Do you know your tennis footwork steps ?

This week we are going to do a quick review on the main and most important tennis footwork steps that you should be aware of. You should be doing this in all of your tennis footwork drills. I am going to list each step in order of importance starting with the most important one first. (There is too many so i am only going to list the main and most common ones.)

1. The Tennis Split Step - You have all heard of it i am sure. So the main idea here is that of the Law of Inertia: “A body at rest tends to stay at rest, a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” Basically, you need to already be moving when you see the ball and decide it's time to move (in a certain direction). You should be taking your split step when your opponent is about to hit the ball. By doing so you overcome the inertia "body at rest" and change it to "body in motion". Timing is crucial when you are split stepping, if you do it too early you will end up stopped in a different position.

2. Drop Step (aka Gravity Step) - is very important in tennis. The drop step is usually used when you get those high balls that push you back. So instead of back paddling, if you are hitting a forehand, you will get your right foot go back behind your left foot, than you will do a crossover step and you are in position to hit the deep shot back. It is very efficient.

3. Front Cross Over Step - essentially that is a recovery move. It is used in situations where you have to run or move quickly across the court. In such plays side stepping won't do it, you will have to turn, run and hit on the run. Once your foot is planted after you've hit the shot, you will push off that outside foot and cross the leg over in front of the body to the middle of the court.

4. Break Step - this is how you stop yourself. It helps when you try to stop and change directions. It helps with recovery as once you stop you can turn and run to the middle. Every time you are on the move to get to a ball and then need to recover and get into a defensive position you will use the break step.

Alright all so these are some of the most important and common steps. I hope this helps and can't wait to see you out there ! As always if you need help with working on some of these steps please email me. I also highly recommend checking out this Online Tennis Fitness Programs that you can do on your own:

Best

Emil

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