In just about every sport , it takes great feet to compete at a high level.

Proper footwork in basketball is as vital to successful play as effective skating is to quality hockey play. After all, foot control (explosive stops and starts) is a key element of body control and controlling opponents. If you cannot skate, you will never be an effective hockey player regardless of your other skills; likewise in basketball. Therefore you must understand how your feet operate. The feet are made of two parts. The balls of the feet are the Go or Push pads and are used to power your system.  The heels are the brakes and are used primarily for stopping and stabilization. Having your energy backward on your heels or operating on the brakes means you are stuck (flat) to the floor and slower to react.  (Note: Engaging the toes to the floor in a gripping fashion shifts your energy forward and keeps you on your pads.  This promotes instant forward movement or explosion…

“Every Step You Take” addresses the power of every step on earth for everyday walking. For  sports, how you operate your feet  determines your balance, stability and ability  to locomote effectively and deceptively. If you think you  are “non-athletic” or have  slow feet in your sport, check first to see if you operating on your feet properly.  Determine if your energy is typically moving towards  your “push pads” (balls of your feet) on steps or back towards the brakes (heels) .  It’s okay to have your heels touch the floor as long as your energy (from the heel) is moving away from the ground during the stride forward .

“No homo, but Ray Allen’s sh*t looks like he’s got baseballs in his legs. Ray must walk on the balls of his feet because I can’t see any amount of training that would make his calf muscles that big and leave the rest of his leg skinny.”

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I notice players with poor foot mechanics and ones with great feet for that matter. But poor foot mechanics is a major contributor in lack of athletic prowess and simply an unnecessary handicap.  Futhermore, individuals with bad foot mechanics and/or poor structure (geometric harmony) are also prone to injury.

Notice. The vast majority of players that can jump, or those with speed or quickness generally walk the same way. It’s true for the mediocre and athletically challenged as well.  The typical step of that group is  heel first walking (touching). Notice the heel first walker usually has less calf  and hamstring definition, plus less pronounced glutes.  Hmmm… who would you rather be?

When you catch people at the gym walking up on their  toes, are you really surprised when they can jump or are explosive?  I know embouchure is a term used to describe the proper approach or positioning  of the lips on the mouthpiece of an instrument, but I like to think of the feet and their grip to  the court (or earth) in that way.  I talk extensively about this in the “Virtual Game…”, “We Can Build You”-Chapter 4. Once you understand proper foot mechanics  and subsequently foot control, you’ll be able to control opponents with  greater ease; especially in basketball (with the law of leadership) or right to be first (in movement).

You have the power in every step you take to make a difference in the symmetry of your body and your physical capacity.   A whole generation wanted to be like Mike. It should include walking like him. Be cognizant of how  you walk. Soon you’ll be better equipped to walk the walk and perhaps… talk the talk.

Every step you take may be as important as every breath you take.   Each breath connects you with life on earth.  Each step  connects you with your physical life on earth.

Mathematical precision of movement is necessary for the proper functioning of any machine; otherwise the system would be prone to breakdowns and malfunction.   Human beings are machines, yet so many fail to utilize their bodies in the proper way mechanically.  So many structural ailments of the body can be directly attributed  to how individuals connect to the earth with their feet and subsequently how they function. 

Ideally we connect with emphasis on the front-foot area (pad) , while focusing on moving our  energy forward off the heel.

This promotes proper structure (body symmetry,  balance and stability) and proper body mechanics (torque and fluid movement).  Landing with energy moving back toward the  heel promotes an inward moving butt, which not only creates unhealthy torque on the system , but also  interferes with the natural  flow or transfer of the energy created by the feet.

As a result, movement (based on efficiency) becomes more laborious and moves outside of the natural (mathematical) rhythm of the body.   This promotes  poor posture, symmetry and will lead to physical issues over time.  For athletes, improper structure  diminishes athleticism and makes those in violation more susceptible to injury –especially the knee and back variety.

Everyone should learn to respect the power of every step on earth.  It will change the way you operate (as a machine), the way you look  and the way you feel.

Related: “Foot Mechanics is Quite the Feet”