Misdirection

Misdirection
Type	Technique
Users	Tetsuya Kuroko Chihiro Mayuzumi

Misdirection is a technique which diverts the opponents gaze. It can be used to make its user seemingly disappear out of sight. It is most frequently used by Tetsuya Kuroko, who extensively utilizes the technique to excel in passing, earning him the title of Teiko's "Phantom Sixth Man" due to its nature. The concept of misdirection is commonly seen in magic tricks and in sleight of hand.

Description

As a general concept, misdirection to divert ones gaze can be used by anyone, as demonstrated by Ryōta Kise. To use it continually in a game, however, requires a great level of concentration and awareness alongside a strong will. The user must be able to keep track of their surroundings and their targets at all time in order to direct the attention of others to exactly where they want, as well as to grasp what may be the most efficient course of action. They must also be able to suppress their own emotions and instincts in order to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. This makes Misdirection far more suited for, or even exclusive to those who naturally have a weak presence.

The player has to make eye contact with the target

In a basketball game, the object with the most presence on the court will always be the basketball itself, alongside whoever the player might directly have their eyes on in any given moment. This leads users of Misdirection to be holding the ball for as little time as possible, generally forgoing scoring or handling in favor of quicker touch passes. When attempting to deceive a specific player, the user must be making direct eye contact with them in order to glance elsewhere and take their target's attention with them. The user must also make eye contact with whichever teammate they are coordinating with.

The latter requirement is Misdirection's greatest weakness, as if one knows about it, they are able to nullify the deception by focusing on the user's teammate rather than the user itself. In knowing where the user intends to pass the ball, one can predict its trajectory and prevent it accordingly, limiting the user's movements. This creates a mirrorlike effect wherein the user's plans are reflected in their teammates.

Users

Tetsuya Kuroko

Using Misdirection to pass

Due to his naturally weak presence, Misdirection is Kuroko's specialty, and is a style that he developed on his own in order to play basketball without being physically strong. He most commonly uses the technique in order to pass the ball to his teammates, though has applied the concept in other ways to create various other techniques.

• Vanishing Drive: Using his eyes, Kuroko diverts his target's attention to a player behind him (usually Taiga Kagami) and goes in for a drive as soon as the target looks away. He purposely goes in at a diagonal angle rather than directly horizontally, as it is harder for the human eye to track. This results in the illusion that he has disappeared.
• Misdirection Overflow: Using his knowledge of human focus, Kuroko is able to purposely draw all attention to himself rather than diverting it away. This allows for his teammates to replicate similar effects and move around without being noticed as clearly. However, this technique requires that his opponents already have prior knowledge of and are already conscious of him beforehand, and it cannot be used against the same opponent twice.
• Phantom Shot: By holding the ball closer to his chest, Kuroko is able to make his opponent look downwards and restrict their field of view. Kuroko can then push the ball with the palm of his hand for greater force, making it quickly speed out of their field of vision and create the illusion that the ball has disappeared or passed through their hand.

Chihiro Mayuzumi

Mayuzumi uses Misdirection

Misdirection is also the specialty of Mayuzumi, who was taught the technique after his weak presence was noticed by Seijūrō Akashi. Due to the style not being one he created himself, however, it lacks innovation and Mayuzumi has only been seen using the technique to pass. Mayuzumi also seems to have a weaker fundamental understanding of what will or will not draw attention to him, a weakness that was exploited by Kuroko in order to make him hold the ball for longer and nullify his effectiveness.