Maximize Movement
by RoyceS
Many people claim that the serve is the only shot in tennis that you control from begging to end – of which I won’t necessarily disagree with. However, each player can control their footwork and the aggressiveness of their movement. While a person’s energy will ebb and flow depending on the day, each person is still capable of giving 100% of what they can on every time they play. It’s imperative to understand proper movement and the pressure it puts on your opponents.
Learning how to correctly move on a court is much more important than any single shot a player might hit. By being able to recognize where to move to on the court, and the speed it takes to move to the shot, puts pressure on your opponents to do more with their shots. Tennis is a sport dictated on time, those who maximize their time while taking the most away from their opponents will prosper.
Frequently, Club players cite difficulties with their mobility. However, that is only a small part of the equation. Even those players whose movement is above average often fall prey to bad footwork. One misstep per shot in a rally leads to off-balance play and limited shot making. More importantly, instead of dictating play the player becomes reactionary. Here are a few tips to help improve your movement on the court:
Split Step: Right before your opponent makes contact on every shot including the serve, you should take a small balanced hop. This action allows for quick movement in any direction.
Large Steps: Use large steps initially to get to the ball as fast as possible. The quicker a player can get to a shot, the easier it will be to take control.
Small Steps: As you approach the ball shorten up your steps. Using small steps allows for you to adjust to the ball and hit the ball in your contact zone all while staying balanced.
In conclusion, proper movement before and after your opponents hit the ball gives you an unbelievable advantage.
2 Comments »
Comment by Kang
I completely agree with you Royce! However, I’d like to add that there’s one step before movement – watching your opponent’s tendencies and anticipating their next move. Not everyone is a natural to have great footwork, although it’s definitely something one can work on. However, I can’t find any excuses to how a player is not paying attention to what their opponent likes to do and get at least half if not one step faster.
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Comment by Gary-Visaman
Many thanks, Royce for those helpful tips and also for reminding us about the importance of court movement and footwork to the ball!
I would add that I find it a special challenge to keep my feet moving in between points as well, especially in doubles when the ball is being hit amongst the other players.
The slower my feet are moving on given day, whether it’s the weather, or how I’m feeling physically, or I’m just feeling lazy that day, the quality of my tennis suffers.
In regards to Kang’s point about trying to anticipate the opponent’s move by watching his tendencies, I would add also look at the opponent’s body posture, swing path of racket and his court positioning as a way to help your own responsive footwork to the on-coming ball. Best, Gary
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