Alright, so I wanted to share something I’ve been messing around with lately. It involves basketball, specifically something I saw from this guy, Luke Fennell. Don’t even know if he’s super famous or anything, just saw a clip online, you know how it is.
He did this kind of smooth hesitation move, then a quick crossover. Looked so easy when he did it. Fluid. Like water. And I thought, “Hey, I play ball sometimes down at the park, maybe I can add that to my, uh, ‘arsenal’.” Yeah right, arsenal. More like my bag of clumsy tricks.
Getting Started
So, the next Saturday, I grabbed my ball and headed down to the courts. Sun was out, feeling pretty optimistic. Watched the clip again on my phone right there on the bench. Okay, hesitate, lean, crossover. Got it.
First few tries? Total disaster. Seriously awful. The ball either bounced off my foot, or I traveled, or I just sort of stumbled. Nothing like how Fennell did it. It felt jerky, forced. Not smooth at all. A couple of teenagers on the next court were definitely snickering. Can’t blame them, I probably looked ridiculous.
The Grind (Sort Of)
But I’m stubborn sometimes. So I kept at it. For like, an hour. Just doing it over and over.
- Hesitate… too long, defender (imaginary, mind you) would’ve swiped it.
- Hesitate… too short, no fake-out effect.
- Crossover… too wide, lost control.
- Crossover… too tight, basically dribbled in place.
Man, it was frustrating. My legs started to feel heavy. My rhythm was all off. You see these pros do stuff and think it’s just natural talent. But trying it, even badly, you realize the sheer amount of practice that must go into making it look effortless.
I went back the next day. And the day after that, just for maybe 30 minutes each time. Still wasn’t getting that move down pat. It got slightly better, maybe less stumbling, but still not smooth. Not the Fennell way.
What Actually Happened
Here’s the funny part. While I was so focused on mastering this one specific, kinda flashy move I saw Luke Fennell do, I wasn’t really paying attention to anything else. But after about a week of this inconsistent practice, I noticed something weird during a pickup game.
My regular dribbling felt… better. Especially my left hand. Way better. Just more controlled, more comfortable. I wasn’t thinking about it, it just happened. Probably because while I was failing at the fancy crossover, I was still spending way more time just handling the ball, trying to keep the dribble alive during my clumsy attempts. All those reps, even the bad ones, they added up somewhere else.
So, did I learn the Luke Fennell hesitation crossover? Nope. Not really. Still looks awkward when I try it. But did I get better at basketball? Yeah, actually. In a small, fundamental way I wasn’t even aiming for.
It’s kinda weird how things work out. You set out to do one thing, put in the effort, fail at the main goal, but end up improving something else entirely. Guess just showing up and trying stuff counts for something, even if it’s not what you planned. Still can’t do that move though. Maybe I’ll just stick to my clumsy bank shots.
