The Art of Pivoting Under Pressure

Pivoting has long been a major emphasis for Villanova Men’s Basketball Coach Jay Wright, dating back to his early days at Hofstra.

Coach Wright’s players must be able to forward and reverse pivot, do it with either foot, and then be able to hold that pivot foot if they take contact from the defense.

It’s become increasingly apparent over the past few months that we must all now become Villanova basketball players of sorts. We need to learn how to pivot our lives in different directions while standing firm, balanced and in control regardless of where we catch the ball or how much pressure the defense is applying.

Forward Pivot

Many basketball players are only comfortable if they’re jab stepping with their dominant foot and using their weaker foot as their pivot. It’s the ideal scenario, but it’s only effective if the defense allows us to catch the ball where we want it. When times are normal, everyone can pivot how they please, working typical hours, spending maybe even a little more than what’s in their budget, going on a vacation or two every year. But we’re not always afforded this luxury.

Reverse Pivot

The reverse pivot is slightly trickier to teach as it’s unnatural for some players. Essentially, instead of opening up away from the defender where we can shield the ball, we attack face to face. Sometimes we’re most effective when we’re bold. This might mean seeing a more-appealing job and quickly applying, buying an item we know is a steal or even moving houses. But we have to make sure we have a plan and that the ball doesn’t get ripped from us when we open up.

Forward Pivot With Weak Foot

We all want to jab step with our dominant foot, but sometimes the defense forces us to catch it another way. We have to be able to quickly adapt. Adverse circumstances will constantly present themselves. How do we effectively engage our team in these situations? How do we comfort family members, particularly the oldest and youngest? Do we have emergency money saved? In essence, are we able to quickly adapt if what we anticipated doesn’t happen?

Reverse Pivot With Weak Foot

We open up, the ball is exposed, and we’re playing off our weaker foot. It’s an uncomfortable scenario. We’ve been reverse pivoting with our weaker foot for the past few months and, let’s be frank, we’ve had the ball stolen a couple of times. We need to learn how to play the game under duress. What if we get laid off tomorrow? Do we have a concrete, actionable spending plan going forward? Do we have strong references? What if there is no season?

A lot of players have only one of these pivots in their arsenal and still get by. But if the past few months have taught us anything, it’s that we need to learn how to quickly pivot in several different ways. We need to be multi-faceted, and we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We may win some easy games early only knowing one pivot. But if we want to make a deep postseason run, we better know how to pivot in any direction on the floor.

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Attitude: Develop a Winning Mindset on and off the Court by Jay Wright with Michael Sheridan and Mark Dagostino. This book shares some of the leadership secrets that have enabled Villanova to thrive in the hypercompetitive world of college athletics. Coach Wright offers anecdotes from his own journey up the ladder of success, with lessons learned on the Little League playing fields of his youth and wisdom passed down from his coaches and mentors. The product of a lifetime’s worth of championship-level preparation, Attitude is perfect for anyone looking to build a team, achieve a goal, or nurture their own winning culture.

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