Sports techniques
How specific movements and shots are performed — clear, step-by-step technique guides across sports.
Browse techniques
Each entry is cross-linked to the sports it belongs to and the terms around it.
Backstroke
The only competitive stroke swum on the back, using alternating overhead arm pulls and a steady flutter kick.
Badminton Clear
An overhead stroke that sends the shuttlecock high and deep to the opponent's back court, resetting the rally or buying time.
Badminton Smash
A powerful, steeply downward overhead stroke that drives the shuttlecock sharply into the opponent's court to win the rally.
Bodyweight Squat
A foundational lower-body exercise that lowers the hips by bending the knees and hips, then stands back up, using only body weight.
Breaststroke
A swimming stroke with a simultaneous arm sweep, a whip-like frog kick and a glide, performed on the front.
Bunker Shot
The greenside sand shot where the club enters the sand behind the ball and lifts it out on a cushion of sand.
Carving Turn
A turn where the edged skis cut a clean arc in the snow and follow their own shape with little or no skidding.
Chest Pass
A two-handed pass thrown directly from chest height in a straight line to a teammate, the most basic pass in basketball and netball.
Chip Shot
A compact lofted shot from close to the green that carries a short distance and then rolls to the hole.
Cricket batting grip and stance
The starting position every cricket stroke is built from — how the hands sit on the handle, how the feet and head are set, and what the setup decides before the ball is even bowled.
Crossover Dribble
A basketball dribbling move that switches the ball quickly from one hand to the other to change direction and get past a defender.
Cycling Cadence
The technique of pedalling at a smooth, steady rhythm and choosing a gear that keeps the legs turning efficiently.
Deadlift
A strength exercise that lifts a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position by extending the hips and knees together.
Face-offs
How every hockey stoppage restarts — the nine face-off locations, why the location is itself a sanction, and the techniques centres use to win possession.
Flat, slice and kick serves
The three serves and what actually separates them — the contact point on the ball and the toss that makes it possible — plus what each one does to the ball after it bounces.
Flip Turn
A fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
Forward and back defence
The two strokes a batter survives with — the forward defensive and the back defensive — when each is the right choice, and why a defensive stroke is a decision about length rather than intent.
Free Throw
An unguarded basketball shot taken from the free-throw line, relying on a calm, repeatable routine rather than power.
Freestyle Stroke
The fastest swimming stroke, using alternating overhead arm pulls, a flutter kick and rhythmic side breathing.
Golf Full Swing
The complete rotational swing used for tee shots and longer approach shots, from setup through backswing to a balanced finish.
Header
A technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
Ice hockey shooting
The four shots hockey is scored with — wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot and backhand — how each trades power against release time, and why the stick is bent on purpose.
Ice hockey skating
The skill everything else in hockey sits on — how a skater generates power from the edges, why stopping and turning use the same mechanism, and what makes crossovers faster than striding.
Inside-of-the-Foot Pass
The most reliable short pass in football, played with the inside surface of the foot for accuracy over a short to medium distance.
Jump Shot
A basketball shot released at the top of a vertical jump, letting the shooter get the ball over a defender with a soft, arcing release.
Kicking in rugby union
The kicks rugby union is played with — punt, grubber, box kick, up-and-under, drop kick and place kick — what each achieves and which law governs its use.
Layup
A close-range basketball shot taken while moving toward the basket, laying the ball softly off the backboard or over the rim.
Movement and recovery in tennis
Why tennis footwork is mostly about getting back rather than getting there — the split step, the recovery position that is not the centre of the court, and sliding on clay.
One-handed and two-handed backhands compared
What actually differs between the two backhands — reach, stability, disguise and the height at which each struggles — rather than which one is better.
One-Handed Backhand
A backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
Pace bowling
What fast bowling is actually for — how speed reduces a batter's reaction time, what the short ball and the yorker each achieve, and how a pace attack uses length as its main variable.
Padel Bandeja
A controlled overhead shot in padel, hit with slice and moderate pace to keep the player at the net without over-committing.
Parallel Turn
A turn in which both skis stay parallel throughout, steered together rather than wedged apart.
Plank
A static core exercise that holds the body in a straight line supported on the forearms and toes.
