By Lee Taft

What is the most common thing you hear parents and coaches say they want their athletes to be able to have? A great first step. In this article I want to share my thoughts on this and allow you to test them out for yourself.

The first step in athletics is most commonly thought of going straight ahead. But if you only looked at it this way it would be a big mistake. You would be missing most of what sport entails- multidirectional speed.

A baseball player’s most important first step when stealing is lateral. Tennis players’ most important first steps are lateral and forward. The most important first steps of a football player on defensive might be backwards. So, we need to look at first step speed in the multidirectional plane. Let’s dig into the mechanics.

If you have followed me at all over the past years, you have heard me talk about a concept of the feet moving from under the center of mass. They find better angles to drive down and away so the body can move in its intended direction with quickness and power. There are some cases when the feet should be aligned perfectly so there is not moving of the feet from under the body- they simply push and go. This would be seen in the fore mentioned baseball steal stance and in track and field sprinting starts. In these cases, the athletes know where they are going so they can line up accordingly.

The key components to consider when talking first step speed is early recognition of the play or the stimulus which tells the athlete which way to go and immediate body alignment and action.

First, when an athlete is playing versus a defender in close quarters (basketball, football…) or defending a ball (tennis, volleyball…) they must use their quick reactive ability to move in the direction needed to make a play or stay in position. Secondly, the athlete, after recognizing where to go, must aggressively and quickly use the body in a way that projects it in the new direction. If moving forward, the body may need to lower more to be in a better acceleration position. The arms and legs might have to drive aggressively to move faster. One of the legs will perform a plyo step to gain a quicker start and begin the proper alignment of the body faster. All these factors are important but must be performed in the context of the sport and the position of the sport.

If you have a lacrosse or tennis player, they have to be able to move quickly, but maintain great position with the lax stick or tennis racquet so they can perform well. In soccer they must move the body quickly so the feet can get in position to make a play. In volleyball the hands have to get in position. First step acceleration is more than just yelling at the athletes to…MOVE FASTER!

Here are some basic directions you want to consider when looking at first step speed:

-Straight ahead- use the plyo step when not determined. Use staggered stance when direction is determined.
-Angular- use plyo step with the opposite foot of the direction you are traveling.
-Laterally- use lateral plyo step if not determined or a wider stance if direction is determined.
-Retreating/backwards- use hip turn if the body needs to open up and run, crossover, or shuffle. Use a back pedal technique if the orientation needs to stay on the play ahead for short duration of time.

I don’t want to scare you though. Athletic multidirectional acceleration is such an innate ability and athletes do perform it naturally. What I want you to understand is that your coaching must be consistent with what actually occurs; here lies the problem. 

Even thought the plyo step, hip turn, and directional step are natural and the crossover and lateral gait system are key components to movement, we as coaches have tried and tried to stop athletes from doing it simply because it looks differently then we may have been taught.

My role as a coach’s coach is to help you understand what really happens during movement and to embrace it. Use the techniques I have taught for what they really are- an assessment and evaluation of movement. You can take these skills, today’s skills are about first step speed, and use them to correct any mistake an athletes displays. I spend more time watching athletes move and gathering information on their movement so I can see consistencies in patterns.

If an athlete’s first step is awesome, and they get the job done safely and effectively, I leave them alone- even if it looks different. I understand human make up and realize we all have different looks to similar patterns. But if I see an athlete consistently show poor movement then I interject and correct.

I want you to make your athlete’s first step really mean something. I want it to do damage on the playing field or court. I hope that the above information helps you to understand what first step really is- natural and determined.

Ground Breaking 2

Ground Breaking 2 will make you into the guru on coaching athletic speed. Not only will you be able to evaluate athletic skills such as; many forms of cutting, acceleration, deceleration/change of direction, jumping/landing, first step quickness in any direction, lateral speed mechanics, tactical quickness, retreating skills, and so much more, you will also be able to correct your athletes on the spot with highly targeted coaching cues. Your athletes will love you!