Acquiring expert tennis footwork skills is an integral component of taking your game to the next level. This course covers all of the required patterns used by ATP pros.
First up is the split step. This movement starts from your ready position and helps you reach the ball faster by loading your legs with momentum.
Crossover Step
Crossover Step is one of the key footwork patterns to learn for athletes looking to cover greater distance than can be covered with side shuffle. It works when one leg shifts right and crosses over in front of it with their other foot crossing over behind it to complete this move more efficiently, which allows players to recover from balls more effectively.
As part of learning this footwork pattern, it is key that players learn to plant their deceleration leg far enough outside their shoulders in order to come quickly to a stop. Furthermore, it’s crucial that they remain balanced during movement without their shoulders shifting out of place or shifting suddenly.
Tennis players typically take many cross-court steps during a match to reach the ball quickly from where it has been hit to their starting point. Cross-court steps allow them to travel from their starting point more rapidly to its location on court.
Running lines is an effective way for players to develop footwork patterns. But for true learning of such techniques in game situations, nothing beats having their coach throw an innocuous ball behind the baseline onto their forehand wing and have them try and recover before getting close enough to a cone to catch it.
Mastering tennis footwork will enable you to move more efficiently on the court, providing more options when hitting the ball. Though developing these skills takes time and dedication, once they begin improving your game the rewards will more than make up for their efforts.
Neutral Stance
Neutral stance is an effective starting point to learning basic tennis footwork for novice players. This stance allows you to take early advantage of taking early shots while decreasing opponent reaction times when receiving or moving forward with balls from baselines or from opponents on court. Please note this does not refer to “stepping into” which occurs when an opponent hits hard balls that need more power from a hit player’s opponent – note “stepping into” will result in more aggressive shots being hit!
Neutral stance is designed to pre-load legs and particularly the posterior chain with weight so that when the ball comes near or you need to move out to hit it, your body does not have to shuffle around in search of an ideal position – it is much simpler and quicker for an effective shot from someone whose legs and hips have already been preloaded than starting from scratch!
When faced with an incoming ball at waist height or lower, it’s essential that your feet be placed into the neutral stance as soon as possible to give yourself enough time to set up for a shot. Although generally used for forehand shots, neutral stance can also be utilized for backhand shots when they need to hit out to the sides.
Most players prefer neutral stance forehands as it makes picking up low balls easier and is superior at taking balls on the rise than an open stance forehand. However, modern professional players typically utilize both types of forehands depending on the play situation and ball type.
Ready Step
Tennis requires constant movement. From chasing down shots or recovering after your opponent hits them to quickly and accurately moving around the court, success depends on being able to move quickly and accurately. One technique that helps achieve this success is called The Ready Step: it involves jumping in the direction you believe an opponent may go while still permitting quick changes of direction if necessary. To perform it yourself, begin by positioning your feet shoulder width apart with knees slightly bent before jumping side to side lightly touching down each time – as if skating on ice.
Split Step is another essential tennis footwork technique. Similar to its cousin, Ready Step, Split Step involves performing a quick hop prior to moving towards the ball for additional acceleration in reaching it before your opponent does. Timing this move perfectly should give you enough speed to reach it faster than your competitor does.
Tennis players also utilize side skipping movements known as shuffle steps to recover back to the center of the court after hitting a shot, similar to split steps and ready steps. One effective drill to develop these skills is live ball chase drill where balls are fed deep behind the baseline into your backhand wing and once hit must run and recover using shuffle steps back before your coach feeds another one forehand wing.
Running lines is another great way to hone your tennis footwork and reactions skills, though it might appear simple at first. Though the split step seems effortless, its precision requires considerable practice before becoming second nature.
Split Step
The Split Step is a small hop used to position feet so they are ready for an incoming shot and quickly react accordingly. It requires extensive practice in order to become proficient.
A split step aims to jump at just the moment you sense where an opponent will strike the ball, loading your legs with power so they can explode upon landing and attack with great force towards where you intend to hit it. This method helps prepare you for all types of shots your opponent could potentially hit from close quarters such as at a net.
This step can also prevent players from running backwards and giving up court position to their opponents, a common error among newer players. Taking a side step back is much simpler than running back.
With some practice and attention to detail, executing a split step is relatively straightforward. Just ensure you’re performing it in an appropriate way – without jumping too high or landing incorrectly. Record yourself while practicing this move so that you can catch any small details you might miss otherwise. Doing this may help reveal potential trouble spots that you don’t see with naked eye alone.
Practice Split Step without Ball at First
Adjustment Steps
While most tennis learners focus on strokes and strategies when learning the game, taking adjustment steps is one of the most essential parts of tennis footwork. Adjustment steps involve taking small calculated steps with your feet that place them into a position to react appropriately when balls arrive short or deep along your baseline. By taking adjustment steps tennis players can reduce risks associated with balls outside their comfort zones by simplifying their set up routine and taking measures like these that simplify set up.
When your opponent serves, generally stay a few feet back from the baseline before taking one or more split steps to prepare for his or her next shot. Make any necessary adjustments based on how your server hits the ball or what type of ground stroke you’re anticipating; for instance if a sideways serve is headed your way then make additional split steps with your left foot to maintain balance and keep from falling over.
If the short ball is heading directly for your backhand side, however, then using a cross step with your right foot will allow for quicker recovery from shots as it allows more distance to be covered with less movement.
Last, but not least, is the “crossover pattern followed by side shuffle steps”. When using this footwork pattern to recover from shots, face your body in the direction you intend to move before taking a crossover step with your left foot (right side of court) followed by side shuffle steps with your right. Continue these steps until reaching your desired recovery position.