Myles Jones remembers the first time he saw a swim dodge. He was a middle school lacrosse fanatic watching then-Johns Hopkins star Paul Rabil use his size to his advantage to pull off the move.

Fast forward several years, and Jones found he possessed the same advantage as a midfielder at Duke. He made it a point to master the swim dodge, which he honed with the Blue Devils and continues to deploy today as a professional with the Chesapeake Bayhawks and Team USA.

At the Team USA Fall Classic this past October, Yale midfielder Douglas Pula attempted to drive Jones to the sideline and out of bounds. 

But Jones had the best diversion in mind.

The Swim Dodge

1. Survey your defender. When he shifts his hips to prepare for a crosscheck, drop your shoulder and body to hint you’re trying to go through him.

2. Wait until he leans or steps forward. Then take a step back to stunt his momentum. Stand straight up, push off with your right foot and go left. 

3. Bring your stick over his head to avoid the oncoming crosscheck and contact. Switch to your left hand once you’ve crossed your body.

4. Explode out of the swim dodge using the momentum from the sideline.