SPIN LATERAL STEP

The "Spin" refers to transitioning to backwards by facing your chest into the centre of the turn, rather than facing your butt to the cone, which is seen in the more commonly used technique of the "Pivot." The "Spin" is often used to maintain or even gain speed, rather than coming to an abrupt stop like on typical "Immediate Pivots."  These types of transitions are often seen in games, when players have already completed a portion of a turn, and it makes more sense to turn your back and maintain speed, then to lose speed and stay facing the play. Conversely, the disadvantage of the "Spin" is that you do turn your back to the play, so be sure to use it in situations where maintaining speed outweighs turning your back to the play. The "Lateral Step" is used as an alternative to crossovers, because it is quicker, and does not make you vulnerable to being crossed up by the forward going back in the other direction. Conversely, the disadvantage of lateral steps is that they are less explosive than crossovers.