Running Backwards

[Adam]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

I, too, am a soccer guy. Easthire, I agree with just about every comment you have made in this thread.

I was at a basketball camp a couple years ago and they ask us to sprint up the court and back pedal back twice in each direction. I got my two trips before many got in one trip. Of course, the purpose of the activity was to show why back pedaling was a bad idea.

Truth is, you CLEARLY get a better view of the floor and your primary when backing up as opposed to looking over your shoulder. If you know you are beyond all players and have some sense as to where the wall is and where the cheerleaders are (basketball courts have numerous markings on them to make this task much easier), looking straight ahead provides a better field of view (court of view, if you prefer).

The ONLY reason in my mind to not back pedal in these situations is for safety reasons -- broken wrists are a pain!!! This presents a pretty compelling reason NOT to go backwards...

I don't work soccer, nor football, but for me the risks far outweigh any benefit to backpedaling. Last weekend, when I tripped, I wasn't backpedaling. If I had been, the damage would have been a lot worse (possibly a head injury). Instead of tripping and falling on my knee and wrist (my wrist is still sore), I wouldn't have seen him in the corner of my eye and had time to adjust.

Looking over my shoulder, I can see the players well enough to know if there's a matchup I need to stop to focus on.

If I find myself stopped at about the FT line, and know I'm the only one back, I might back up (in a walk) the rest of the way. But only rarely and I don't know why I do it. I notice I do it more in 3 man when there's a press with a BC throw in.