The 13 Greatest Signature Moves Named After Athletes

Every one of these started as a single person's idea and ended up in the rulebook. A few rebuilt their sport; a few just looked good.

1

The Biles II

A triple-twisting double backflip on floor, the hardest women's tumbling pass ever performed.

2

The Fosbury Flop

Dick Fosbury's backwards high jump technique, now used by essentially every jumper alive.

3

The Panenka

Antonin Panenka's chipped penalty, which won Czechoslovakia the 1976 European Championship.

4

The Cruyff Turn

Johan Cruyff's drag-back feint from the 1974 World Cup, still taught to every winger.

5

The Ali Shuffle

Muhammad Ali's rapid foot switch, used to unsettle opponents mid-combination.

6

The Yurchenko

Natalia Yurchenko's round-off entry onto the vault table, the base of almost every elite vault.

7

The Produnova

A front handspring double front vault so dangerous few gymnasts will attempt it.

8

The Dream Shake

Hakeem Olajuwon's pivot-and-fake post move that beat defenders without a shot going up.

9

The Eurostep

A two-direction stride into the lane, carried into the NBA by Manu Ginobili.

10

The Sky Hook

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's one-handed arcing hook shot, effectively unblockable for two decades.

11

The Marseille Turn

A double 360-degree drag spin popularised by Zinedine Zidane.

12

The Tkatchev

Alexander Tkachyov's release-and-catch move on the high bar, named after him in 1977.

13

The Rousey Armbar

Ronda Rousey's judo-derived armbar finish, which ended most of her early MMA fights in seconds.