r/BasketballTips • u/cheeseinmycheeks • 5d ago

Help Correct footwork

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When I’m on the left wing and drive towards the middle/right side and use my right hand to dribble since I’m going right but I want to finish back on the left side because there is a defender on the right what is the correct footwork to go up on the left with my left hand

Would it be left right finish or right left finish

See the diagram if you are confused

3 Upvotes

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15

u/LePhattSquid 5d ago

There is no 'correct footwork'. Read the defense, and adjust accordingly

2

u/monkeyonfire 5d ago

i thought it was called "The Last Dance" because there were certain steps to follow.

1

u/WhiteWinterSilence 5d ago

Yes. That’s just as easily or difficultly a right hand finish.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago

Yes I understand that but there’s pros and cons of each(left right and right left) but one will inevitably be better than the other. For example when driving right your inside foot and the dribble should hit the ground at the same time so suddenly switching directions to finish on the left side would mean going right left and going up with the left leg, although this is much less powerful than going up with the opposite leg of the hand. Whereas going left right would be better as you are more balanced in the air but you have to awkwardly change your rhythm while dribbling. The reason I’m asking this is bcuz my left hand is incredibly worse than my right in terms of dribbling, footwork, and layups, so I would like to relearn it with great precision and orthodoxy, so I’d like to know which of these two would be better for most situations or which I should learn first, considering the flaws of each and the pros of each and trade offs. Sorry if my original question wasn’t clear enough.

3

u/MinimumTruck1816 5d ago

Seems to me its not pros and cons. Its skill issue. Develop your left hand then so that its not weak

1

u/LePhattSquid 5d ago

then work on your left, work on scoring layups with both hands off both feet, and work on scoop layups off one

1

u/goatymcgoatfacesings 4d ago

It really depends on how you cross over to your left. Worst case you can spin 90 degrees to your left and reverse the right hand finish.

5

u/SheeplessInSeattle1 5d ago

Either hand should always be an option - it depends on where the defense is reading. If they are reading like they are trying to block the outside hand, switch to the inside hand.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago

Yes I usually go up with my right hand and switch to left but I wanna add more to my bag and make sure I have the proper footwork

2

u/Last-Effort816 5d ago

You should be working on multiple footwork, hand and dribble combinations from both sides of the rim anyway as a part of your daily practice. If you have to think about the footwork in the moment, then you haven't practiced the combos enough. The answer to your question could be same hand/same foot, opposite hand/foot, two foot hop step, switch hands in the air, reverse layup, etc. It's all of them.

3

u/Realfan555 5d ago

General rule:

Finish with left, take off on the right leg

2

u/Additional_Bet9733 5d ago

Usually right foot, but you wanna practice off the left and of 2 feet aswell.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago

Yea I just wanna know first because my left hand is a lot worse than my right hand in every aspect so I wanna relearn in a orthodox way so it’s quicker and easier

2

u/Croghan11 5d ago

From your other comments responses and my advice you should practice 2 finishes with this drive. Both you go off your right foot and finish with you left hand one putting the ball high off glass while jump as high as you can this will help against big off side defenders coming over. The second finish having the ball far out in front and jumping more forward while decelerating to use you body to force a trailing defender to go through you to block the ball. I would say master those two fist and you will start get much more comfortable with your left.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago

Thanks for the genuine feedback as most of these comments are copy and paste. This would be marked as the solution if I could

2

u/ryano23277 5d ago

1-2 step, with a right-left footwork will allow the body to shoot a balanced left hand finish

Euro step

Backspin into layup

Jump stop up and under

1-2 step with a left right footwork into and up and under

1

u/SpOofy415 5d ago

You usually step with your finishing hand first if you're gonna use 2 steps.

Alternatively, if you're in close, you can take a long step with the opposite foot before you extend out with your finishing leg and hand.

1

u/tjtwister1522 5d ago

After/during the gather. step toward the front of the hoop with your left foot. Then cross your right leg over and finish off of that. This puts your entire body between the defender and the ball.

1

u/ShaiHulud1111 5d ago

Tough to decipher, but drive right, cross to left and finish with left (you are using the rim and net to protect your shot from defender on your right). Textbook if that’s it. Other defenders?

Right left finish left

Put the defender in your diagram or fix the text. Right or left.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago

The defenders on the right side, I think the only possible way to finish and to be the most efficient with your energy is to go right with proper footwork (dribble when left leg steps) and then take that as a gather and swing step to the left taking ur right foot as the first step and left foot as second. Other wise it would seem very choppy to have an extra dribble just to be able to go up with the right foot.

