The most successful tennis players have great footwork and quickness, just look at how well Federer and Nadal move on the court. What do you do when you lack quickness? Whether you are a singles or doubles player, there is one thing that can help you tremendously in getting in better position when hitting any shot in tennis. It is a simple thing that many players either forget to do or never learned how to do correctly.
It is called the SPLIT-STEP. A split-step is when you come to a momentary pause, with your feet apart for stability, while your opponent is either making his shot of preparing to hit his shot.
The split step allows you to move in the direction of your opponent's shot. Too often, players run through their split-step and end up either over-running the ball, or not being able to change direction in time to reach a shot. If you find that you are constantly out of position, try to make your split-step earlier, perhaps when your opponent is making their back-swing or even just before. Although you may end up giving your opponent a bit more court to hit into, your balance and ability to hit the ball with more control is usually worth it. No matter what level you are, try to consciously make your split-steps earlier and see if it helps you get to more balls.
HTA Head Coach Jackie Jenkins
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