Basketball Fakes

Although faking is bad in general, it can be an ingenious thing to do in basketball. The main purpose of basketball fakes is that you want your defender to lean, shift his weight to the other side, lose his concentration and even lose his balance. The more you become unpredictable to the defense, the more chances you have to score. Here are some useful tips on how to do basketball fakes:

The Shot Fake

Early in the game, try to observe who the shot blockers are. When they approach you, pretend to eye the basket and raise the ball above your shoulders. If your shot fake works, the defender will raise his shoulders and come out of his stance, and that is when you can drive around him.

The Pass Fake

The more exhausted a defender becomes, the more likely he will react to a ball fake. A good ball fake will buy you more time for outside shooters to find an open spot. For example, when you're under the basket, you can fake an overhead pass to a teammate near you but then throw the ball to an outside shooter instead. This way the defender will have to shift his momentum before running at the shooter.

Without-the-ball Fakes
Let's say you want to cut to your right for the ball; what you need to do is make the defender lean left. Make him believe that you're going in the opposite direction you actually want to go. Use your eyes but try not to lose your balance while faking. Practice faking and cuttin to the basket while having your teammate pass the ball to you for layups.

Useful Links
NBA.com
Basketball Skills - Tips and Tricks
Basketball Defense - Tips and Tricks