To get by your opponent when driving to the basket or simply trying to avoid your defender, you must have a very quick first, and often, second step. Coaches use many drills to enhance getting by one’s opponent, but by themselves, do little to make you quicker or faster. To effectively do this, you must learn the technique of executing a quick first step.
When your technique is perfected, or as you are trying to make changes in your technique, you should also develop your physical abilities to allow you to make the first step as quick as possible. However, before doing explosive type exercises, you should do specialized strength exercises to strengthen the muscles in exactly the same way as they are used when taking a first and/or second step.
In working with hundreds of basketball players, I have found that technique can be improved if the athlete takes a few weeks without playing to master the skill and or any changes that are needed. If the player continues playing he will never be able to make an effective change. Also at this time the specialized — dynamic correspondence — exercises speed up the technique changes and enhance the movements involved.
To improve your technique, stand in a relatively tall, shoulder width stance. A wide stance as is often used does not allow for quick movement. Understand that, the wider your stance, the more stable you are and the more difficult it is to move out of position. When your feet are shoulder width apart and you are standing relatively tall, you can go into motion almost immediately.
Thus, starting with this stance and the upper body in a slight crouch, quickly lean forward with your upper body and push off with the rear leg to drive your hips forward and then step out as you lose your balance. Be sure you first push-off then step out, not vice versa.
Do not step backward before you step forward. This is wasted time and usually signals what you are about to do to your defender. Having a shoulder width stance may seem wrong or incorrect to you, but if you watch top-level players, you’ll see that before they make their break with a quick first step, their feet are relatively close together. You move into this position or assume this stance when you have the ball.
To develop the strength and flexibility needed to take a relatively long, quick first step, you should do the classic long lunge. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and then drive forward with a strong push off one leg. As your hips are driven forward, step out with the free leg and take a relatively long step. Place the foot on the ground and allow your weight to move over the front leg. In the final position, there should be approximately a 90-degree angle in the support leg knee joint and your rear leg should be straight but relaxed. Be sure to maintain an upright erect position of the trunk. To ensure that you do this and to develop greater balance, hold a barbell or a dumbbell with two hands overhead. To return to the initial position, push back with the forward leg and take several short steps.
To increase flexibility in the hip joint, stay in the down position for 5-10 seconds. If greater flexibility is not needed, then only hold the down position for only 1-2 seconds. Take a long stride but do not overstride so that you are unable to bend the forward leg to place all the weight on it. You should be able to place your whole foot in contact with the floor when you land,with the knee already somewhat bent but with the angle in the knee joint increasing as more weight moves on it up to the 90-degree angle.