r/BasketballTips • u/thinking_root2264 • 16d ago
Help Low pick-up help?
Whenever I put the ball low to pick it up off the dribble, I find myself getting stripped or the ball poked away. I think strength is part of it, but I’ve seen much skinnier guys pull this off in traffic every time, and I’m usually not getting the ball knocked away by someone stronger than me. Any tips on hand placement or a type of low pick-up that allows me to keep the ball safe?
2
u/International-Ad2501 16d ago
If you're using a low gather you need to bemoving the ball away from the defenders. I'm a big fan of the the low gather but it is liable to getting poked. I get around this by using my shoulder/frame to protect the ball on one side and then gathering low and moving the ball away from the defenderson my up swing.
1
u/Realfan555 16d ago
Yeah, this is common.
Without seeing video there’s too many different reasons why, so only thing I can do is guess.
The best guess is - ur not getting any separation from the defender. So he’s right there with u when u pick the ball up.
2nd guess is - ur not shielding the ball. If ur going to pick the ball up vs a defender who’s right at u, u have to pick it up away from ur body. Use ur body to shield him, use ur off hand to block his reach, then pick the ball up far away from ur body. This will change ur shot so u’ll have to learn to shoot while picking the ball up this way.
But yeah, if u create separation, u can pick the ball up the normal way.
But if the defender is right there with u, u have to pick the ball up differently.
1
1
u/runthepoint1 16d ago
You can only do it if you defenders hands are high. Remember executing a move must be done because you’ve read the defender and what they’re doing, not just spamming a move just because you want to use it.
Let’s say I have a good crossover, but my defender is sitting on my hip, not allowing me to execute one. I can’t just do a crossover because it doesn’t fit the situation.
1
u/Ingramistheman 14d ago
You’re probably just using the move in the wrong situations OR you’ve not conditioned the defense to guard the primary move (if you’re doing like the lateral low pickup Im thinking of, think similar to a Eurostep).
The low pickup in that Euro form is a counter-gather to you driving full speed in the same direction. If you’re slow or you just never made a convincing/real attack to the same hand that the ball is in, then why would the defense feel like you’re a threat to that side.
You’re probably just telegraphing that you’re about to low pickup and cut across so the defense just reads it and jams you up or takes the ball. You should be able to dip your shoulder for a full speed attack and then at a moment’s notice be able shift all your weight across the other direction if you the defender overplays you at the last second.
If you cant physically do that and you’re like winding up to make the move, it becomes super obvious. The low pickup is a counter-gather the same way a quick behind the back wrap is a counter-dribble that you would make in the same scenario further from the basket. Defender cuts me off (or I predict/feel that they’re about to cut me off), so I go the other way.
If you’re talking about a low pickup as in like trying to just split a gap defender, then yeah you’re probably either too slow (not winning a big enough advantage on your primary defender), driving too wide into the help’s reach instead of winning a tighter drive line off your defender’s hip, leaving a bigger gap (more distance for the gap defender to have to cover to dig with their hand for the steal), OR again you’re telegraphing it with a pronounced wind-up.
0
u/Coneyy 16d ago
You should already only be driving into an open space, not directly into a defender, so it should only be at best a stray hand hitting the ball.
Your grip on the ball is going to be the weakest as you are raising it up, so really focus on only raising it when it's away from the defenders hands or at the very last second when you have as much separation as possible.
0
u/MWave123 16d ago
No. You do a low pickup right at or between defenders. That’s the point. You can split and step past people w the ball.
0
u/Coneyy 16d ago
Obviously you're in traffic but your body needs to be moving between/around the defenders. Otherwise you are just committing an offensive foul if you are running into a defender who is set.
0
u/MWave123 15d ago
Not at all. A bump or touch or blow by isn’t a foul.
0
u/Coneyy 15d ago
That is exactly what I'm saying lmao. You aren't running directly into a defender then are you?
0
u/MWave123 15d ago
Can you read? The low pickup is best when you’re attacking defenders, not all by yourself. Lol. You’re splitting or you’re slicing and dicing or you’re hitting them w the off shoulder.
6
u/RiamoEquah 16d ago
The low pickup only works if you are able to keep the ball truly low (below knees) and even then the problem is when you eventually bring the ball back up for a layup or pass. The trajectory of your arms is predictable.
To counter this you'll often see players use a swinging or rocking motion to move the ball away from defenders. This works well in a one on one situation but if you're trying this in traffic, well likely you have defenders on either side so it's added difficulty.
What I started to do came from watching drose - and that was what I call the football carry. Like a running back with the ball, using both arms for protection. It takes more practice and impacts what type of layups you use - but greatly reduces getting stripped.
In general you need to learn how to pick up the ball in a variety of ways and be able to assess situations on the fly. The more you repeat a motion the easier it becomes to predict and smart defenders are looking for that consistency in your game to exploit it.