Don’t neglect the need to pick up basketball footwork tips so you can dominate on both offense and defense.
Many basketball players spend a great deal of time on developing their upper body strength when training for basketball superiority, but fail to master their footwork skills.
Don’t let this happen to you. Pay attention to your balance and pivot skills.
Proper footwork in basketball will allow you to separate from defenders as well as improve your own basketball defense fundamentals.
Coaches – Be sure your post players as well as perimeter players pay attention to the following basketball footwork tips. Smaller post players can have success against bigger players precisely because they master their footwork.
Basketball Footwork Tips
Balance
Keep a good bend at the knees and the waist. Keep your head just above the midpoint between both feet. In this position you have the most physical balance possible.
Pivot
In the post, a good move is the drop step. If you have the ball on the low block and the player guarding you is on the high side (closer to the free throw line), make the foot closest to the foul line your pivot foot and take a strong step with the opposite foot directly toward the basket.
This allows you to seal your opponent on your butt behind you.
In general, if your pivot foot moves and you don’t dribble, shoot or pass, it’s a violation (traveling), and the ball is awarded to the opponent. A reverse or back pivot is when you turn backwards and when you turn forwards it’s called a forward or front pivot
There are many reasons to pivot, including to get open and to give yourself an open shot. If you don’t get comfortable performing pivots, you’ll never be as effective as your potential says you can be.
Quick Pivot
Since you have to be on the balls of your feet to move anyway, by playing on them, you will make your move more quickly
Positive Footwork
Keep your free foot slightly in front of your pivot foot as you’re squaring up so you gain the best position to attack your opponent. If you allow your free foot to end up behind your pivot foot, you’ll allow your defender an opportunity to apply pressure and “belly up” to you. This gets you on your back foot and retreating from the basket.
Get this right because once you declare your free foot, that’s the only foot you can fake or step with.