Ironically, the genesis point of teaching basketball begins without the ball itself. Regardless of what phase of the game you want to work on, whether it is offense or defense, dribbling or passing, shooting or rebounding, it all starts with stance and footwork. We refer to this as a “basketball stance.” It’s not just a defensive stance. Good body positioning will help us in every facet of the game.There are three keys to a good basketball stance. First, we want the proper body position. Second, we want to evenly distribute our weight in order to have good balance. Finally, we want to move in our stance in such a way that allows control. The combination of position, balance and control gives us maximum speed, quickness and agility. It allows a player to explode into her cut quicker. It enables a shooter to get her shot off in a timely fashion. It is a “jump start” for the defensive player. It will positively affect every fundamental that we want to execute.
We are interested in a stance that is both low and wide. The knees should be bent with the feet a little wider than the shoulders. The bend of the knees should put us in a near “sitting” position. We want the head up and positioned directly above the feet. We want our weight sitting on the balls of the feet with a slightly forward lean. (Fig 4-1) photo
While most players do a good job of assuming a stance at the beginning of the possession, only a few are disciplined enough to stay in their stance the entire time. Staying in your stance and mastering the proper footwork can help any player take their game to the next level. Regardless of size or speed, you will instantly become a better basketball player by maintaining a good basketball stance.
Proper stance and footwork will also make you a quicker basketball player. It is common for defensive players to rise up out of their stance when their assignment doesn’t have the basketball. Should the ball be skipped to their player, the first thing the defensive player has to do is get into her stance. The instant it takes to get in her stance could be the difference in her getting beat off the dribble in a closeout situation or stopping the drive.
The same can be said of a shooter who is not in her stance. She has a better chance of getting her shot off if she receives the ball in her stance, with her feet and hands prepared to shoot. A player not in her stance may lose the window of opportunity to get her shot off because once she catches the ball; she must first get in her stance before thinking about shooting.
Even with all the importance of being in a proper stance, it is one of the most difficult things for players to master on a consistent basis. As a coach, you must constantly stress to your players, both individually and collectively as a unit that they must remain in their stance. While there are several drills to work on stance and footwork, it is imperative that a coach is constantly looking to correct poor stance even in whole method work.
