One of the most important aspects
of your tennis stroke is foot movement. Every shot you hit will
suffer if you fail to get into proper position. How do you get
into position? Move those feet! There are two types of foot
movement:
Moving to the ball-
obviouslyyou
have to get to the ball
Adjustingto the ball-
(thisis the most
important type of movement) small adjustment
steps to help track the ball
Unfortunately, foot movement is
one of the first things to go when you are playing badly or
tentatively. I'm sure you've had this feeling during a
match....You can't react fast enough to get to the ball or the
ball gets to you too fast for you to hit the shot properly. That's
because your footwork has stopped.
To keep those
feet moving, focus on the ball like a dog does.
Have you ever seen a dog waiting for it's master
to throw the ball? They can't wait! And they are
totally focused on the ball. If you could hear
what they were thinking, I'm sure it would be
ball!, ball!, ball! Adopt that mindset and
active waiting style. Bounce on the balls of
your feet, focus on the ball and be ready to go
after and adjust to it as soon as it comes off
your opponent's racket.
