Basketball Footwork Tips Help You Make the Scoring Moves

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

Basketball Footwork Tip #1
Balance
Quality balance skills in the game of basketball are crucial. By keeping your feet shoulder width apart, you’ll get the proper support base you need to stay strong against your opponent.

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.

Basketball Footwork Tip #2
Pivot
Developing great pivot skills will help you explode into effective offensive moves, as well as get away from a pressuring defender. Stay on the ball of your pivot foot and don’t allow it to come off the floor until you dribble, shoot, or pass the ball.

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.

Basketball Footwork Tip #3
Quick Pivot
We can’t emphasize the need to stay on the balls of your feet. This is be helpful when it comes time to make quick pivots or fast cuts. As you make your move, you’ll be able to maintain your balance much better by remaining on the balls of your feet.

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

Basketball Footwork Tip #4
Positive Footwork
Now we’re talking about your “free” foot.

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.