Why is Footwork so Important?

 

 

Footwork is one of those skills that is needed for just about every part of the game of youth basketball.  Solid footwork is needed for Offense, Defense, Rebounding, Shooting, Passing, etc.  Think about it, every minute of the game is played on your feet, so having solid footwork skills is critical to individual and team success.  Footwork is one of those skills (like defense) that you will never see a player practicing on their own, or before a practice.  Players will walk in the gym and start shooting, but it would be a rare site to see a player walk in the gym and start working on their footwork skills.

 

If a player improves their footwork skills, their game improves – footwork is the foundation for the rest of your game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examples of Footwork Skills used in Basketball:

 

 

1. Defense: Step Slide, Jumping, Jump to the Ball, Balance, Positioning (fronting, quarter turn), Zig Zag, Retreat, Drop Step, and Change of Pace to name a few…

 

Basic Defensive Step Slide

 

 

 

2. Offense: Cutting, V Cuts, Triple Threat, Pivots, Screening, Jump Stop, Post Moves, and Drives / Moves to the Basket to name a few…

 

 

 

3. Rebounding / Boxing Out: Pivot, Positioning, Balance, Pushing (boxing out), and Jumping to name a few…

 

Basic Jumping Drills

 

 

 

4. Shooting: Jump Stop, Lay Ups, Pivot, Balance, Jump Shot, and Post Moves to name a few…

 

 

 

5. Passing / Catching: Step Around Pass, Passing, and Stepping to the Ball to name a few…

 

 

 

6. Ball Handling / Dribbling: Spin Dribbling, Under the Legs, Behind the Back, Cone Dribbling, Side to Side Dribbling, Dribble and Stop, Crossover, and Change of Pace to name a few…

 

Cone Dribbling / Footwork

 

 

 

7. Speed / Agility: Speed, Quickness, Athleticism, Stopping, Conditioning, Sprinting, Running, Change of Pace, and Bursting to name a few…

 

 

 

Hopefully you get the bigger picture, footwork is used in every part of the game!  All these basketball skills / actions require good footwork, and a players game will suffer without good footwork skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types of Footwork Skills:

 

Here are just a few of the drills that will help you improve your footwork, and ultimately help you to become a better all around player.

 

 

 

1. The Grape Vine Drills (also called Karaoke drills) – This type of drill works on coordination and foot quickness.

 

Grape Vine Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

2. Basic Footwork Drills – These types of drills are great for the younger players and also works on coordination and foot quickness.

 

Line Drill (Front to Back) Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

Side to Side Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

3. High Knees – A very good drill for strengthening the players legs and agility (very good for conditioning also).

 

High Knees Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

4. Jump rope drills – Jump roping is a great way to get warmed up, works on foot speed and conditioning.  There are many different jump rope drills – here are just a handful…

 

Jump Rope Drill / Short Hop (regular) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / Short Hop (right foot) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / Short Hop (left foot) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / Short Hop (alternate feet) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / Medium Hop (both feet sideways) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / Medium Hop (both feet skipping) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / High Hop (both feet) – Video Clip

 

Jump Rope Drill / High Knees – Video Clip

 

 

 

5. The Pivot – The two most popular types of pivot drills are the Front Pivot (forward pivot) and the Back Pivot (reverse pivot).  Both are extremely important for your game to improve.  This video clip shows both the Pivot and the Jump Stop.

 

Jump Stop and Pivot Drill (Basic) – Video Clip

 

 

 

6. The Jump Stop – The jump stop is one of the most important footwork skills that all players need to be skilled with.  This video clip shows both the Pivot and the Jump Stop.

 

Jump Stop and Pivot Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

7. V-Cut – Cuts are a very important part of any offense. Learning the “V-Cut” is a very good way to get your players started.

 

V-Cut and Flash to the Ball Example – Video Clip

 

 

 

8. Wall Taps – This drill is great for building jumping skills. It is basic, but it does work.

 

Wall Taps Jumping Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

9. Defense – The Step Slide, Zig Zag (retreat), and Running Backwards drills may be the most important defensive drills you can teach your players.

 

Step Slide Drill (Basic) – Video Clip

 

Zig Zag (Retreat) Drill – Video Clip

 

Running Backwards Drill – Video Clip

 

 

 

10. Agility Hurdle Drills – Hurdle drills are great for jumping, foot speed, and agility.  There are many drills that players can do on hurdles, but we will only show a couple of examples here…

 

Hurdle Drills Examples – Video Clip

 

 

 

11. Agility Ladder Drills – Ladder drills are great for foot speed and agility. There are many drills that players can do on the ladder, but we will only show a few examples here…

 

Ladder Drills (Part One) Examples – Video Clip

 

 Ladder Drills (Part Two) Examples – Video Clip

 

 

12. Change of Pace, Change of Direction – This is a type of footwork that is seldom practiced.  Coach’s need to run this type of drill and explain why it is needed to the players.  There are also advanced ball handling footwork skills that are helpful if they are part of a players ball handling skills (use the stutter step dribbling move to “freeze” the defender).

 

Foot Fire / Take Off  Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

 Stutter Step Ball Handling / Footwork Drill – Video Clip

 

 

I have only included a handful of the more popular footwork drills here.  There are plenty more, so don’t limit yourself to just these – but you must also understand that players need to get the basic footwork drills down before moving on to more complicated ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As long as you work hard and do the drills correctly, you will improve.  But understand, it takes time, there’s no other way to make it go faster.  Most footwork drills are not much fun for the players, but that’s the reality of hard work and dedication needed to improve your basketball skills.  Footwork drills can make you a better player, and every part of your game can improve.  So now we know the “F” in footwork doesn’t stand for “Fun” but once all the hard work is over, the skills you will gain will be well worth the commitment.

 

 

 

 

 

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