ball must be strong, and the rebound point must be closer to the receiving player.
What about dribbling?
Dribbling is the most basic thing in basketball. What makes this sport different from the rest. Simply put, dribbling is dribbling. It allows the player in possession of the ball, without violating strict basketball rules, to enter a position convenient for attacking, approach the ring and score the ball. The dribbling is carried out by elastic pushes of the ball with the fingers. It is dribbling that should be given special attention in training beginners.
Well-developed dribbling technique will teach you not only how to move on the court, but also skillfully take the ball away from your opponents, which will bring you closer to the coveted ring.
But we already wrote about how to properly throw the ball into the ring in our other article;)
Slamdunk.su
Other articles
How to throw the ball correctly in basketball
And what types of throws exist
We look and understand
Why 'The Last Dance' is one of the best shows of the year
If you can alter the defender’s line of sight, then will change the defender’s eye level. 
But what happens when it does not work? 
Your defender will sprint back to cut off your straight line to the basket. 
.
If the defender sees you look up, they naturally tend to lift their body up as well because they think you are going to slow
down, shoot the ball, or pass the ball.
The wrap-around dribble or behind-the-back are
good counter moves to the hesitation move as well. Personally,
I used the wrap-around dribble in high school because it was easier for me to keep the ball away from the defender while changing directions and continuing
my momentum forward.
James Naismith, trying to "revive" gymnastics lessons, attached two fruit baskets to the railing of the balcony and suggested throwing soccer balls into it. The resulting game only remotely resembled modern basketball. There was no question of any management, the players threw the ball to each other and then tried to throw it into the basket. The team that scored the most goals won. 
At 19In 1949, the association merged with the US National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1967, the American Basketball Association was created, which for a long time tried to compete with the NBA, but merged with it 9 years later. Today, the NBA is one of the most influential and well-known professional basketball leagues in the world. 
If the ball is scored during the free throw, the team earns 1 point. If the ball is thrown from an average or close distance (closer than the 3-point line), then the team is given 2 points. A team earns three points if the ball is scored from behind the three-point line. 
The size of the basketball court must be 28 meters long and 15 meters wide (standard). The height of the ceiling must be at least 7 meters, and on professional sites, ceilings are raised to a height of 12 meters and above. The lighting on the field must be designed so as not to interfere with the movement of the players and must evenly cover the entire court. 
05 meters (standard). The diameter of the basketball hoop ranges from 45 cm to 45.7 cm. The ring itself must be painted bright orange. A special net with a length of 40-45 cm is attached to the ring. The basketball hoop is located at a distance of 15 cm from the backboard. 
Back row players are highly regarded for their ability to pass and make accurate shots from medium to long distances. And for an attacking basketball player, it is extremely important to be able to make lightning-fast breakthroughs to the ring. All these techniques and skills are practiced in training. 
At the moment the ball touches the fingers, you need to make a shock-absorbing movement and transfer it to the chest. When catching the ball above the head, the actions are similar, but you need to extinguish the speed of its flight from the top-front, and then transfer it to the chest in an arc. 
What makes this sport different from the rest. Simply put, dribbling is dribbling. It allows the player in possession of the ball, without violating strict basketball rules, to enter a position convenient for attacking, approach the ring and score the ball. The dribbling is carried out by elastic pushes of the ball with the fingers. It is dribbling that should be given special attention in training beginners. 
