How to Do a Sick Crossover Dribble

If you have ever played basketball, you know about the crossover dribble. The crossover is perhaps the most popular offensive move in the game. There are many players that are famous for the move. Here are a few of them; Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Tim Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and many more. Practically a whole new form of professional basketball has also been born through the crossover called And1. The crossover is hands-down the most popular move in street basketball.

The reason for the widespread love of the crossover dribble is the potential that it has to leave defenders looking very stupid and embarrassed. The purpose of a crossover is to get by your defender, and making them look bad is just an added bonus. The quickness of the change in direction of the move is what makes it so hard to defend.

Here is how to do a really good crossover dribble that will result in you looking good and scoring (if you can shoot at all).

The first step is to have the ball in your dominant hand for dribbling. Have it in whatever hand you feel most comfortable dribbling with. The crossover is an art form, almost like a dance. It is more than simply bringing the ball from one hand to the other. There are many little maneuvers in your body that can make it not only look good, but be deadly to defenses as well.

A very important part of a crossover is the setup dribble. Let's use a simple inside out dribble as an example. Keep the ball in your dominant hand, we'll use the right, and do an inside out dribble. Shift your body inside and almost push the ball outwards to the right. This will get your defender off balance. Watch your defenders feet to determine if it is the right time to start your crossover. If they are not set and he/she is back on their heels, it is an ideal time to cross them over.

The next step is to do your crossover. There are many steps to this complex, yet simple move.

First, shift your torso to the right while trying to keep your waist as centered as possible. Bend over and stick your butt out a little bit. Make sure to keep your arm extended as far out as possible to keep it away from your defender.

Maybe the most important step is the step with your right foot. This is a very hard maneuver to master though it seems simple. It is necessary to make your defender really think that you are committing to go right with the dribble. If done right, even if your defender is 100% sure that you are going to cross over, it will work. The step nothing but picking your foot up and moving it about 12-16 inches to the right. This has to be done a split second after you shift your upper body to the right.

Next, all in one motion, shift your upper body a very little bit more to the right and cross the ball over to your left hand. It is important that this is one very smooth motion. It takes hours of practice to perfect.

The next step is to blow by your defender, taking a moment if you would like to see just how badly you embarrassed them, and then score. Watch videos of crossover specialists and see just how smooth their motions are. The shifting and crossing over of the ball has to be perfectly timed.

This is how to do a great crossover dribble that will be not only fun for you, but also for spectators. Remember, it takes many, many hours of practice to perfect this move.