First Step Quickness: A How To

First step quickness makes the difference between winning and losing in many a sport: soccer, basketball, and let's not forget badminton. (Equally important to a few unfortunate readers, let's not forget the "n" in badminton.)  How to develop first step quickness? Men's Health sports performance answer person recommends this: Imagine a large X on the floor and stand in the middle of it with your feet pointing at a 45-degree angle toward the top left of the X. Keep your shoulders facing forward as you rotate your hips and feet back and forth toward each end of the X. To counterbalance the movement, shift your arms to the right when your hips rotate left, and vice versa. Rotate back and forth for 6 seconds at the start of each sprint.
Geezer recommends that once you've acquired first step quickness, work on stepping in the right direction.
Read more about building first step quickness in Men's Health.