You can only fake at your defender's speed
A quick fake needs a quick defender
I was recently watching a Jack Williams video and the Carolyn Finney headfake he highlights (watch the clip below) got me thinking about how fakes work.
I'm impressed Jack noticed such a subtle move—and I'm impressed with Carolyn's cutting skills. But this move won't always help you—you need to use it in the right context. Understanding better what makes this fake work will help you use it successfully.
A fake works when it convinces the defender to commit in the wrong direction. A quick fake, then, will only work on a defender with the ability and desire to commit quickly. In the world of ultimate, there's nowhere that defenders are more on edge than in the finals of the World Games.
Finney's defender had both the athleticism and the mental awareness to commit quickly. A defender without those world-class skills may have not fallen for the fake as badly. And most of us are not going up against World Games-level defense. To fake most effectively, we have to think about what type of fakes our defender is vulnerable to.
Run away
As I've written before, one of the most important parts of effective cutting is simple to explain: accelerate as fast as you can. A cut like Finney's works because the defender is thinking to themselves: I have to react as fast as humanly possible or I'll get burned for a goal. If they don't already have that thought in their heads, a small fake won't convince them to overcommit.
As another example, I have this Reddit thread bookmarked: Can someone explain to me how to juke like John Randolph? (click the link to watch the video). As the Reddit commenters point out, there are a number of things that make his fake work: strong legs and core, good technique with his footwork, timing, etc. But another part of what makes the cut works is his reputation. The defender knows he needs to react quickly or get burned.
If you want defenders to fall for your headfake, you need to start there—with your reputation. Burn them with your acceleration without any fakes. They'll learn that they need to react quickly if they want a chance at stopping you. Only then do they really open themselves up to getting faked out.
I got a similar feeling watching Justin Burnett's Callahan video this year. The fakes aren't as small as Finney's fake in the example above, but the feeling is the same: the defender overreacts because they're scared. Ironically, if they hadn't fallen so hard for the first fake, the defense would've been in better position, since Burnett eventually ends up heading in the same direction he started towards:
From basketball: Kevon Looney and Steve Kerr
In the NBA, Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney is known for playing surprisingly good defense on players who are quicker than him.
For example, this highlight was posted to Reddit during the 2022 NBA playoffs: Luka tries to fake Looney out; Looney is too slow and unathletic to bite on it. Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA. In the video, Luka drives towards the basket and stops abruptly. The slower Looney can't stop as quickly, and Luka is open for a shot. But instead of shooting, Luka fakes a shot. He was expecting a faster defender who would've committed to the fake (allowing him to lean forward for an easier shot, with his momentum leading him towards the basket).
Luka's instincts told him this fake would work, because the quicker defenders that usually guard him would've overcommitted to stopping the first shot. Looney, who's relatively unathletic compared to most NBA players, was too slow to fall for the first fake. But that left him just in time to disrupt the easier shot Luka thought would be available.
The Reddit comments point out that similar things had happened previously with Looney guarding other stars like James Harden (though another post argues this isn't actually the case). A different comment shares a story told by Steve Kerr who once had a similar success guarding a faster player (Kerr is Looney's coach and is also a former NBA player):
"He (Michael Jordan) faked right, faked back left and went right, and I stayed right in front of him. But only because I went for the first fake. We came to the bench and (head coach) Lenny Wilkens said, ‘You guys, did you see what Steve just did? He stayed in front. That’s what you have to do.’ I said, ‘That’s right, guys! Come on!’ I was literally still going for the first fake and he came right back to me, so that was my highlight.”
Final thoughts
Our examples fell into two categories—whether the defender is physically able to commit extremely quickly to a small fake, and whether the defender mentally believes they need to commit to a small fake. Even though the causes are different, the solution is generally the same:
Is your defender too slow to fall for your fakes? Don't fake, just run away from them.
Is your defender not convinced they need to respond quickly to your every move? Just run away from them—next time, they'll be more keyed up on stopping your initial move.
More generally, faking is about playing with your defender's momentum. Your fake needs to be big enough for the defender to respond by committing their momentum in the wrong direction. A large fake (committing 2-3 steps or more before changing direction) will work best for a defender that changes their momentum relatively slowly. I really like Carolyn Finney's headfake, but make sure you save it for appropriate moments—and appropriate defenders. The tiniest fakes only work on the twitchiest defenders.
I totally agree! 🤓😉