Footwork & Balance

Now is the time of the year when basketball players make themselves better by working on skill development, speed, agility and quickness, becoming a stronger athlete, improving their physical condition and hopefully working hard to improve their foot work.
The longer I have been involved in the coaching of basketball, the more I have been convinced that footwork and balance are of prime importance to any basketball player who wants to reach his full potential.

Here is a workout that only requires a jump rope, a chair and the motivation to improve. The workout combines rope skipping and body weight exercises. It is done with intensity and completed every other day, as the rope skipping can be tough on the legs. This workout is versatile enough to be done in the gym, at home, in a field or even while traveling.  

Have the athlete start by jumping the rope for 30 seconds and then doing a bodyweight exercise for 30 seconds. Do not rest between each exercise, but wait until the entire circuit is completed. After becoming accustomed to the workout, a player may want to increase the time of each exercise, or even go through the entire circuit, have a rest period, and then repeat a second set of each exercise. It depends on how dedicated they are to becoming the best they can be.

The workout goes like this.

1) Jump rope for 30 seconds jumping off both feet. Work on  “touch – go” where the feet touch the floor and immediately go up off the floor again. Do not bounce between jumps. While jumping, the person only needs to clear the rope, not jump high. As a person improves his rope-skipping ability, the next goal is to get the rope moving at a faster tempo.

2)  Do push-ups for 30 seconds. Do regular push-ups, marine push-ups, decline push-ups or any other type of push-ups.  Just use good form and technique.

3)  Jump rope for 30 seconds, alternating feet. Do left foot touches and then the right foot touches.

4)  Do crunches for 30 seconds. Any kind of crunches are fine.

5)  Jump rope for 30 seconds jumping off both feet, but going from side to side. Some people call this the “slalom.”

6)  Do a front plank for 30 seconds. This is great for the core. Some people call this a “front bridge.”

7)  Jump rope for 30 seconds, jumping off both feet but going forward and backward with the feet. Think of this as jumping over a line from front to back.

 Do a side plank for 30 seconds, holding yourself on the left hand and the feet. Maintain good posture. This is another great exercise for the core.

9)  Jump rope for 30 seconds, criss-crossing the feet. Left over right and back, then right over left and back.

10) Do a side plank for 30 seconds, this time the right hand and feet are touching the floor. Tighten the core and maintain good posture.

11) Jump rope for 30 seconds jumping only on the left foot.

12) Do bodyweight aquats for 30 seconds. Maintain good form and technique.

13) Jump rope for 30 seconds jumping only on the right foot.

14) Do lunges for 30 seconds.  Do not go too fast and maintain good balance.

15) Jump rope for 30 seconds jumping twice off the left foot and then once of the right foot.  I call this “2 Left & 1 Right.”

16) Do reverse lunges for 30 seconds.

17) Jump rope for 30 seconds, jumping twice off the right foot and then once off the left foot. “2 Right & 1 Left.”

18) Do squat thrusts for 30 seconds.

19) Jump rope for 30 seconds, jumping twice off the left foot and then twice off the right foot.  “2 & 2.”

20) Do burpees for 30 seconds.

21) Jump rope for 30 seconds running in place.

22) Do seated dips for 30 seconds.

23) Jump rope for 30 seconds going sideways in a shuffling movement. Go sideways for about 30 feet and then shuffle back the other way.

24) Do heel raises for 30 seconds. Stay on the feet and raise the heels off the floor as high as possible. Maintain balance and do as many as possible in the 30-second time period.

25) Jump rope for 30 seconds using a scissors action with the feet. The left foot goes forward and the right back, then on the next rope revolution the right goes forward and the left foot goes back.

26) Do toe raises for 30 seconds. This means keeping the heels on the floor and raising the toes up toward the shin. It helps prevent shin splints.

You have spent 13 minutes in completing one set of each exercise. Start with one set of each exercise and increase the time of the exercises as the athletes understand them better. You might build up to a minute with each exercise.

When the athlete is comfortable doing each exercise for up to a minute, it might be possible to add a second set of each exercise. This provides the athlete a 26-minute workout going 30 seconds per exercise and 52 minutes of exercise by doing each exercise for one minute and doing two sets. That is a great way to see how tough the players are.

Try variations as well, like have each of the 30-second rope-skipping sessions followed by 30 seconds of push-ups, or follow each rope-skipping session with 30 seconds of crunches.  

As the players become very proficient at rope skipping, add double and triple jumps, as well as jumping with the rope going backward.

You are working on footwork, increasing leg strength, developing rhythm and timing, building cardiovascular endurance and improving coordination. The player develops a sense of confidence as he or she improves both rope-skipping expertise and physical strength.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at hoosierceb1@yahoo.com