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.
