THE STANCE - THE POSTURE WHILE HOLDING THE BALL!

TRIPLE THREAT STANCE:

The most talked about stance in basketball is the triple threat stance. Your posture should be such that you should be able to DRIBBLE - PASS or SHOOT. The opponent should be made to guess wrongly. The more genuine the fake - the better basketball player you are. But let me go back to `old stances' too!

TRIPLE FAKE STANCE:

The body is used to contort in such a way that arms move in just the opposite way of your head and torso and the leg moves in the third direction. This movement is the triple-fake and if you see the masters of this skill - you will be amazed! Few people practice it today and has almost become extinct.

The boxer's stance is the position which is taught to the beginners. Legs apart - one foot a little ahead of the other. The hands holding the arms with the elbows jutting out. The head almost over the ball which is just 5 to 6" away from the eyes. The ball is either held on the left or the right side - depending on which direction you are likely to pass or dribble the ball. The elbows are guarding the ball - the body too is like a protective shield - the foot-work here is the key!

WHY TO PIVOT WITH BOTH LEGS?

Never commit on which foot you are going to pivot - it is difficult - almost all players pivot only on the left leg or the right leg - it gives your game away! Practice pivoting on either foot and you develop a skill that gives teeth to your game. I wouldn't load youngsters with such practice - but the seniors at least can see the possibilities.

Mix the `fast' with the `slow' - the more the variation - the better it is to `plough through'. I keep telling players that their objective is to `catch the opponent off-guard'and then strike like lightning. But my call keeps falling on deaf ears. Everyone wants to copy NBA stars - the ten or twelve years that they have put in to reach that level is `unimaginable' for these players.

PICK UP DIVERSE STANCES :

Mix the ideas given above. You may not believe in some of the things above - but if they work - WHY DON'T WE SHARPEN THESE SKILLS. A stance is a weapon and it should be treated as such. A proper stance is a body language that opponents will too respect and be cautious.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING :

Get rid of mind-sets; YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! You can shoot continuous ten or fifteen three pointers - you can draw a foul and shoot a basket even if you are four feet tall. But whatever fantastic thing you can do - will ultimately be decided by your stance. This is the ABC of basketball. A good stance is very very threatening. And it gives you the confidence.

A very young girl once came to me - unable to hold even the ball properly - but when I asked her to show the stance - she showed me the perfect triple-threat stance! My joy knew no bounds and even after twenty years that stance is frozen in my mind. Learning basics can be BORING - making it more interesting is the goal of this manual.

CAUTION: Senior basketball players are strongly advised to avoid reading this manual - they should follow what has been taught to them.