스텝 백, Step Back

대치상황에서 순간적으로 스텝을 뒤로 밟아 슛을 던지는 기술이다. 돌파 드리블 중에 사용하면 더욱 더 수비수는 타이밍을 읽기 힘들며, 스텝 백 특성상 뒤로 한 번 물러나는 관성 때문에 대부분 살짝 뒤로 밀려나듯 슛을 던지게 된다. 즉, 한 순간 거리를 벌려 수비자의 타이밍을 빼앗는 것은 물론, 슛 자체도 약간 페이드어웨이성으로 던지게되는 효과가 있어 막는 입장에선 사실상 블록하기가 불가능한 기술이다.

스텝백을 한 번 한 후에는 다양한 경로가 생긴다. 상대로부터 거리를 완벽하게 벌리는 데 성공하면 주로 슈팅으로 마무리한다. 만약 상대가 쫓아와서 붙는다면, 사용자는 다시 가속을 붙여서 돌파를 하면 된다. 참고로 수비수의 위치에 따라 뒤가 아닌 대각선이나 옆 방향으로 갈 수도 있으며, 옆으로 가는 경우를 사이드 스텝 백이라 칭한다.

특히 제임스 하든처럼 슛을 던질 때 무게중심이 앞으로 쏠려 속된말로 엎어지듯 밀어서 던지기 때문에 조금만 상대가 바짝붙어도 풀업점퍼를 던지지 못하는 세트샷 슈터가 익혀두면 좋은 기술이다. 가슴에서 출발해 밀어던지는 슛폼에 익숙한 동농러의 경우, 스텝백은 의도적으로 뒤로 물러나면서 무게중심을 몸 뒤로 밀어주는 효과가 있으므로 타이밍은 약간 늦지만 풀업에 약한 세트슛 모션으로도 던지기 쉽다. 세트슛의 특성인 낮은 포물선을 무게중심을 뒤로 밀어서 약간 올려주는 효과가 있기 때문에, 슛 궤적이 너무 낮다고 생각된다면 스텝백을 연습하면서 포물선 균형을 맞추는 것도 한 방법이다.

제임스 하든, 스테픈 커리, 데미안 릴라드, 카이리 어빙, 루카 돈치치 등이 이 점퍼를 잘 구사한다. 이 외에도 슈팅이 좋은 가드들은 거의 이 기술에 능한 편이다. 블락을 피할 수 있으면서도 퀵샷 릴리즈가 안정적인 편이기 때문에 사실상 페이드어웨이를 찾아보기 어렵게 한 주된 원인이다. 특히 하든의 경우 아이솔레이션 상황에서 스텝백 3점을 시도하는 경우가 매우 잦아 2019 플레이오프 당시 매치업 상대였던 리키 루비오가 하든의 대각선 뒤편에서 수비를 하는 보기드문 장면이 연출되기도 하였다.

 

 

 

It is a technique that instantaneously steps back and shoots in a confrontation situation. When used during breakthrough dribbling, it is even more difficult for defenders to read the timing, and due to the nature of the stepback, most of them throw shots as if they are slightly pushed back due to inertia that retreats once. In other words, it is a technique that is virtually impossible to block from the standpoint of blocking, as it not only takes away the timing of the defender by widening the distance at one point, but also throws the shot itself slightly fade-away.

After a stepback, various paths arise. If you succeed in perfectly widening the distance from your opponent, you usually finish with a shot. If an opponent chases and sticks, the user can accelerate again and break through. For reference, depending on the position of the defender, it can be diagonally or sideways rather than backward, and a case of going sideways is called a side stepback.

In particular, it is a good technique for a set-shot shooter who cannot throw a pull-up jumper even if his opponent is close because the center of gravity is focused on the front and pushes it as if he were lying face down. In the case of Dongnong-er, who is familiar with the shot form that starts from the chest and pushes it back, the stepback has the effect of intentionally pushing the center of gravity behind the body, so the timing is slightly late, but it is easy to throw even with a set shot motion that is weak in pull-up. Since the low parabola, a characteristic of the set shot, has the effect of pushing the center of gravity back and raising it slightly, it is also a way to balance the parabola while practicing the stepback if you think the shot trajectory is too low.

James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and Luca Doncic are good at this jumper. In addition, guards with good shots are almost good at this skill. This is the main reason why it is difficult to find fadeaway because the quick shot release is stable while avoiding blocks. In particular, Harden often tries three stepbacks in isolation situations, creating a rare scene where Ricky Rubio, a matchup opponent during the 2019 playoffs, plays defense behind Harden's diagonal.