I still remember being at Worlds in 1999 in Scotland and it was sort of the debut of Fortunat Mueller with Boston. He was a young workhorse at that time and DoG knew how to use him, as he was probably catching half their goals. I remember watching a pool play game of theirs and a more experienced player pointing out his footwork, how he was always on balance. While we had begun some very basic footwork drills, it was the first time I remember noticing someone’s footwork in a game situation. Footwork became a critical component of our training after that as its value became more clear, and it’s an easy thing to work on and improve.
Good footwork not only helps you stay on balance and and allows you to change directions easily, it also allows you to be more explosive because your feet are in the right positions to make explosive moves. The key is to practice it so that in games you are doing the right things without thinking about it.
Practicing good footwork can come in a variety of ways. Obvious things are ladders and hurdles, which will improve your footspeed. Simple cone patterns of direction changing, or even having reaction direction changing can reinforce footwork in a change of direction situation. Weight distribution is also important, and to this end getting a player off-balance or extended and having them find their balance point is helpful. Then there are more extreme things like one of my teammates (Chris Frost) who goes for runs in dry creekbeds to work on his foot placement and strengthening his ankles.
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