Backpedaling
 

Why is it against good mechanics to backpedal while on a basketball court? Sometimes when I'm at trail I will begin to go to the other end with a back pedal and then turn and run after a few steps. I'm talking about a play when the defense gets the ball and is coming back up my sideline. I've just thought that if I stayed in a back pedal I'd have a better view for a longer period of time. Turning to run and looking back over your shoulder at times just doesn't seem to give you a view that allows you to process what's taking place as well. I wouldn't say it should be the only way to get back down court but I'm not understanding why it's so badly thought of. I guess the objection is the idea of falling over. But it's not a problem in football. Thanks.

You're right. It's much easier to fall over while backpedaling than running forwards.

In addition, I don't know anyone who is as fast running backwards as they are forwards. The longer you run backwards, the more you'll get beat. If there is a play that you need to still cover in the backcourt, don't take off. If you need to get down the floor, turn, run, and look back.

Some reffs have been seriously injured and in my opinion you look like a complete fool doing this on a basketball court. A direct sign of a beginning basketball reff, one should try to look as professional as possible. You will fall eventually backpedalling and if you don't injure yourself in the process, at a minimum you will look like a complete a$$.

What's worse than looking dumb when you fall down is the seriousness of the injury you might sustain. Not just a sore bum: you can rip an achilles tendon and be out for a long and exceedingly painful while.

Just worked a game...
 

... with a D1 football official. His position: back judge. Says to me he is a backpeddler and always will be. Says he knows how to run backwards and he is not going to fall down. In our game he avoided incident... and I suspect he knows how to manage himself on the court.


... with a high schooler (doing CYO games). This kid had a mop of blond hair, and had an exaggerated backpeddling gait. I suggested to him to turn around and run.... if only so I didn't get distracted by his bouncing hair! :D

I agree with all of the above, and unless you are an NFL corner, why would you think that it would be better to do so than just "turn and run"?

I went to a camp with a guy who did this. They filmed the game. He took a big tumble while running backwards. And there are two guys who now have this on tape. And if one guy could figure out how to get it to youtube.....

That is a very flawed logic. For one in football they have a 25 yard start on the ball. And in football when you fall down, you fall down on a relatively soft surface. Also as a BJ, he is in the middle of the field and no one is supposed to be in his way. If you fall in basketball, the only thing you are going to hit is a very hard surface. Not a lot of give on a wood or sometimes harder surface.

Peace

Been There, Done That ...
 

Or a cheerleader. Hopefully not one of those skinny cheerleaders, but a soft and squishy one.

BJV game last night, transition and my partner ended up running into a GV player as the whole team was crossing the court. She was a few feet on the court when he hit her. If he'd been backpedaling, it would have been disasterous.

What on earth were they doing there?:confused:

one of the very first things I was told when training to be a ref was not to backpedal. A ref told me he had a huge fall doing it and it was a big crowd.
Of course, I do it but only briefly and when I got space. ex- I'm lead and then other team gets it and I'm trail and ball is stolen, a few backpedals and I'm lead again. no biggie. but that's about it.

Thanks. All good thoughts. What about shuffling sideways at times? Your body is square to the court and you don't have to turn your head all the way around.

I'll take a few shuffles if it's a slow transition and I'm watching it develop. Or after a rebound as I'm watching players clear out.

But in a quick transition, I'm turning and running to do my best to beat the play down the court.

A nice way to maintain that wider angle you like from back peddling while stilling moving safely and quickly for me is to start my transition with a side-step and then turn that into a full sprint.

side steps
 

I will side-step once or twice after a rebound as T or C for a few reasons.

1. To ensure that there isn't a quick turnover or foul and I am running full speed to the other end of the court only to turn around halfway there and see everyone still at the other end.

2. If there is going to be a press, I will need to stay in the area to officiate and the side-step gives me a second or two to see what defense is going to be played.

Now, if they have been running and gunning all night, or I see everyone turn and run for a fast break, I'm gone as T (new L).

It was the middle of the 2nd quarter, and they were heading to their locker room as a group. On that play, the ball ended up going OOB table side (partner was opposite as lead). White coach thought it should have been his, neither of us had a great look, but it looked like white hit it to me.

If you are an AR in soccer, such shuffling is required. :)

The only time I really find myself shuffling is if I'm in transition and I'm at center. Otherwise, I'll turning my head and running/jogging down court.

Better to run in a way that leaves you an angle to see between players. Sometimes that will require you to slow down rather than race them.

On occasion I have been known to both backpedal a few steps and/or side-step a few steps, both in transition, as I turn and look over my shoulder - as I have been taught. I do neither for more than a step or two but find them both handy in certain situations to best keep my eyes on the action in my area as I transition.

As a rule though, I don't do neither for any length of time.

Certainly. But I'd rather have the option to slow down than need to speed up (which is mostly an impossibility for me.) :)

Also, as trail-to-lead in transition that isn't a break, I hate arriving with the post players. I want to beat them down so I can "receive" the players as they take positions in the paint.

I side-step quite a bit in transition, especially at C or as L during press coverage. I can cover a lot of ground pretty quickly that way, and it leaves me open to the entire court. If I'm L on a three-person crew and we're in press coverage, I'll stay out on the court more and move slowly backwards as the play progresses towards me. Not really back pedaling, but something like it.