Playing the walls in padel
The skill that separates padel from every other racket sport — reading a rebound off glass, positioning behind the bounce rather than at it, and using your own back wall to attack.
Push-Up
A bodyweight exercise that lowers and raises the body by bending and straightening the arms while holding a rigid plank line.
Putting Stroke
The short, quiet stroke used on the green to start the ball rolling on a chosen line at a chosen pace.
Rugby union passing
How a rugby pass is actually made — the sideways swing that replaces a throw, why every pass must travel backwards, and what separates a spiral pass from a pop.
Rugby union tackling technique
How a tackle is made safely and legally — where to place the head and shoulder, the height the Laws require, and why technique is a safety question before it is a performance one.
Running Form
The efficient posture and stride mechanics of distance running, keeping the body relaxed and the cadence smooth.
Seam bowling
Movement off the pitch rather than through the air — how landing the ball on its seam deviates it at the bounce, and why seam and swing are different skills that look alike.
Snowplough Turn
The wedge-shaped turn beginners learn first on skis, where the ski tips are brought together to control speed and steer.
Spin bowling
How a slow bowler turns the ball — finger spin against wrist spin, off breaks, leg breaks and the deliveries that go the other way, and why flight matters more than turn.
Spin in table tennis
Why table tennis is a spin sport before it is a speed sport — how topspin, backspin and sidespin change a ball's flight and its bounce off an opponent's bat.
Sprint Start
The explosive start of a sprint from a set, crouched position, driving forward low before gradually rising to full stride.
Standing Climb
A cycling technique for climbing out of the saddle, standing on the pedals to add power on steep gradients.
Stickhandling
How a hockey player carries and protects the puck at speed — why the hands work independently of the feet, the role of soft hands, and how body position beats stick skill.
Swing bowling
How a cricket ball is made to curve in the air — the seam position and surface asymmetry behind conventional and reverse swing, and why swing is a property of the ball as much as the bowler.
Table Tennis Forehand Drive
A controlled attacking stroke in table tennis, played on the forehand side with a compact swing and light topspin.
Table tennis serve technique
How to serve legally and still create an advantage — generating spin within the rules, keeping the ball short, and why disguise must come from contact rather than concealment.
Tennis Serve
The overhead stroke that starts every point, hit from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box.
The bandeja and the víbora
Padel's two signature overheads — the controlled bandeja that holds the net, and the sliced víbora that attacks from it — and why a full smash is usually the wrong choice.
The cricket drive
Cricket's foundational attacking stroke, played straight down the ground or through the off side — the cover, straight and on drive, and the length that makes each one available.
The loop and the block
Table tennis's primary attacking stroke and its primary counter — how a loop lifts backspin into topspin, and why a block uses the attacker's own pace against them.
The pull and the hook
The two cross-batted strokes that punish short bowling — how the pull and the hook differ, the height of the ball that separates them, and the risk each one carries.
The push and the chop
Table tennis's backspin strokes — the short push that stops an opponent attacking, the long push that changes the rally, and the chop that defends from distance.
The return of serve
Tennis's most under-coached shot — where to stand against a first and second serve, why blocking beats swinging, and what the Rules allow a returner to do.
The slice in tennis
The underspin stroke that changes a rally's height and pace — how slice keeps the ball low, when it is defensive and when it is an attack, and what it does on different surfaces.
The sweep
The stroke that turns a good-length spinning delivery into a scoring opportunity — the conventional sweep, the slog sweep and the reverse sweep, and the LBW risk each one accepts.
Topspin Forehand
A forehand groundstroke hit with a low-to-high swing that puts forward spin on the ball so it dips and kicks up on landing.
Volley
A shot played near the net by blocking the ball out of the air before it bounces, using a short, firm punch rather than a full swing.
Volleyball Dig
A defensive contact that keeps a hard-driven ball in play by passing it up off the forearms, usually from a low position.
Volleyball Set
An overhead pass using the fingertips of both hands to place the ball accurately for a teammate to attack.
Volleyball Spike
A powerful attacking hit that drives the ball sharply downward over the net into the opponent's court, usually after an approach and jump.
Find a sport and put it into practice
Pick a sport, read the guide and take the first step — it's free to explore.