Can you do the stutter step dribble?

I know this might sound like another crazy dance all the kids are doing (hey, even I tried flossing, though no one can beat my dad's dance) but the “stutter step” dribble when done right can be a killer basketball trick that is guaranteed to keep the other team’s defenders on their toes.

I’m going to show you how you can master the stutter step dribble with your team on the court or in the backyard at home. You are going to need just two vital things.

• #1. The following drill I am about to breakdown in this blog
• #2. Something to simulate the defender you will go up against

After all, the whole point of learning this move is to go up against the other team’s defenders and leave them wondering how the heck you got past them so easily.

Having something there to practice against will help the experience feel more real.

So, here we go...let’s jump right into the drill!

Set up your obstacle that will represent a defender. You can use chairs if you have them or if you don’t want to be hauling furniture around, you can use a handy, lightweight Big Cone to simulate the appropriate height of a defender.

Get the ball out wide... this is vital so the defender shouldn’t be able to reach it.

As you approach, change speeds on the defense but you keep your feet moving in a “stutter” like movement. This gives you time to read the defense and make a decision.

If you are doing the stutter move in the gym, you should be hearing those feet squeak like crazy and if you’re on the asphalt it should sound like short bursts, like rapid fire.

The key to a great stutter is to keep the ball moving by spinning it with your hand on the top. This gives you time to read the defense so you can blow right by him. Be sure to keep the ball far from their reach.

This next little trick will take your stutter-step dribble move to the next level. Follow the same moves on the approach, but as you get close to the defender, you’re gonna add this killer distraction move.

This is the sneaky pro trick to break the oncoming defender’s focus. As you approach, look off to to the side away from the ball. This will knock the defender’s concentration for a second. They will think you are either going off that way, or are looking for a teammate to pass to and when they are distracted...you just blow on by.

If you’re really good and practice this, you can double the distraction by calling out to a teammate nearby and that will really get the defender looking that way.

Here’s an example of what I mean.

Let’s call our teammate “John”

So on the approach you start eyeballing “John” still reading what’s going on in front of you and as you start the stutter dribble move yell out to him.

“JOHN, HEY JOHN!”

The defender starts looking for John and now you get those vital seconds of opportunity to fly right by him.

You gotta sell it with your eyes, the voice calling out at the right moment, get that squeaky footwork down, and all that will help you blow right on by the defender before he knows what’s hit them.

You don’t want to have to bust a whole bunch of moves and fancy footwork just to get by this guy, but keep it simple and use this distraction trick and you’ll get by him real quick.

Vary these techniques in any game and it’s guaranteed to keep those defenders on their toes.

These are the keys to a great stutter move.

You can practice this drill at home or on the court, but to give it some realness and help you practice better execution of this drill, you need to have something to simulate the defenders coming at you.

As I mentioned before, you could use chairs and if you have them lying around... they work alright. But then you have to think about hauling them around and believe me if you make a wrong move and trip over one of those things you can easily end up with a twisted ankle or skinned knee before you know it.

The height isn’t exactly realistic either so you need something that is more like a real defender to practice the drill right.

That’s why I love using the Big Cone.

The Big Cone(TM) is a pop-up cone training device that gives players a more realistic obstacle than your typical sports cones.

This essential training aid is great for anything you need an obstacle for! Unlike chairs, the Big Cone is easily transportable as it collapses making it easy to carry around with you.

The Big cone is safe when contacted and comes with a small bag that can be fastened inside the cone to place sand or small weights to keep it in place. You can also place an extra ball or pair of shoes inside the cone to weigh it down.

On the outside, there are straps you can use to stake it down for those windy days on the soccer or football field.

Find out more specs of The Big Cone by clicking here.

Our customers love the Big Cone, and Bob J. here got himself 3 for his team and the kids love them too!

Click this link now to see how the Big Cone will help your drills today.

Hope this helps your players nail it this season!

Coach Chris

PS. Look out for next week’s drill where I will show you how to get by and score against even the tallest defenders with ease. Sign up for our mailing list so you don’t miss it!