Basketball coaches, trainers, as well as scouts from all over the world are looking to see if you have a variety of things, and basketball footwork in one of them. You will gain the respect from coaches as well as other personnel including your teammates when you improve upon your footwork. Since you will commit fewer turnovers, take better shots, and make more accurate passes.

European Step -

A lot of players are using this move more and more in today's game and for good reason. The European Step was designed with the intentions of reducing your chances of committing a charging violation. It is also a very good looking move when done in game situations. The key to this is taking a step one way and then going the other way to finish at the goal. So let's take a look.

-Firstly pick up your dribble after making your drive to the goal.

-Looking and leaning your body in an aggressive manner towards the side that you want to fake the defender is important. You want to take your first step towards the outside of the defenders foot to help sell it as well. To make the fake even more effective you should consider putting the basketball out in the faking direction also.

-Next, push off hard with the foot that you made your first step with and rip the ball through to the other side of your body finally taking your last step to finish at the rim.

Triple Threat Position -

One position that you will hear about quite often, especially if you are a guard is the triple threat position. This body and footwork position gets its name because you will be able to have the decision to:

-You can shoot the basketball

-You can pass the basketball; or,

-drive to the basket.

If you want to take your game to the next level then you must have this position down, period end of story. You should also be aware that your footwork is crucial. You can pass the ball from this position, you can drive from this position, and you can shoot the basketball from this position.

In the event you concentrate on the different pivots with this position, and you completely understand the footwork this position is among the finest positions that you could remain in on the basketball floor.

Jump Stop -

Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Austin Rivers, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and so many more players use this move very often. It does require good footwork and athleticism to make it very effective. Nevertheless, typically the procedures involved are relatively simple...

-Picking up your dribble to start out your first two steps that you will get before you attempt your shot and also,

-Having a very long leap on your first step when you have picked up your dribble to arrive at the spot where you want to get to within the lane, ensuring you land on both of your feet concurrently to make a stop.

You also need to remember that good players that play defense like to poke the ball out of your possession, with that being the case, you need to protect the basketball when you are doing this move.

The First Step -

There are a ton of players that use this move, and it's very important to have in your game especially if most of your time is spent on the perimeter of the basketball court. The first step is a extremely effective move when you need to get past a player from the triple threat stance. Throwing in shakes with your body, as well as with the ball make this move even more effective, and when you are very quick (result of improving explosiveness) this is almost un-guardable when used in the proper situations.

-work on building a explosive and aggressive first step as soon as you catch the ball;

-use ladder drills to further improve your foot speed and quickness; and,

-practice your first step on actual defenders or perhaps an object like a chair from the triple threat position. Keep your knees bent so you stay in a explosive position.

As you may know, the closer a defender is playing on you, the better your odds are of getting past him. However, how do you get the defense to play closer to you? By effective shooting with the basketball. Once you have established the fact that you can shoot the basketball very well, then you will notice that the defender will play you closer in order to prevent you from getting your shot off. When this happens you can get past him much easier with the first step compared to the defender playing further off of you.

On the coaching side of the basketball, you understand how important footwork is for a basketball player. With that being the case, it's important that young players understand the importance of footwork and the different positions as well as moves that require good footwork. Another thing to consider when working with your players is to help them improve upon their actual foot speed, when this happens their game will improve on the offensive side of the basketball, the defensive side of the ball, as well as how they view the game mentally (their confidence). The European Step is a very advanced move, and should or shouldn't be taught depending on age the of the player. Ensure that they practice all of the fundamentals of basketball, as well as some or even most of the information in this article. When that happens, you will notice that you will have a more successful basketball team.