poor footwork
Inadequate stepping technique
Poor footwork describes inadequate movement of the feet, especially in activities where positioning matters—sports, dance, boxing, or martial arts.
A boxer with poor footwork gets caught flat-footed; a tennis player with poor footwork arrives late to shots.
The phrase extends to any situation requiring nimble maneuvering: His poor footwork in the negotiations left him cornered.
- stumbleLose footing momentarily
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
- trippingLosing balance walking
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- shuffleRandomize by mixing
shuffle step · balance · misstep · unsteady · wobbly · tangled · sluggish · caught off guard · heavy · plodding · graceless · lumbering · stagger · fumble · slip · drag · boxing · tennis
poor footworkquick feet
Rapid pedal agility
graceful movement · fancy footwork · fleet-footed · sure-footed · light on one's feet
poor, foot, work, poorly, poorer, poorest, poverty, feet, footed