Terms D - F

D. Defense.
D-up! A verbal direction that means get into your defensive positions.

Dead ! Dead! Yelled by defenders to alert team mates that an opponent with the ball has used up their dribble and no pass options implying that there is a trap opportunity.

Dead Ball. The status of the ball when a violation has occurred or the ball has gone out of bounds. See Alive.

Death Valley. Areas on the court where shot percentages are very low.
Defensive Three-Second Violation.  Occurs only in the NBA. Where a defender can only be in the lane for no more than 3 seconds. Penalty is a technical foul = 1shot plus possession.
Defensive Rebound. Where a defending player retrieves a missed shot.

Defensive Set. The way the coach decides to position the team when on defense. 

Defensive Slide. A quick, sideways shuffle (without crossing your feet) to defend against a player from the other team who is trying to dribble past you.. Aka Step-Slide.
Defensive Transition. Recovery of players to get into a defensive set to prevent an attacking team from scoring a basket after a change in possession (usually a basket).

Denial Defense. A defensive technique where you don’t let the person you are guarding get the ball. Also see Fronting and Three-Quarter Denial.
Denial Stance. Where a defender gets close to the player they are guarding when the ball is one pass away. Defender will also put a hand, palm out and toward the basketball, in front of the Offesive player being guardsd. Aka. Closed Stance. (Thank you Coach Haynes-Basketball Australia).
Diaper Shot. A type of foul shot that is characterized by a two-handed motion that starts at the knees. Common shot over years ago.
Dipper Dunk. Old expression for a dunk. First coined by broadcaster Bill Campbell when Wilt Chamberlain scored hi 100th point in a game in Hershey, PA.

Digger and Deflector. Names for the hands of a defender that pertains to what each hand should be doing. The lower, palm-up hand should be “digging” at the ball on the “up-bounce” and the other obstructing the passing lanes.
Dime. An assist. Eg. " He dropped a dime".
Dinner is Served. Said when a defender blocks a shot emphatically.

Disconcertation. A violation where someone speaks or waves their hand during a free-throw. It is also when you wave your hand in a players face who doesn’t have the ball.

Dish the Rock. A short pass by a player who is driving to the hoop and is contested. Pass will often go to a post player. See Dishing Off.

Dishing Off. A quick last second pass to a team mate from a player that appears to be going in for a lay-up. See Dish the Rock.
Displacement. Where either an offensive or defensive player bumps and thereby forces an opposing player out of their established position. This is a violation. 

Doggin' It. Not trying very hard.
Dominant Hand / Foot. A player's naturally used hand or foot.
Double Down. A term used to describe the positioning of two offensive players close together often times at the low block of the key. A variety of set or motion plays can be run off this positioning.

Double Dribble. You can't dribble, stop, and start dribbling again. Once your two hands touch the ball at the same time your dribbling must stop. You CAN dribble, lose control of your dribble, and continue dribbling. This is called an Interrupted Dribble.

Double-double. When a player achieves two types of statistics such as points made and number of rebounds that are in double figures (eg.15 points and 11 rebounds). If three categories are achieved then it’s called a Triple Double.

Double-pump. Using two fakes in quick succession.

Double-team. Where two defenders cover an offensive player usually because that player is scoring.

Double Violation. When both teams commit a foul at the same time.

Downtown. A long shot usually from outside the 3-point line or further.

Drained. Made a basket.

Dribble Pitch. A long pass made in transition usually from the backcourt to the forecourt. It is launched after a few dribbles from the hip with one or two hands.
Dribble Weave. Where perimeter players, usually the 1,2, and 3 conduct a dribble and hand-off pattern hoping to create an opportunity by way of a seam in the defense. Sometimes used as a stall to use up clock time.
Drive.  When a player makes a quick dribbling attack on the basket often to attempt a lay-up.
Drive Fake. Where a stationary player with the ball pretends to take their first step of their drive often to create distance between themselves and their defender. (Aka. Jab Step)

Drive the Lane. Dribbling through the area called the lane or the paint to get a better position or a shot.

Drop a Dime. Get an assist.

Drop a Shoulder. Illegal move when driving on the basket or against a defender where the attacking player will drop a shoulder to try to hurt the defender who may be off-balance or in the air.

Drop-step. Generally, where a low-post player positions themselves (while attacking) with their back to the basket and the first step toward the baseline. This may be a baseline drop step or a lane drop step (followed by a shot) depending how the defender is positioned.

Dunk. Where a basket is made by a player reaching over the rim with the ball and dropping it through forcefully. A.k.a. Jam, Slamdunk, Reverse Slamdunk .

Dunkadelic. When a player has played a great game they were dunkadelic.

East-West. The width direction of the court.

Elbow. The intersection of the free-throw line and the lane (paint) line.
Elevation. Height of a players jump. See Vert, Vertical, Ups, Hangtime, Air,  or Hops.

Entry Pass. An offensive pass from the perimeter to the post or a cutting player in the paint.

Established Position. Assuming an offensive or defensive position before an opposing player can get there first. If a player is forced out of established position then a foul is committed that is called Displacement.

Face. Beating an opponent (on a shot or drive) decisively. The defender is said to have been “faced”.

