Movement Footwork?
Generally speaking the ability to move is enhanced or restricted by ones physical makeup. Flexibility and strength, among other aspects, affect running ability. The ability to move, run and stop correctly is specific to a basketball game experience. Footwork and movement is improved through repetition and must be coached. Running in basketball involves
deceleration, agility in changing direction as well as stopping quickly before moving again. Undoubtedly training will improve movement. While running is often
perceived as a leg stride action, the use of the arms and upper body play a role in how efficiently somebody runs. There is much to appreciate, learn and understand about movements that will enhance
basketball performance.
• Running technique: Sometimes we
assume that all players can run and often don’t teach our young
adolescents how to run. We do not have a provision or consideration for them to learn running efficiency.
Running and more specifically sprinting must be assessed and developed in all our players. While running is important, equally coaching the players “how to stop quickly” through a “jump stop” or a “stride or running stop” is also
equally important. These stops become part of the running continuum. They become the next most important footwork fundamental.
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• Stopping equals Stance: Jump stops,
Stride [or running] stops can be stationary, momentary waiting
positions. Improving posture and stance will involve core strength. All our
players must be able to get into a defensive stance and also a triple threat stance on offence. This position is closely related to the stance of a stop; therefore a common “basketball stance” needs to be taught effectively. This basketball "ready position” stance for each player is crucial for skill development. While they are only momentarily in the position as senior players, as juniors they will need to adopt it more regularly and for longer periods as they acquire their movement skills. The “basketball stance” is the first body posture or stance we will teach, it is the beginner’s common position to play defence or offense. Once
established it will be refined later into a more specific modified defensive stance and also the triple threat position. It involves feet should width apart, knees and feet facing same direction, head still, eyes looking ahead, shoulders back (shoulder blades pulled together) straight back, good bend at hips and knees, and hands ready for defence or offence whichever is required.
• Balance: In stance and stops is
determined by the players head
position (and vision). Whether the head is up or down affects balance. While balance can be natural for some it may not be for others, so experience in balance and basketball specific type movements must be coached, planned and experienced.
• Combining stance with defensive slides: Progressing the starting stance
to a defensive stance, combined with slides and then running (slide
/run/slide) is the basis of all defensive movement. These are somewhat unnatural movement patterns so they need to be learned for “muscle memory”.
• Changing direction when running:
There is a need to recognise agility in basketball, which involves a capability for deceleration. This is to do with physical competency. It may not come naturally to young players, so once again there is the need to coach it and practice it.
• Coaching hand positioning in all movement: The hands (and arms)
have a role in balance, stance and when running. Hand positioning is especially important to balance and for overall movement efficiency when a ball is involved. For example the target hands when coming off screens to catch and shoot are important aspects for the coaches’ attention. The
positioning of hands and feet when shooting and catching, the arm bar when defending or dribbling, the dig hand on defence against the dribbler, the target hand in the post, hands up ready to rebound, hands up on defence are all reminders that the hands have important movements for basketball. These positioning and movement responsibilities should be coached.
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• More attention to the use of arms in all movement: British players can use
arms (and hands) for better outcomes. These are important in shooting, rebounding and defence. The effective use of arms and shoulder position is also very important in close body to body contests (i.e. 1 v 1 situations). • Triple threat movements: Once the
basketball stance or ready position is taught, it is then refined through
teaching the triple threat position. From the triple threat position we need a correct shooting technique and an ability to raise and lower the ball through a range of motion that allows fakes for the shot, dribble or pass as well as the completion of the skill. Therefore the faking motion must be the same as the actual motion and as such must go through the same range of motion and then adapted by the player in decision making. The overhead pass should be easily converted to the shooting position as fakes are made to move the defence from the passing or driving lane. Correct position and where to start the dribble drive will include the use of a jab step and a crossover step to beat the defence. Once again these need to be broken down and coached. Additionally, the ability to be “ball quick” while in a stance is created by moving the ball from one hip to another or swinging the ball below the knees to crossover and get defender off balance. These are all movements to be coached.
• ON-Ball defence: Footwork and
movement including closing out is covered separately in the ON-Ball defence section hereafter.
• Active Stance: Being in stance in an
offensive or defensive position but with hands and feet moving quickly while in the basic stance and ready to move from the stance in a certain direction or to catch the ball.
In conclusion, the major point is to re- emphasise movement and footwork. All basketball coaches need to understand and be able to coach movement, footwork, balance and stance (posture) to best perform the skills of basketball at all levels.
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