How to Set a Pick

Most often employed in basketball, the pick is used to temporarily block a defender. Though the pick is a simple and fundamental play, it is often executed improperly. When executed correctly, the pick comes as a surprise to the defender and allows the offensive player to momentarily slip free. While picks can be used against a zone defense, they generally work best against a man-to-man defense, where the defensive players are guarding the offensive players closely.

Setting the Pick

• 1

  Determine the direction that your teammate wants to go and move to establish a position in his defender's path.

• 2

  Place your body in the defender's path, establishing gentle contact, without pushing. Contact must not be overly aggressive, or your may get called for a foul. However, if you do not establish contact, the defender will have room to get by and evade the pick.

• 3

  Plant your feet wide enough to create a solid foundation and place you arms against your chest to demonstrate to the referee that you are not using them in an illegal manner. Allow the defender to run into you.

• 4

  Move away from the defender only after your teammate has gone by you. Turn, or "roll," your body around, following your teammate to keep the blocked defender from catching back up to him.