Why footwork decides a post-up more than height does

Establishing position before the pass

A player posting up is trying to occupy a specific piece of floor, and the contest for it happens while the ball is somewhere else entirely. Sealing a defender means placing the body between him and the intended position, using the legs and hips rather than the arms. A player who arrives at the same time as the pass has to fight for position while catching, which almost always produces a poor starting point.

This is why post players spend so much energy on possessions where they never touch the ball, since the position has to be contested repeatedly. The passer's job is to deliver the ball at the moment the seal exists, which requires him to be watching the feet rather than the hands.

The catch determines the options

Catching the ball with both feet set and the shoulders square to the sideline preserves the ability to turn in either direction. Catching off balance or while still moving reduces the player to whichever turn his momentum allows, and the defender knows which one that is. The ball is usually held high and away from the defender's reach, because a low ball invites a strip from behind that ends the possession immediately.

Establishing a pivot foot at the moment of the catch is what makes the following footwork legal, and errors here are costly and common. Everything after the catch is constrained by these details, which is why the catch is treated as a separate skill from the finish.

The move and the counter

A post player's first move is often not the one intended to score; it is the one that establishes what the defender will react to. The counter that follows takes advantage of that reaction, moving in the opposite direction while the defender's weight is committed. This is the same mechanism as a bowler setting up a batter, and it depends equally on the first action being convincing.

Players with only one move are defended easily, because the defender can commit fully to it without any risk of being wrong. Players with a move and a reliable counter force the defender into a genuine guess, which is what creates the space the finish requires.

Using the defender's body

Contact in the post is constant, and skilled players use the defender's own pressure as information about which direction is available. A defender leaning hard on one side has committed his weight, and a quick spin in the opposite direction leaves him with nothing to push against. The technique requires the offensive player to feel rather than look, since turning to see the defender surrenders the position that was established.

This tactile reading is the reason experienced post players score against athletically superior defenders with some regularity. It is also why post play is difficult to learn quickly, as the feel cannot be acquired without a great deal of live contact.

Reading the double team

A post player who establishes deep position will usually attract a second defender, which changes the possession from a scoring opportunity to a passing one. Recognising the second defender early is essential, since a player who begins his move and then sees the double is already surrounded. The correct response is normally to pass out of the double quickly, because the defence has committed two players and someone else is open.

Which player is open depends on where the second defender came from, and the post player has to know that before he receives the ball. Post players who pass well out of double teams see fewer of them, which improves their own scoring opportunities as a direct consequence.