Karl-Anthony Towns Demonstrates Drive Step

Last week we talked baseball talent, this week I’m going to talk about a basketball player, a very young NBA player. Karl-Anthony Towns was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2015 NBA draft at the age of nineteen. Before that he played on the Dominican Republic National team where they missed making it to the 2012 Olympics by one place. He was sixteen at that time. He has also racked up a ton of awards through his time playing.

Now, ESPN Sport Science is what clued me into him. If you haven’t watched the two and a half minute episode, feel free to check it out below.

Towns is an incredible defender and here’s why. In half a second and two steps, Towns clears just under seven feet. He then is able to hit his 36” vertical to block shots. The video goes on to demonstrate that he can defend over a third of a volleyball court by himself.

Now, when we talk about spike approaches, we typically use the words big-bigger-biggest or fast-faster-fastest. In a four step approach the two most important steps are the last two, they cover the most distance and are the fastest. The first two give you direction, the last two set you up for your jump. Towns is demonstrating those last two steps, or the drive steps, in an approach. If you watch the video just after the one minute mark, Towns has his shoulders open to the right of his body and then uses his arms to drive his body upward before fully extending his right arm to block the shot. He also doesn’t drift while he is in the air but rather lands right where he started, using his full force to get maximum height.

Now, what is my point in all this? Towns was sixteen when he made the Dominican Republic National team and he’s now an NBA player at nineteen. Age is not stopping you from reaching these numbers. Personally, I had a 24” vertical when I was sixteen but I’m also 5’7” and needed that much of a vertical to block anything. I see so many middle blockers who rely on their height and settle for a few inches on their jump  rather than training and seeing just how high they can reach.

 

(See, I'm reaching just as high as the middle but her feet are barely off the ground.)

The other issue is that many young players start their approach at the ten foot line which isn’t ideal for a variety of reasons, one of which being it does not give you enough space for an approach. If the ball is supposed to be set 2-3’ from the net and your drive step is 6-7’, your first two steps are gone and you’ve lost some of your potential power. A four step approach will give you a higher jump than a two step. This does not mean you should shorten your drive step, your drive step provides you with momentum and the distance helps.

During the off season you should do more than just play. Yes, playing will help improve your game and it is the best thing to do, but it is not the only thing to do. Taking time, even a day a week to focus on jump training or actively working to focus on your drive step will improve your vertical.

To learn more about Karl-Anthony Towns visit his Wikipedia page below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Anthony_Towns