In Vol. 3, No. 34 of the Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletter, I write about the crossover step. I use Roger Federer and Sandra Sinclair as examples of the crossover step in a sport-specific setting.
However, the video below shows the difference in speed in driving off your lead leg with a crossover step as opposed to stepping with your lead leg first. In the example, the athlete is faster using a crossover step than he is turning to sprint. This is not a perfect example to the difference between a crossover step and a traditional defensive slide, but coupled with the Federer and Sinclair videos, it certainly makes a compelling argument that in many instances, the crossover step should be the dominant footwork for defensive footwork.
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Interesting study. I too have closely looked at footwork, i.e. the cross-over step vs. the quick away step. Question: What happens if an offensive player uses a jab and cross-over? If the defender has initiated movement in the same direction with a cross-over step, it may be very difficult to react to the offensive cross-over and switch directions.
I like to think of defending jab steps like a boxer moving in and out – short, quick steps with center of gravity over your base of support. No big movements.
From the starting position on a live-ball move, I defend a jab step and a drive step in the same way. Most coaches teach players to defend the two differently which works in drills, but when the offensive player initiates his movement, how do you know whether it is a jab step or drive step?
So, against a live-ball move, the first movement is a hop back to create space; if it is a jab step, use a crossover step; if it is a jab step, hop forward to the starting position (like a boxer moving in and out); if it is a jab and crossover drive, hop backward, hip turn and crossover step in the other direction