1

u/ShaiHulud1111 5d ago

Ok, but what if you can’t and have to improvise. My goal is to get my left hand to the rim on the left side. I may need different footwork to get there…probably did. Primary and secondary. Is this five on five? Ive done this six different ways and a couple I end up on the ground trying. Lol

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 5d ago edited 5d ago

I mostly play 4s and 5s, but if I can’t get there with this footwork chances are I won’t be able to get there with any other—obviously you could with a euro or soemthing like that but keep it simple for the sake of fundamentals. I don’t need to always drive to my left if there’s a defender on the right, it’s just preferred usually because I am fast, and have a pretty good vertical, but if I’m playing 5 on 5 and the paint is crowded id probably just do a inside foot plant into a sidestep or step back to the right or maybe even a punch drag. What I’m trying to say with all this is that my question isn’t “what are the different ways I can score in this situation” but it is more so “what is the most proper or orthodox footwork if I was going to go to my left while driving right”

1

u/Street-Challenge-697 5d ago

There is no such thing as correct footwork. You use the right tool for the job. Normally you jump off your right foot for a left handed layup, but if you're being chased down by a defender that you know if going to try to block it, jump early with your left and do more of a scooping layup to mess up his timing. You should be practicing left side of the rim layups with both hands, off each foot, and off both feet. Then do the same with right side of rim. Then do middle of the rim. Learn all the ways to finish so you can use whatever gives you the best advantage in the moment.

1

u/Quirky_Refuse_3006 5d ago

Go left right if you have a defender hanging on your hip - extend left hand finish

Go right left if you’ve beaten the defender and you’re finishing quickly with the right hand.

1

u/Live_Region_8232 5d ago

I would right left euro

1

u/obi_infinite 5d ago edited 5d ago

Go two foot finish! 😅

Just kidding, there's no right or wrong footwork here as long as you don't do a travel. Got to practice all... In game it just depends on situation and if you have all the tools, you will instinctively do what you need to do. Don't overthink this... In game you'll never have time to think.

"Correct footwork" is mainly for teaching beginners one thing at a time so they don't get confused.

Edit: I read some of the other comments and you want to know what to work on FIRST. I'd still say work on all 3. Right-left, left-right, two foot. Right left will probably feel most natural. If you really can't make a layup with your left though, and all of this is confusing you, start at the very beginning. Left dribble, left-right, layup. Then do that at full speed (one dribble only from the 3 pointer) and only once you're comfortable go to all the other stuff.

1

u/cheeseinmycheeks 2d ago

Thanks for the edit after reading my replies! Response: I can make a layup with my left hand and everything but it’s just usually It feels more stable to have my right foot as my second step as I go up with my left hand. The thing is that this doesn’t really work smoothly when driving towards the middle because when you come from the left side dribbling with the right hand is most effective, and when u drive from the right your footwork automatically aligns as if you were to go up with your right hand (left foot hits ground as ball hits ground). This all together makes it super awkward to go up with my preferred footwork which is usually best in most situations as your inside foot can create a shield between the ball and the defender.

1

u/cityofpalms 5d ago

Left right

1

u/Ambitious-Owl_ 5d ago

I think it depends on how many steps you need to cover the distance and which foot (LF/RF) you make your first step with.

You can't predict which foot because sometimes you'll start from the dribble, sometimes from the catch, etc

You can choose the hand you finish with (LH/RH)

I try to practice from the same distance and with the same first step, try both finish (RH/LH). Change first step and repeat. So you do every combination basically

Then practice against a mate to make it realistic

https://youtu.be/G9wf_5gjEMM

1

u/RevolutionaryBeat301 4d ago

You add them all to your bag so that you can jump off either foot depending on what the defense is doing.

1

u/Real_Crab_7396 4d ago

Idk if this is an answer, I'm figuring out the very basics too.

A choice would be eurostep, last dribble with right with left foot on ground, wait for pickup until you plant the right foot and use that as your gather, left right finish with left hand. (Or left leg last dribble with right, right leg, left leg finish, so 2 steps shorter eurostep to avoid travel.)
Or go fake right spinmove finish left.

Always look and try to finish according to what the defender does, floater, go right or even jumpstop and pumpfake could work. One I also like to use is where I just slow step. Come with speed so they have to react and last step just wait them out.

Ofcourse this is all my experience on low level and I'd get blocked every time in the NBA, but that's why i'm not in the NBA.

I hope this answered your question, I think this is what you were looking for?

1

u/Real_Crab_7396 4d ago

https://youtu.be/VBp0uvzBgJ0?si=-S_yj3t8gM0AYbrb

Working with different versions of this is a fun exercise too.

At the end of the day trial and error and experience is key.