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The 13 Greatest Signature Moves Named After Athletes

by YPB Team

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 — ranked #11
    The Biles II
    A triple-twisting double backflip on floor, the hardest women's tumbling pass ever performed.
  2. The Fosbury Flop — ranked #22
    The Fosbury Flop
    Dick Fosbury's backwards high jump technique, now used by essentially every jumper alive.
  3. The Panenka — ranked #33
    The Panenka
    Antonin Panenka's chipped penalty, which won Czechoslovakia the 1976 European Championship.
  4. The Cruyff Turn — ranked #44
    The Cruyff Turn
    Johan Cruyff's drag-back feint from the 1974 World Cup, still taught to every winger.
  5. The Ali Shuffle — ranked #55
    The Ali Shuffle
    Muhammad Ali's rapid foot switch, used to unsettle opponents mid-combination.
  6. The Yurchenko — ranked #66
    The Yurchenko
    Natalia Yurchenko's round-off entry onto the vault table, the base of almost every elite vault.
  7. The Produnova — ranked #77
    The Produnova
    A front handspring double front vault so dangerous few gymnasts will attempt it.
  8. The Dream Shake — ranked #88
    The Dream Shake
    Hakeem Olajuwon's pivot-and-fake post move that beat defenders without a shot going up.
  9. The Eurostep — ranked #99
    The Eurostep
    A two-direction stride into the lane, carried into the NBA by Manu Ginobili.
  10. The Sky Hook — ranked #1010
    The Sky Hook
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's one-handed arcing hook shot, effectively unblockable for two decades.
  11. The Marseille Turn — ranked #1111
    The Marseille Turn
    A double 360-degree drag spin popularised by Zinedine Zidane.
  12. The Tkatchev — ranked #1212
    The Tkatchev
    Alexander Tkachyov's release-and-catch move on the high bar, named after him in 1977.
  13. The Rousey Armbar — ranked #1313
    The Rousey Armbar
    Ronda Rousey's judo-derived armbar finish, which ended most of her early MMA fights in seconds.
sports664Athletes44all time328gymnastics2

Comments

Triple-twisting double backflip on floor, and the naming rule is blunt: land it at a world championship or the Olympics before anyone else: https://youpick.best/articles/simone-biles-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·
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