Sunday, October 16, 2011

Tennis Footwork


Tennis Footwork is an important part of the game of tennis.
“If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.” Andre Agassi.
Footwork is a huge part of the game of tennis. The better your footwork the better tennis player you can be. Players do not need be quick to have good footwork. Although speed can help, you can still be very effective and cover a lot of the court without being extremely fast as long as you have good footwork. Correct footwork can help you to cover more court, recover quicker after shots and help you prepare for the next shot.
Footwork Quick Tips
1. Split Step. The split step is the first reaction to every shot you must return. The split step is a when you jump up an inch or two onto your toes as your opponent is about to hit his/her shot. The body position keeps you off of your heels and ready to move quickly to any position of the court. The split step should be used when you are returning serves, ground strokes, volleys and when you are approaching the net for a volley.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC4YC-uNACY
2.  Shuffle. When hitting ground strokes, foot work is important. You need to get back to the middle of the baseline after you hit each shot. The shuffle allows you to stay focused on your opponent while he/she is hitting the ball. The shuffle also allows you to stop quickly and change directions to retrieve a ball that might be hit on the direction you originally were moving from.

3. Never stop running for a ball. Give yourself a chance; you might be faster than you think.
4. Take a split step right before your opponent hits each shot.
5. Take smaller steps to adjust to each ball hit to you.
6. Move up to short balls early to be more aggressive with your shots.
7. Return to the center of the court immediately after each shot you hit.
8. Step into your shots and keep your weight moving forward.
9. Watch the pros and study how they move their feet and what they do before, during and after they hit each shot. Some great examples to study are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters and etc…
Exercises for Become Quicker: 1. Sprints  2.  General Running  3. Jump Rope  4. Lungeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC4YC-uNACY

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