"Footwork is one of the primary prerequisites to becoming a great player" - Coach Krzyzewski
Every great basketball coach focuses on footwork.
Effective footwork will prevent players from silly violations, allow them to create space and get past defenders, set them up to shoot on balance, let them dominate the post, and more...
It's very important.
One of the smartest basketball minds to ever live - Tates Locke - put together a series of basketball footwork drills that should be completed by players every single workout.
These drills involve:
- Jump stops
- Forward pivots
- Reverse pivots
- Drop steps
- Rips
- Fakes
- Crossover steps
These are all movements a player needs to master if they want to become a great player.
Here are the drills...
The 6 Original Tates Locke Box Drills
Every one of the following basketball footwork drills starts with the offensive player on the low block with their back towards the baseline.
From there, they must spin the basketball back to themselves and catch the ball using a jump stop on the high post / elbow.
Then execute the following footwork drills...
1. Drop Step, Layup
- Two-foot jump stop
- Drop step with outside leg
- One dribble
- Layup
2. Inside Pivot, Jump Shot
- Two-foot jump stop
- Fake drop step
- Forward pivot on inside foot
- Jump shot
3. Inside Pivot, Shot Fake, Crossover Step, Layup
- Two-foot jump stop
- Fake drop step
- Forward pivot on inside foot
- Shot fake
- Crossover step
- One dribble
- Layup
4. Reverse Pivot, Jump Shot
- Two-foot jump stop
- Reverse pivot on outside foot
- Jump shot
5. Reverse Pivot, Rip, Layup
- Two-foot jump stop
- Reverse pivot on outside foot
- Rip to outside
- One dribble
- Layup
6. Reverse Pivot, Fake Rip, Crossover Step, Layup
- Two-foot jump stop
- Reverse pivot on outside foot
- Fake rip to outside
- Crossover step
- One dribble
- Layup
Two Videos of the Box Drills in Action
To give you a better idea of what each drill looks like, here are a couple of videos I found on YouTube explaining the box drills.
Video #1:
Here's a video of Coach Jeff Depelteau completing the box drills at a USA Basketball Youth Development Skills Camp in Houston, Texas.
Video #2
A high school player completing a series of basketball footwork drills. Includes the box drills as well as several other variations.
Conclusion:
These basketball footwork drills are perfect for both:
- Individuals before a workout
- Teams before a practice
Since footwork is mostly a 'secondary' skill in most drills, these drills by Tates Locke are great because they give footwork 100% of the focus.
It's a great idea to use them before practice while players are still fresh!