The primary ingredient shared by all fake recipes is options. If you have two options, then you can start cooking a fake. If you position for one option to get the defender to commit to defending it, then you can go for the other. If you are driving straight at a defender with the ball on the ground in front of your car, there’s only one option and it’s easily read, so no amount of faking is going to trick an experienced defender. In general, fakes are best utilized when the defender only has time to react to one offensive option. If they don’t commit to saving what you’re showing then they won’t be able to save the shot, but if they do commit then they will be out of position to save anything else.

Additionally, any type of mind games should be used as a secondary threat. If you keep missing your power shots or if you keep dropping your flicks, then your opponent won’t be worried about committing to a save. So, the first step to performing a successful fake is establishing these offensive tools as consistent and successful. If you’re not scoring with traditional offensive pressure, you should focus on finding an outlet that does work before trying a fake.

While faking is most useful in the solo duel playlist—where a successful fake will result in an undefended net almost every time—they can also be used in team-based playlists. In these playlists, they will be most successful in a counter opportunity against a defense that is still in transition. In other circumstances, a fake can still be successful but might not result directly in a goal, because there will likely still be other defenders that you will need to outplay.

With that preamble out of the way, there are a few primary fake options and situations that are most common that you can look to establish in your own games.

Low 50/50

This type of mind game is used as a secondary threat after establishing flicks. If you’ve established dribbling and flicks as a successful and threatening option for scoring, your opponent will likely start to challenge those shots sooner. When challenging a dribble with a suspected flick, an opponent will be forced to jump. In order for this type of fake to succeed you need to wait until after they’ve jumped or just before they are jumping, and then just let the ball drop to the ground. If completed correctly, they will fly over both you and the ball and you’ll be able to proceed to the goal unimpeded. This is a great option to use for a defender who is ready in defense as a way to get them out of net or for a defender who is actively approaching for a challenge.

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Fairy Peak provided an excellent example of this in his recent 1v1 showmatch against eekso.

Shot Fake

This type of fake is perhaps the most iconic and satisfying. It is the variant that leads to the defender flying wildly and making the biggest fool of themselves. You can most effectively use this type of fake in high speed situations where an opponent is not set in defense and is forced into racing to meet your potential shot. It is especially potent if they are coming from perpendicular to your line of attack. For example, this situation often presents itself when your opponent makes a poor save that you can recover while they are required to speed back to the net to defend your second shot. Once the situation is setup, simply move as if you're going to shoot the ball and brake at the last second. Once your opponent is successfully baited, you'll often be able to let the ball simply roll into the goal for maximum humiliation. The below is an great demonstration of a fake shot.

Aerial Fake

While this opportunity is less common than the others, you can also fake some aerial shots. Most aerial shots require some degree of directing the ball downward toward the net, but not all. This type of mind-game is most useful in a situation where any aerial to touch would direct the ball either primarily forward or upwards while still threatening a shot. Once the defender jumps to challenge your aerial touch, roll out of the approach and watch as his momentum carries him over both you and the ball as it continues on toward the goal. Many players set up this type of fake by popping the ball to themselves and then faking on the follow up touch. We have an example of this below.

With these general rules for mind-gaming and faking, and common situations where they can be used, you can start to implement them into your game. Because why just win a game, when you can win and destroy your opponent's final delusions of dignity at the same time?

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