Tennis Footwork: The Mark of a Tennis Pro
If you are an ardent tennis fan and have watched Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or the Williams sisters, you will have an appreciation of fine tennis footwork. Tennis is a game of great artistry and while speed and power definitely play an important part in making a champion, a player’s footwork and their ability to cover the court is an important part of what makes him or her successful.
Importance of footwork
What do we mean when we talk about tennis footwork? Is it the ability to move fast? Well, not really. Tennis is a game of the current shot and the next shot and so footwork is what enables you to make the best of each shot and get into great position for the next return. It is a combination of figuring out the best position to handle a shot and anticipate whatever your opponent may throw your way. Good tennis footwork allows you to reach hard to reach shots and helps you make each shot count. If you find yourself flat-footed and unable to move around in anticipation of shots or if you find that even though you reach a ball you are not able to get a good return that means that your footwork needs improvement.
The good news is that you can train to improve your footwork. There are some aspects of sports such as tennis that is pure instinct but there are many aspects that can be improved through diligent training and footwork is one of them.
Some important footwork drills
It is important to think in terms of covering the entire court during all your shots. So, after each shot, it is important to shuffle back to the baseline without taking your eyes off your opponent. This action, of moving back without quite lifting your feet of the ground, gives a player a lot of flexibility if he or she needs to change direction.
For good offensive play, it is handy to master what the experts call the split step. By bouncing on your toes and with your feet apart at shoulder width, you are ready to spring in any direction. This allows you to approach your opponent’s shots with fierce aggression rather than tentativeness. The split step is a way of making sure that you are not all the way down on your heels and are ready to sprint into position. Practicing this footwork can be helpful when you need to return serves, play ground strokes or volleys and also when you are approaching the net. The split step is a way of making the sprint work in the context of tennis.
Good footwork can also help with good defensive shots. Essentially a tennis player has to move in anticipation of an opponent’s shot and the ability to gauge the other player’s body angle and position yourself accordingly can be a big asset. Even in this it is important to keep your feet moving, so that you can move in a split second if needed.
Exercise and exposure
Like many sports drills, tennis footwork is a lot about repeated practice. Make sure that you make it to the court often and try and find ways to repeat different shots to see how you can fine tune your foot work. Another thing that works well is to watch the greats at play. While we cannot be frustrated if we do not pull off shots like Andy Roddick or Justin Henin, we should take the time to watch them cover the court. It is almost like breathing for the best tennis professionals in that they do it without thinking. Repeated exposure to how they handle different positions, will allow us to try a range of movements on the tennis courts also.