Face Guard. Playing extremely close defense off-ball, so that your opponent can’t get a pass. When face guarding the defender often never looks to see where the ball is hoping that playing that close will be enough to discourage anyone from passing to the one being guarded. See : "Getting Up in Their Grill"

Face Move. A post move where the offensive player suddenly will turn and face her defender when neither has the ball. This usually will freeze the defender so that the player on offense can make a cut move to the hoop for a pass.

Fade. A motion and direction of a screener away from the direction of the ball after the screen is complete in order to get the ball kicked back to them for a shot.

Fade-away J. A jump shot where the shooter is moving backwards in the air to avoid a shot block. A.k.a. Fall-Away J shot.

Fake it to Make it. A saying that means a player should always fake in a direction that is opposite to the direction they really want the pass to go.

False Double Foul. Two opposing players foul each other almost simultaneously but the second foul occurs before the ball is put back into play.

Far Corner. Area of the court where the three-point line meets the baseline. Also see Flats.

Fastbreak. The quick movement of the ball from the backcourt to the forecourt usually the result of a defensive rebound. See Transition.

Feed the Post. Getting passes to post players for high percentage shots. Aka Feeding the Bigs.

Fending Off. An illegal move where an offensive player with the ball uses their bar arm to knock away a defender’s hand or pushes a defender away.

Field Goal. A made shot/basket.
Fifty-Fifty Ball. A loose ball that players from either time have a chance at getting possession of.

Filling the Lanes. Where players in transition try to occupy the imaginary three, north-south lanes the full-court may be divided into. The middle lane is defined by the foul lines of the key.
Finding the Open Shot.  When an offensive player is able to get a pass to a team mate who was left unguarded often off the dribble.

Finishing. Completing a drive to the hoop with a basket.

Finger Roll. Where the last thing to touch the ball on a shot and effect the spin of the ball is the fingers. Aka. Getting the Roll (where the proper spin of the ball is what caused the ball to into the basket.)

First Step. The sudden, initial step taken by a player who is starting their dribbling attack usually from a stationary position. A good first step is characterized by good footspeed.

Five-Second rule. You can’t hold the ball for more than five seconds without passing, dribbling, or shooting it while someone from the other team is guarding you within six feet. You also must inbound the ball (throw it in from out-of-bounds) within five seconds. The penalty in either case is the other team gets the ball.

Flagrant Foul. An obvious, unsportsmanlike foul. An example is swing one’s elbows viciously when protecting the ball. You can’t swing your arms/elbows excessively when you grab a rebound. Excessive is when your shoulders turn faster than your hips. Can result in a technical foul or an ejection.

Flare. The movement of a player from point to wing.

Flash. A sudden, fast movement toward a position usually to receive a pass.

Flats. The general area where the 3-point line meets the baseline. Also known as the Far Corner.
Flex Offense. A type of continuity offense started in the 1970's and was made famous by University of Maryland. Characterized by the flex-cut which, in it's simplest form, was a lateral (east-west) cut through the paint usally at the low post area.
Floater. An off-tempo, early release shot used to get over taller defenders. Called a Teardrop as well.

Flop. Where a player pretends to have been displaced or knocked down by an opponent with the ball in order to get the offensive foul (charge) call.
Flushed the Ball/Shot. Made a basket.
Follow-Through. Where a player will allow the momentum created in a shot carry through their arm and hand extension. Most often used in foul, set, jump shots. See BEEF.

Forecourt. The half of the court in which the ball is located at a given time.
Forward Pivot. Where a player with the ball plants one foot and turns around that foot to face the direction of attack. See Reverse Pivot.

Four-Point Play. Where a player attempting a 3-point shot is fouled and the shot is made.
Foul. A infraction of the rules. There are fifteen types of fouls, two general categories of which a player should know at minimum: the personal foul (of which there are several types) and the violation (of which there are several types). The basic difference is that personal fouls are where there is illegal contact against a player and count against a team and violations are executional infractions such as travelling, double dribbling, three and five second violations, and over-and-back. Violations are not counted against a team.
Foul Trouble. Where a player has collected a disproportionate amount of personal fouls early in the game. A rule of thumb many coaches used to make this determination was where a player should not have more fouls than the quarter of the game they are in.

Freezing the Ball. Where a team will stall and consume time because they are ahead, in possession of the ball, and there is little time left in the game.

Freeze the Defender. When an attacking player uses a fake or feint move to cause the defender momentarily pause or adjust and just enough time to be beaten by the attacker.

Freethrow Line Extended. An imaginary line that is a continuation of the free-throw line and used as a reference. Aka “the FTE”.
Front Pivot. When a player with the ball pivots in the direction they are facing.

Frontcourt. The half of the court in which the ball is located at a given time.

Fronting. If you are a post player on defense this is where you stand right in front of the person you are supposed to be defending. You must be sure that your fellow post players can help you because it’s hard to see what’s going on behind you.

Full Court Press. Where a team will play tight control defense all the way down the court in hopes that the attacking team loses the ball.

Funneling. Guiding or forcing the ball to an area of the court through aggressive defense. See Channeling.